The previous chairman, Matthias Warnig, stepped down earlier this week after six years at the world's largest aluminium producer outside China. His resignation was a condition of the deal.

Jean-Pierre Thomas was elected by the board as chairman with effect from Jan. 1, Rusal said in a filing to the Hong Kong bourse.

Thomas, 61, has been an independent non-executive director on Rusal's board since June. He was a managing partner at Lazard investment bank for 15 years, leaving in 2013.

He has also been a non-executive independent director on the board of French metals producer Recylex since 2009.

The U.S. Treasury said last week it would remove sanctions against Rusal, its parent En+ and power firm EuroSibEnergo if they restructured to reduce the controlling stakes of businessman Oleg Deripaska, who is on Washington's sanctions list.

The deal is subject to a 30-day review period in the U.S. Congress. After the restructuring is completed, En+ will retain the right to nominate the producer's chief executive, the U.S. Treasury has said earlier.

"Mr. Thomas has in-depth experience with Russian relations, having been tasked with several projects aimed at boosting economic cooperation between France and Russia," Rusal said in a disclosure in June.

Hong Kong-listed shares of Rusal rose 2 percent on Friday and were on track for their biggest monthly percentage gain in a year.

(This story has been refiled to remove an extraneous word in the headline)

(Reporting by Polina Devitt in Moscow and Donny Kwok in Hong Kong; Editing by Richard Pullin)