Suspended Glencore Plc executive Peter Hill, who was head of trading for steelmaking raw materials, instructed counterparts at Radiant World not to communicate via email, according to WhatsApp messages seen by Bloomberg News. In an April 2025 message, Hill explicitly wrote, "Say nothing on email." Other messages from 2023 to 2025 show Hill emphasizing Glencore's significant backing of Radiant World and suggesting he was the ultimate decision-maker for various aspects of the iron ore trader's operations. This revelation comes as Glencore reviews its dealings with Radiant World.
The WhatsApp messages, some from Hill's personal phone and others from his Glencore phone, are raising questions about the extent of Glencore's involvement with the Radiant World group of companies. The relationship has deteriorated, with Glencore publicly accusing Radiant World of fraud and Radiant World filing a $2 billion lawsuit against Glencore in Singapore. Glencore has stated these claims are meritless and it will contest them vigorously, counter-accusing Radiant World of suing for telling the truth about their fraud.
Hill’s suspension was announced on September 17, 2026, pending the outcome of Glencore's internal review. The messages also indicate Hill's significant influence, with one September 2023 message stating, "if I say stop, I need you to stop, if I say jump I need you to jump." In October 2025, Hill also mentioned internal pressure, noting that CEO Gary Nagle and Glencore’s board had “just ripped me a new asshole” after a Bloomberg profile on Radiant World and fraud allegations surfaced.
While Hill was a key figure, having been promoted to run trading for all steelmaking commodities in August 2025, Radiant World's lawyers have also named five other Glencore employees and claimed top management, including CEO Nagle, CFO Steve Kalmin, and former CEO Ivan Glasenberg, were aware of and approved the ongoing exposure. Glencore has taken a $480 million provision on its exposure to Radiant World, which includes Sapphire Minmetals. Radiant World has denied all wrongdoing, while lenders have accused it of fraud for allegedly providing falsified documents to banks.
