Newcrest general counsel quits

Newcrest Mining's (NCM) general counsel and company secretary Scott Langford will depart the group on November 22.

In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, Newcrest said Mr Langford intends to take a break for 12 months for personal and family reasons.

Deputy company secretary Peter Larsen will assume the role of company secretary until a successor is determined.

The news comes after a troubling year for Newcrest, posting an annual net loss of $5.8 billion on the back of more than $6 billion in asset writedowns and restructuring costs and a disclosure scandal.

The company then announced that chief executive Greg Robinson's annual pay would be cut by 27% to $2.73 million, down from $3.69 million in the previous year as his short-term bonuses were reduced by $700,000.

The 2013 annual report showed Newcrest's executive managers also had their pay cut in 2013, but Finance Director Gerard Bond's overall pay increased, from $1.64 million to $1.73 million.

In addition, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission is investigating accusations that Newcrest selectively briefed analysts ahead of the original writedowns announcement.

An independent review of Newcrest's disclosure and investor relations practices was subsequently unable to find a systemic failure in the miner's interaction with the market.