OREANDA-NEWS. August 05, 2015. Peabody Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Kellow today announced that A. Verona Dorch has been named Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Government Affairs and Corporate Secretary.

Dorch will have executive responsibility for providing comprehensive legal counsel for Peabody business activities and will lead the company's global legal and government affairs functions.  Her new role is effective Aug. 17, 2015, and Dorch will be a member of Peabody's Executive Leadership Team reporting directly to Kellow.  She succeeds Alex Schoch, who retired from Peabody effective July 31.

"Verona is a skilled, hands-on legal executive who has excelled in multiple roles as a strategic business partner, and it is my pleasure to name her as our next Chief Legal Officer," said Kellow. 

Dorch has more than 20 years of legal experience counseling diverse global businesses, including more than 10 years as in-house counsel for Harsco Corporation, a leading global industrial services company.  For the past three years, she served as the Chief Legal Officer at Harsco advising the leadership team and the board on strategic business initiatives.  She also has experience in corporate and securities law from multiple top-tier law firms and with the Sumitomo Chemical Co.  Dorch holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Dartmouth College and Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.  

Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in sustainable mining, energy access and clean coal solutions.  The company serves metallurgical and thermal coal customers in more than 25 countries on six continents. For further information, visit PeabodyEnergy.com and AdvancedEnergyForLife.com.