BHP Billiton is the world's largest diversified resources company. We are distinguished from other resource companies by the combination of the quality of our assets; our deep inventory of growth projects; our customer-focussed marketing; our diversification across countries, commodities, and markets; and our petroleum business.

As at 30 June, 2008 we had some 41,000 employees working in over 100 operations in 25 countries. Reflecting our aim to be a premier global company, we occupy significant positions in major commodity businesses, including aluminium, energy coal and metallurgical coal, copper, manganese, iron ore, uranium, nickel, silver and titanium minerals, and have substantial interests in oil, gas, liquefied natural gas and diamonds.

The central tenet of the BHP Billiton business model is that its diversified portfolio of high quality assets provides stable cash flows and an enhanced capacity to drive growth. In FY2008, we generated revenue of US$59.5 billion, attributable profit (excluding exceptional items) of US$15.4 billion and net operating cash flow of US$18.2 billion.

BHP Billiton was created through the Dual Listed Companies (DLC) merger of BHP Limited (now BHP Billiton Limited) and Billiton Plc (now BHP Billiton Plc), which was concluded on 29 June 2001.

BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc continue to exist as separate companies, but operate on a combined basis as BHP Billiton. The headquarters of BHP Billiton Limited, and the global headquarters of the combined BHP Billiton Group, are located in Melbourne, Australia. BHP Billiton Plc is located in London, United Kingdom. Both companies have identical boards of directors and are run by a unified management team. Shareholders in each company have equivalent economic and voting rights in the BHP Billiton Group as a whole.