Andrew Forrest’s top brass insist they’re not yes men
Fortescue’s most senior executives, Dino Otranto and Mark Hutchinson, say they aren’t yes men, and challenge Andrew Forrest “every single day” within the parameters of the “vision” set out by the company’s billionaire chairman.
Eleven senior Fortescue executives have left the group since late 2020, when Dr Forrest first outlined his vision to turn the iron ore major, the 10th-largest company on the ASX, into a clean energy giant.
But both Mr Otranto, who was promoted to chief executive last week after the sudden departure of Fiona Hick, and Mr Hutchinson, who runs Fortescue’s clean energy division, dismissed suggestions of an autocratic work culture under Dr Forrest.
Fortescue’s energy chief executive, Mark Hutchinson, and the company’s mining boss, Dino Otranto, say they can challenge their chairman, Andrew Forrest.
“Hutch and I are challenging Andrew on a lot of things every single day,” Mr Otranto said in an interview with AFR Weekend on Friday. “And I think that’s a good sign of a robust board and management team that you can have that conversation.”
Ms Hick parted ways with the company on August 28 after just six months in the job. Days after her departure, Dr Forrest said Ms Hick did not agree with the company’s agenda, specifically to achieve zero emissions in its mining operations and its big bets on green hydrogen. “Our governance is superb. Bad governance would have not made a call after six months,” Dr Forrest said after Ms Hicks’ exit from the company last week.
Her departure and that of other executives prompted some investors to raise concerns about the culture within the company – and whether Dr Forrest was allowing senior managers to run Fortescue.
“He should leave it to a CEO and get the hell out. But
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