CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS – AUSTRALIA

Rio Tinto boss delivers snub to Davos

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 20-Jan-26

Rio Tinto’s former CEO Jakob Stausholm attended the last three World Economic Forums in Davos. However, the resources group will not be represented at the 2026 event; current CEO Simon Trott and his executive team are believed to be focusing on operational matters and the proposed merger with Glencore. Meanwhile, BHP CEO Mike Henry and Fortescue’s executive chairman Andrew Forrest are amongst the mining industry leaders who will address the WEF. Glencore CEO Gary Nagle will also be at Davos, and he is expected to advocate the merits of the proposed merger with Rio Tinto.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, GLENCORE PLC

After 25 years, Trott gets his shot at Rio Tinto

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 3-Dec-25

Rio Tinto CEO Simon Trott will present his strategy for the mining company on Thursday after just under 100 days in the role, although he has been with the company for 25 years. Those 100 days have seen him make some quick changes that appointments from within a company can often make, while Morgan Stanley analysts state they expect Trott to use the strategy day to outline a move towards a streamlined structure with lower costs and a prioritisation of cash generation. They suggest that cash flow could be improved by as much as $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) per year by cost cutting.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

BHP chief issues warning on impact of Australia’s inflated energy costs

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 16-Sep-25

BHP CEO Mike Henry has told a shareholder forum that the cost of electricity in Australia is much higher than in countries that it is competing with for investments, with Henry citing the US as a prime example. He said that Australia needs to have "stable, reliable and affordable energy on the path to net zero"; he also noted that the resurgence in demand for nuclear power has boosted demand for uranium, with BHP among the world’s top 10 uranium producers. On the question of copper, BHP is aiming to more than double production in South Australia over the next decade, although a final investment decision on a major smelter upgrade at its Olympic Dam mine is not expected until 2028.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

OZ Minerals boss Andrew Cole won’t follow his mines to BHP

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 19-Apr-23

OZ Minerals CEO Andrew Cole intends to "take a break" after more than eight years at the helm of the copper and nickel miner, and he will not join BHP when the $9.6bn takeover is completed. BHP is paying $28.25 per share for OZ; the company’s shares were trading at around $3 when Cole was appointed CEO in late 2014. Cole is highly regarded within the resources sector, and some Newcrest Mining shareholders had called for him to be recruited to succeed Sandeep Biswas following the latter’s departure in December.

CORPORATES
OZ MINERALS LIMITED – ASX OZL, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM

Top CEOs to work on Australia Day

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Original article by Hannah Wootton, Lucas Baird
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 25-Jan-23

Telstra, Woodside Energy and Canva are among the Australian companies that will allow employees to work on Australia Day and have another day off in lieu. A number of CEOs at major Australian companies have advised that they intend to work on 26 January. They include Telstra CEO Vicki Brady, who says that doing so feels right to her; however, she acknowledges that the choice people make regarding how they spend Australia Day is a personal one. National Australia Bank CEO Ross McEwan will also be working on Thursday, as will REA Group CEO Owen Wilson.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, WOODSIDE ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX WDS, CANVA INCORPORATED, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, REA GROUP LIMITED – ASX REA

Vaccine targets essential: Roy Hill

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 : 4-Aug-21

Roy Hill CEO Gerhard Veldsman addressed the annual Diggers and Dealers conference in Kalgoorlie on 3 August. He warned that the skilled labour shortage in Western Australia will continue while coronavirus-induced interstate travel restrictions remain in place. Veldsman also stressed the need for about 80 per cent of the nation’s population to be vaccinated, arguing that Australia risks falling behind the rest of the world. He added that the national cabinet’s latest four-stage plan to re-open the economy must include firm target dates for each of these stages.

CORPORATES
ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, DIGGERS AND DEALERS FORUM

Banks grilled on plans for Suncorp

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 12-Apr-21

The CEOs of Australia’s four major banks will appear before a parliamentary committee on 15 and 16 April. Shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh says he will seek a commitment from the CEOs that they will not seek to acquire Suncorp’s banking division should it be put on the market. He also wants to them to rule out any further acquisitions in the financial technology sector. The housing market, cyber security, lending standards and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic are also likely to be among the issues raised by the economics committee.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ECONOMICS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Business brakes on green reforms

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 6-Apr-21

Deloitte’s survey of global CEOs has found that 54 per cent of Australian firms had to downgrade sustainability initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 65 per cent of global respondents. Thirty two per cent of Australian CEOs reported that they intend to speed up sustainability initiatives in the next year, compared to 23 per cent of their global counterparts. Around 44 per cent of Australian CEOs stated that their environmental performance is aimed at meeting customer expectations, while 57 per cent view employee morale as a "key driver" of environmental policies.

CORPORATES
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED

Elizabeth Gaines – the driving force behind Fortescue Metals Group

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Original article by Rachel Pupazzoni
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 29-Jun-20

Pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group is seeking to diversify its operations under current CEO Elizabeth Gaines, who took the helm in 2018. This could include exploring for minerals such as copper and gold in South America and hydrogen in Western Australia. Gaines grew up in Halls Creek in the Kimberley region of WA, which has a large indigenous population. Her father was a local school headmaster, who actively sought to ensure that indigenous people were integrated into the broader community. Fortescue founder Andrew Forrest adopted a similar policy of full integration at the world’s fourth-biggest iron ore miner, where indigenous people account for 15 per cent of its Pilbara workforce.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

BHP backs government over Kyoto loophole

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Original article by James Fernyhough
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 24-Sep-19

BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie is said to have expressed support for the Coalition’s proposal to use Kyoto carryover credits to meet Australia’s carbon emissions reduction targets under the Paris agreement. Sources have confirmed that Mackenzie did so in a private call with institutional investors on 20 September, although a BHP spokesman has declined to comment. The Minerals Council of Australia and the Business Council of Australia also support the use of carryover credits. Mackenzie had advocated greater action to address climate change earlier in 2019.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, VISION SUPER PTY LTD, INVESTOR GROUP ON CLIMATE CHANGE, UNITED NATIONS