Marius Kloppers has joined as a new CEO of Australia-based mining company BHP Billiton.

Kloppers has replaced Chip Goodyear who announced his retirement in February after five years at the company's helm.

BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus said the board was confident that Kloppers would bring to the CEO role the skills needed to take the company to the next stage of its development.

South African-born Kloppers is currently the group president of non-ferrous materials and an executive director of BHP Billiton. He has also held the positions of chief marketing officer and chief commercial officer at the BHP Billiton Group.