Forrest claims Hick didn’t support green vision
Fortescue’s radical green reinvention triggered the exit of departing chief executive Fiona Hick, who faced a choice to “get on the bus, or get off the bus”, according to executive chairman Andrew Forrest.
Ms Hick quit Fortescue on Sunday after just six months in the top job because she wasn’t willing to go along with Dr Forrest’s agenda, specifically, achieving zero emissions in its mining operations and its big bets on green hydrogen, the billionaire claimed. Three days ago, the company told shareholders her exit was “both friendly and mutual”.
Andrew Forrest said: “we’re not going to let a single person’s disagreement with the direction of this company affect it.” Trevor Collens
He was speaking on the sidelines of a Boao Forum for Asia event in Perth, where he warned guests, including Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian, that millions of lives are in imminent danger from fatal humidity.
Ms Hick was named head of metals, including the iron ore operations, in late February. She is an advocate for decarbonising, and told The Australian Financial Review in May she hoped Fortescue would set an example for other producers.
Asked to explain her shock departure on Wednesday, Dr Forrest said that 20,000 executives and staff at Fortescue were on board with his strategy and dissenters did not have a future at the company.
“What we have now is literally a galloping herd of people who want to see this company go green. So if you want to step outside that, you’re given a choice,” he said. “So all I’d say is that Fiona was given a choice, and she made her own decision.
“Particularly with the lethal humidity – which is backed by scientists from NASA to Beijing – we’re not going to let a single person’s disagreement with the direction of
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