Slaughter & May corporate heavyweight Nigel Boardman has snared a lead role on BHP Billiton’s £67bn bid for Anglo-Australian rival Rio Tinto, which would create the world’s biggest mining company.

BHP, which saw its initial £67bn approach rejected by Rio Tinto last week (8 November), is understood to be readying itself for a fresh bid in the coming weeks, with many analysts predicting the approach could go hostile.