Dines' significant role in developing BHP Billiton's business in China and the company's contributions to events such as the Beijing Olympics have been widely reported. They include his public pronouncements about the mining company's value and China's significance to its business.

Dines holds the medals that his company provided to the Beijing Olympic Games. He believes the Olympics was a good opportunity to promote the company's value. [Shanghai Daily]

BHP Billiton has been involved in complicated relationships with Chinese customers and Dines believes the Olympics was a good opportunity to promote the company's value.

He made the proposal for BHP Billiton to sponsor the Beijing Olympics around 1999 and it took him six years to complete the deal.

"The event was important, not just to the government, but to everyone in China," he said.

Apart from providing the metals for the Olympic medals, the mining giant also took community activities to those who didn't have a chance to attend the event.

He and his colleagues all got a chance to take part in the mini-Olympic games of community programs. "From my personal perspective, the experience of being a part of the Olympics was precious," Dines said.

The Games, however, were just one of the projects that BHP Billiton has been involved with in recent years. A work colleague who was familiar with the Panda research center in Sichuan Province proposed that the company support it and Dines agreed.

The family of Clinton Dines becomes involved in the Panda protection and research program initiated during his time at BHP Billiton China. [Shanghai Daily]

"What do you leave behind is what we ask in evaluating a project," he said. The panda research is an ongoing legacy and apart from adopting a pair of baby panda, other project funds go to protection of the animal, especially after the May 12 earthquake.