About

Spotlight on Denva Poyntz

I am an Australian qualified lawyer with more than 14 years of experience, specialising in the development, operation, acquisition and disposal of renewable energy projects. I have advised in my capacity both as in-house counsel and external advisor whilst working for international law firms across projects in Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

I joined Rio Tinto in 2021 as the regional head of commercial legal for the Pacific, leading a large team of senior lawyers responsible for supporting Rio Tinto’s procurement activities. However, given Rio Tinto’s publicly announced decarbonisation objectives, I was given the opportunity to take on my current role to lead the subject matter expertise legal support for Rio Tinto’s global renewable energy development projects. I am incredibly proud to be working towards decarbonising Rio Tinto’s businesses in line with our targets, in close collaboration with my colleagues in the energy and climate legal team and the product group legal teams.

Prior to joining Rio Tinto, I held various senior private practice and in-house roles. Notably, I was general counsel for a large company based in the Middle East, with a primary focus on the development of the group’s energy and infrastructure platform.