EXECUTIVES – AUSTRALIA – APPOINTMENTS AND RETIREMENTS

$834m in blowouts spur Fortescue exits

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 15 & 18 : 17-Feb-21

Fortescue Metals Group has advised that chief operating officer Greg Lilleyman has left the pure-play iron ore miner in the wake of a sharp rise in the cost of its Iron Bridge magnetite project. Fortescue’s director of projects Don Hyma and Iron Bridge project manager Manie McDonald also recently stepped down. The Iron Bridge project was initially slated to cost $US2.6bn, but this is believed to have blown out by about $US650m. CEO Elizabeth Gaines and CFO Ian Wells will forgo their annual bonuses for 2020-21 due to the cost blowout.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Foxtel reshuffles senior executive team as it resets its operating model

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich
The Australian – Page: Online : 13-Feb-20

Foxtel has promoted Les Wigan to the role of executive director of operations and technology, with responsibility for technology platforms, services and operations across the pay-TV group’s operations. Wigan is currently chief operating officer at Foxtel’s Kayo Sports streaming service. Meanwhile, Foxtel’s director of customer service Lesley Portwain will take on the newly-created role of chief customer service officer. The management reshuffle was prompted by the resignation of chief operations officer Euan Smith.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, KAYO SPORTS

Foxtel focus on satisfied subscribers

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Andrew White, Zoe Samios
The Australian – Page: 28 : 20-May-19

Foxtel’s recently-appointed chief product and strategy officer Alice Mascia has been recruited to help bolster its Kayo Sports and Foxtel Now streaming services and to help retain subscribers. Mascia says Foxtel is planning to introduce a loyalty scheme for customers, while customers who want to get a satellite set-top box for free when they get Foxtel installed are being asked to sign a 12-month contract; she says this should reduce customer churn. Foxtel’s churn rates increased to 17 per cent in the March quarter following a 11 per cent price rise in October, but they improved in April.

CORPORATES
FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Women and science driving future BHP

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Luke Housego
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 24 : 1-Mar-19

BHP has appointed Laura Tyler to the newly-created role of chief geoscientist, and Jonathan Price has become its inaugural chief transformation officer. CEO Andrew Mackenzie says the new roles are part of BHP’s push to increase its focus on science and technology. Geraldine Slattery and Vandita Pant have also been added to BHP’s executive team, bringing the resources giant closer to its target of 50 per cent female representation. Pant will succeed Arnoud Balhuizen as chief commercial officer.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, BANKWEST CURTIN ECONOMICS CENTRE, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Offers flood in as South32 readies for South Africa coal exit

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 15 & 16 : 18-Jan-19

Diversified miner South32 expects final bids for its South African thermal coal assets to be submitted by the end of July. CEO Graham Kerr says the assets have attracted strong interest from potential bidders, and this is likely to result in 2-3 firm offers. Meanwhile, South32 has advised that CFO Brendan Harris has become its chief marketing officer, while Katie Tovich in turn has been appointed CFO.

CORPORATES
SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, ALUMINA LIMITED – ASX AWC, ALCOA INCORPORATED, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC

Mitchell gets ready to return ASIC tennis deal serve

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Butler, John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 2 : 22-Nov-18

Free TV Australia chairman Harold Mitchell has stepped down in the wake of legal action arising from his former role as a director of Tennis Australia. He has described the Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s allegations as false and has vowed to "vigorously defend" the legal action. ASIC alleges that Mitchell withheld information from TA’s board about potential bids for tennis broadcasting rights. The rights were awarded to the Seven Network, which has disputed ASIC’s claim that it had received confidential information from Mitchell about rival bids.

CORPORATES
FREE TV AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TENNIS AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, SEVEN NETWORK LIMITED, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED, IMG AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

I’m ready to lead ABC full-time, says fill-in boss

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lilly Vitorovich, Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 2 : 18-Oct-18

David Anderson has expressed interest in becoming the ABC’s MD if he is offered the role. Anderson has been acting MD following the dismissal of Michelle Guthrie in late September. He says that maintaining the public broadcaster’s independence would one of his top priorities in the role. Meanwhile, ABC veteran Michael Mason has resigned as director of regional and local content; he has stressed that his departure is unrelated to the ABC’s recent leadership turmoil.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Senior ABC executive plans departure

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Stephen Brook
The Australian – Page: 24 : 1-Oct-18

Sources within the ABC have indicated that the public broadcaster’s editorial director Alan Sunderland intends to retire in the next six months or so. He stresses that his impending retirement is not related to the recent management upheaval at the ABC. Sunderland was appointed to the position in April 2013, and he says that he had always intended to be in the role for no more than five years. Sunderland has effectively been editor-in-chief at the ABC, and former MD Jonathan Shier says the two roles should be separate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Hagger NAB exit opens way for Baird

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 18 : 18-Sep-18

National Australia Bank has appointed former New South Wales premier Mike Baird as chief customer officer of consumer banking, after Andrew Hagger resigned as the head of consumer banking and wealth. Hagger said he will accept responsibility for the fee-for-no-service scandal that was exposed by the banking royal commission, and fund managers say his position had become untenable following the revelations. Baird, who is currently NAB’s head of corporate and institutional banking, is now regarded as a leading contender to eventually succeed CEO Andrew Thorburn.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, WILSON ASSET MANAGEMENT, ALPHINITY CONCENTRATED AUSTRALIAN SHARE FUND, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, CLAYTON UTZ

NAB operations boss quits as Baird firms for top job

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 18 : 28-Aug-18

Former New South Wales premier Mike Baird is now regarded as the leading internal candidate to eventually succeed National Australia Bank CEO Andrew Thorburn. COO Antony Cahill had been seen as a potential successor, but he will leave the bank in mid-September to take up a role at Visa in the UK. Andrew Hagger was also regarded as a contender to replace Thorburn, but he attracted scrutiny by the banking royal commission over the fee-for-no-service scandal. External candidates are said to include former Westpac executive Jason Yetton.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, VISA INTERNATIONAL, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO MISCONDUCT IN THE BANKING, SUPERANNUATION AND FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, SOCIETYONE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MLC LIMITED, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT