(Reuters) -Barrick Mining ( B ) on Monday appointed veteran executive Mark Hill as interim president and CEO following the sudden departure of Mark Bristow, who led the Canadian miner for nearly seven years after its merger with Randgold Resources.

Bristow, who became CEO in 2019 when Barrick acquired Randgold, oversaw the integration of the two companies and steered the miner through a period of significant portfolio reshaping and debt reduction.

Hill, who will also serve as group chief operating officer, takes charge immediately as the board begins a global search for a permanent chief executive with the help of an external firm.

(Reporting by Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Mrigank Dhaniwala)