Dr Andrew Forrest AO, Chairman
Appointed Chairman in July 2003; Assumed role of Chief Executive Officer in 2005; Resumed non-executive responsibilities in July 2011.
Dr Forrest is Australia’s most active philanthropist and one of the most effective business leaders of his generation.
As Fortescue’s Founder and Chairman, he has led the Company from inception to its Top 10 status on the Australian Stock Exchange, during which time Fortescue invested more than US$27 billion in the resources sector.
In 2001, Dr Forrest co-founded the Minderoo Foundation with his wife Nicola, which has supported over 300 initiatives across Australia and internationally in pursuit of a range of causes. In April 2020, the Forrests announced one of Australia’s largest private philanthropic donations of A$520 million, and have continued giving, with their total philanthropic donations now exceeding A$2 billion.
Dr Forrest recently completed a PhD in Marine Ecology and is passionate about ocean conservation. Prior to that he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Western Australia, is an Adjunct Professor of the Central South University in China and a lifetime Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
In 2019, he was announced as an IUCN Patron of Nature and is a member of the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme Scientific Advisory Committee on the Assessment on Marine Litter and Microplastics.
He is Co-Chairman of the Senior Business Leaders’ Forum, the leading formal dialogue for China and Australia’s most senior business leaders.
In 2017, Dr Forrest was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to the mining sector, to the development of employment and business opportunities, as a supporter of sustainable foreign investment, and to philanthropy.
He is Global Patron of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, recipient of the Australian Sports Medal and the Australian Centenary Medal, and Vice-Patron of the SAS Resources Fund.
He was a Councillor of the Global Citizen Commission, charged by the UN to modernise the Universal Declaration of Human Rights presented to the UN Secretary General in April 2016. Dr Forrest was appointed by the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Australia to Chair the Review of Indigenous Training and Employment Programmes, to end Indigenous disparity through employment with its recommendations being slowly implemented.
He was Western Australia’s 2017 Australian of the Year for his outstanding contribution to the community. In 2018, Dr Forrest was inducted into the Australian Prospectors & Miners’ Hall of Fame and was the inaugural winner of the EY Global Entrepreneur of the Year Social Impact Award.
Committee memberships:
Finance Committee (Chair), Nomination Committee
Mark Barnaba AM, Lead Independent Director and Deputy Chair
Deputy Chair since November 2017; Lead Independent Director since November 2014; Non-Executive Director since February 2010.
Mr Barnaba is a career investment banker, having focused predominantly in the natural resources sector.
Mr Barnaba spent most of his career with companies he founded, led and then sold - GEM Consulting and Azure Capital (both independent corporate advisory firms which provide financial, corporate and strategic advice to companies, governments and institutions in the Asia Pacific region), McKinsey & Company (both in Australia and overseas) and in several senior executive roles at Macquarie Group (one being the Chairman and Global Head of the Natural Resources Group). He has previously chaired the State Theatre Company of Western Australia, the West Coast Eagles (an Australian Rules Football League team) and several large publicly listed (ASX) companies within the mining and infrastructure sectors.
He is also a member of the Board (and Chairman of the Audit Committee) of the Reserve Bank of Australia and was the inaugural Chairman of the University of Western Australia Business School Board from 2002 to 2020 and now holds the title of (inaugural) Emeritus Board Member, also serving as an Adjunct Professor in Finance.
Mr Barnaba also chairs GLX (a specialist technology company that develops software based marketplace solutions for commodity markets) and the Hospital Benefit Fund (HBF) Investment Committee, is a member of the Senior Advisory Board of Appian Capital (a London based pure-play mining private-equity fund), is a member of the Board of the Centre for Independent Studies and is a senior fellow at EY (Oceania).
Mr Barnaba holds a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours and University Medal) from the University of Western Australia, an MBA from Harvard Business School (High Distinction; Baker Scholar) and an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia. He has lived in Australia, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Committee memberships:
Audit and Risk Management Committee (Chair), Nomination Committee, Remuneration and People Committee (Member), Finance Committee (Member)
Elizabeth Gaines, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Chief Executive Officer since
February 2018 and Executive Director since February 2017; Former
Non-Executive Director from
February 2013 to February 2017.
Ms Gaines has led Fortescue Metals Group Ltd as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director since February 2018 after joining the Executive Team as Chief Financial Officer in February 2017 and serving on the Fortescue Board as a Non-Executive Director since 2013.
A highly experienced business leader with extensive international experience as a Chief Executive Officer, Ms Gaines has a proven track record in delivering financial and operational excellence. She has significant experience in the resources sector and exposure to the impact of the growth in Asian economies, particularly China, on the Australian business environment and economy as well as a deep understanding of all aspects of financial and commercial management at a senior executive level in both listed and private companies.
She is a former Chief Executive Officer of Helloworld Limited and Heytesbury Pty Limited and has previously held Non-Executive Director roles with, Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited, NEXTDC Limited, Mantra Group Limited and ImpediMed Limited.
Ms Gaines was ranked second in the 2019 Fortune Magazine's Businessperson of the Year, and in 2020 the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia awarded her the ‘Women in Resources Champion’ at the annual Women in Resources Awards. In 2020, Elizabeth was awarded Joint Australian Business Person of the Year by the Australian Financial Review.
Ms Gaines holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University, a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University and an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Curtin University. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chief Executive Women.
Lord Sebastian Coe CH, KBE, Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director since February 2018.
