By Alexis Flynn

LONDON--The co-head of commodity titan Glencore PLC's iron-ore trading division, Christian Wolfensberger, has left the company, according to a person familiar with the matter.

His departure was due to personal reasons, the person said. Mr. Wolfensberger, a Swiss national who had worked at Glencore for 20 years, wasn't immediately available for comment.

A senior Glencore iron-ore trader, Jyothish George, has been appointed to work alongside Mr. Wolfensberger's iron-ore co-head, Mark Eames, the person said.

Mr. Wolfensberger co-headed the iron ore division from the time it was set up in 2012, and previously marketed nickel and ferroalloy for Glencore.

The change in the iron ore division's leadership comes after Rio Tinto last week said it had rejected a tentative merger approach from Glencore. Rio Tinto is one of the world's largest iron-ore producers, generating the vast majority of its earnings from the commodity.

At the time of Glencore's 2011 initial public offering prospectus, Mr. Wolfensberger held a stake worth $580 million in the company.

Write to Alexis Flynn at alexis.flynn@wsj.com

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