Lord Coe is currently a senior advisor with Morgan Stanley & Co International plc and a Non-Executive Director of the Vitality Group of health and life insurance companies. In 2017, he became Chancellor of Loughborough University having previously served as Pro Chancellor of the University.
Based in the United Kingdom, Lord Coe is the Non-Executive Chairman of CSM Sport and Entertainment, within the Chime Communications group. He was elected President of World Athletics in 2015 where he is driving significant governance reforms through the organisation and its 214 Member Federations around the world. He is currently serving his second term as President.
Lord Coe previously served as Chairman of the British Olympic Association and was Chairman of the Organising Committee for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. He was a member of the British athletics team at the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games where he won two gold and two silver medals, as well as breaking 12 world records.
In 1992, Lord Coe became a Member of Parliament and during his political career served as a Government Whip and then Private Secretary to William Hague, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2000.
Committee memberships:
Nomination Committee (Chair)
Jennifer Morris OAM, Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director since November 2016.
Ms Morris is a former partner of global professional services firm Deloitte where her career spanned more than 10 years working across the mining, government and transport sectors. She was also previously CEO of Walk Free, the Minderoo Foundation's global initiative against slavery. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Sandfire Resources and a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Sports Commission.
Ms Morris has key experience in advising government entities and corporations on strategy development, governance controls, complex large-scale business transformation, the embedding of environment, social and governance related policies and the understanding of high-performance environments.
A former member of the Australian Women’s Hockey Team, Ms Morris won Olympic gold medals at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In 1997, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Ms Morris is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of Leadership WA and a member of the Vice Chancellor’s List, Curtin University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Journalism) received with Distinction and has completed Finance for Executives at INSEAD.
Committee memberships:
Remuneration and People Committee (Chair), Audit and Risk Management Committee (Member)
Dr Jean Baderschneider, Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director since January 2015.
A highly regarded leader in both business and civil society,
Dr Baderschneider brings 35 years’ of extensive international experience in procurement, strategic sourcing and supply chain management along with a deep understanding of
high-risk operations and locations and complex partnerships.
Dr Baderschneider retired from ExxonMobil in 2013 where she was Vice-President of Global Procurement. During her 30 year career, she was responsible for operations all over the world, including Africa, South America, the Middle East and Asia.
A past member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Supply Management and the Executive Board of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Dr Baderschneider also served on the boards of the Center of Advanced Purchasing Studies and the Procurement Council of both the Conference Board and the Corporate Executive Board.
In February 2011, she was the Presidential appointee to the US Department of Commerce’s National Advisory Council of Minority Business Enterprises. She holds a Masters Degree from the University of Michigan and a PhD from Cornell University.
Dr Baderschneider is the recipient of Cornell’s Jerome Alpern Award and the Nomi Network’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award.
Committee memberships:
Audit and Risk Management Committee
Penny Bingham-Hall, Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director since November 2016.
Ms Bingham-Hall has over 30 years’ experience in senior executive and non-executive roles in large ASX listed companies. She is a Non-Executive Director of Macquarie Specialised Asset Management, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Supply Nation and the Crescent Foundation. She is also Chair of the NSW Freight and Logistics Council.
Ms Bingham-Hall has worked in the construction, infrastructure, mining and property industries across Australia and the Asian region. She has a particular interest in environmental sustainability, workplace safety and Indigenous employment.
Prior to becoming a company director, Ms Bingham-Hall was Executive General Manager, Strategy at Leighton Holdings (now CIMIC) - Australia’s largest construction, mining services and property group. As part of the leadership team at Leighton she had responsibilities across the group’s Australian and Asian operations.
Ms Bingham-Hall has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Design, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a member of Chief Executive Women and Corporate Women Directors.
Other current directorships (ASX listed entities):
BlueScope Steel Limited (Non-Executive Director); Dexus Property Group (Non-Executive Director).
Committee memberships:
Audit and Risk Management Committee (Member), Remuneration and People Committee (Member) and Finance Committee (Member)
Dr Ya-Qin Zhang, Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director since August 2019.
Dr Ya-Qin Zhang is a renowned scientist, technologist and business executive. He is the founder and Chairman of Blue Entropy LLC, a Seattle-based technology consulting firm. He joined Tsinghua University as the Chair Professor of AI Science in 2020, starting the Tsinghua Institute for AI Industry Research (AIR). Dr Zhang was President of Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) from September 2014 to October 2019, a leading Chinese multinational technology company specialising in Internet-related services, mobility, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Prior to joining Baidu, he was a key executive of Microsoft Corporation for 16 years, including Corporate Vice President for Mobile and Embedded Products, Managing Director of Microsoft Research Asia and Chairman of Microsoft China.
Dr Zhang has made significant contributions to digital media, AI, autonomous driving and cloud computing industries, with over 60 granted US patents, 500
peer-reviewed publications, and numerous contributions to international standards. Dr Zhang was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) in 2019 and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) as the only foreign fellow in 2017, and became a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1997 at the age of 31, making him the youngest scientist winning this honour in the 100+ year history of the organisation.
Dr Zhang has served on the Board of Directors of Chinasoft International Ltd (HKEX: 354) and AsiaInfo Technologies Ltd (HKEX: 1675). He serves on the Board of Stewardship for the Future of Mobility of the Davos World Economic Forum and Chairman of the Apollo Alliance, the largest open platform for autonomous driving in the world. Dr Zhang received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University.