Our board
Mrs Georgina (Gina) Hope Rinehart
Executive Chairman and Director
Gina Rinehart is a leading figure in the mining and agricultural industries in Australia. She is also a leading figure in Australia’s Olympics efforts, (being patron of 4 teams and the largest single non-government contributor to the Olympic effort in Australia’s history) and has received the rare honour of an order of merit from the Australian Olympic Committee for her contribution. She spent her childhood between the Pilbara, in north-west Australia, where she lived with her parents on large sheep and cattle properties in the remote and rugged region, then from 8 years old attending boarding school at St. Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls in Perth.
Since becoming Executive Chairman of the Hancock Prospecting Group in 1992, Mrs Rinehart has transformed the Group from one that was in difficulties and financially troubled to a very successful industry-leading innovator. Under Mrs Rinehart’s leadership, the Hancock Group has diversified from prospecting to become a miner, and further investing in iron ore, gold, copper, potash, met coal, cattle, dairy and property. The group has grown under her leadership to become the most successful private mining company in Australia ever, and one of the most successful private mining companies in the world, and to become the most successful private company in Australia’s history.
Mrs Rinehart’s achievements include the development of the mega Roy Hill project, the exploration and then development of four major iron ore mines at Hope Downs, (the latter more recently with joint-venture partner Rio Tinto Iron Ore) and the considerable expansion of Hancock’s agricultural business, now the second-largest producer of cattle in Australia and one of Australia’s largest landowners.
At Hope Downs, Mrs Rinehart took the company’s tenements from a status of temporary titles – with the area having little more than a few drill holes – to State agreement and bankable feasibility study status, to then partner with Rio Tinto, on construction and operation of four major mines, with more in the pipeline. This involved an enormous approval process and extensive high-risk expenditure both for exploration and studies, then raising money to develop these major mines and related facilities. It being noted, that unlike most major mines, which use shareholders money, and hence its Directors don’t bear the risk personally, this was done by Mrs Rinehart via her private family company of which she owns directly more than 76 per cent and further, Mrs Rinehart did not seek taxpayer’s money, as many businesses do today.
Mrs Rinehart’s flagship achievement is the exploration, financing, construction and operation of the $US10 billion Roy Hill project – the debt raised was the largest ever for a mainly greenfield land-based mining and infrastructure project anywhere in the world. This debt-funding package was secured from 19 of the largest banks in the world and five Export Credit Agencies. Roy Hill uses some of the largest mining equipment in the world, another world first. Her instigation of pink trucks, pink trains, and more across Roy Hill sites, in support of those suffering breast cancer, and in support of women in the mines, is also a world first and encouraged several ore ship owners to paint their ships pink also, another first.
Mrs Rinehart’s vision to grow and value-add Australian food exports has been the basis for significant investments, including the acquisition of the iconic S. Kidman and Co pastoral company. Today, the Hancock Group pastoral properties stretch across most states in Australia, plus the Northern Territory.
She is also the founder of Australians for Northern Development and Economic Vision (ANDEV), has authored two books, and arranged and funded a third one (for agriculture), founded Australia’s Annual National Mining and Related Industries Day and National Agriculture and Related Industries Day, and is Patron of several organisations, and a governor of AmCham (Australia).
A philanthropic champion of worthwhile causes, Mrs Rinehart and the Hancock Group’s charitable objectives support a number of medical, sporting, educational, health and community organisations. She serves as Patron of Australia’s internationally renowned Olympic swimming, rowing, volleyball and synchronised swimming teams, whose Olympians provide important role models for Australians.
Mrs Rinehart’s business success, industry leadership and contribution to Australia, has been recognised in her own country and internationally. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bond University, named Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year in 2009, CEO Magazine’s Chairman of the Year in 2014 and 2017, which are in addition to numerous lifetime achievement and other awards. As an industry leader and huge contributor to Australia, she provides a role model for other women, and as many note, inspiration.
In addition to these awards referred to below, she has received more awards for Roy Hill, where she is Executive Chairman, and Atlas, a subsidiary of Hancock Prospecting where she is Executive Chairman, and Bannister Downs, a joint venture company which has won hundreds of awards for its fine dairy produce.
Please visit here for a full list of all Gina Rinehart’s awards.
Tad Watroba
Executive Director
Tad Watroba has more than 50 years total experience in both open cut and underground mining, encompassing mining operations, mine planning, feasibility studies, project financial evaluation, negotiations with government and non-government organisations, business development, joint venture participation, project commissioning, exploration management, audits and other related activities.
Tad has worked in iron ore, manganese, gold, brown and black coal, oil shale, copper, zinc and lead and was employed by Bechtel and several small-to-medium sized gold companies prior to joining HPPL in 1991. Tad has broad and significant experience with mining projects in Australia, Poland, Papua New Guinea (Ok Tedi), China and New Zealand.
Professor Ian Plimer
Director
Professor Ian Plimer is Emeritus Professor at The University of Melbourne where he was Professor and Head (1991-2005). He was Professor of Geology (University of Newcastle 1985-1991), Professor of Ore Deposit Geology (Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich 1991) and Professor of Mining Geology (University of Adelaide 2005-2012). He previously worked as an exploration geologist for North Broken Hill Ltd and Niugini Mining Ltd and was on the staff at Macquarie, UNSW and New England Universities.
He has been awarded inter alia the prestigious Leopold von Buch Medal for Science, the Centenary Medal, the Eureka Prize (twice) and is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. He has published more than 130 scientific works and is author of eleven books for the general public, five of which were best sellers.
Professor Plimer’s main geological interests are in ore deposits in base metal deposits (particularly in Broken Hill; epithermal precious metals, Sn-W systems). A Broken Hill zinc mineral is named in his honour. He served on the Boards of listed public companies (Ivanhoe Australia Ltd, Niuminco Group Ltd, Kefi Minerals plc), unlisted companies (such as Roy Hill Holdings Pty Ltd, Atlas Iron Pty Ltd, Queensland Coal Investments Pty Ltd, TNT Mines Ltd, HPXploration Inc) and is President of Hancock Prospecting’s Ecuador company Hanrine Ecuadorian Exploration and Mining SA. He also served on the Board of the ASX-listed CBH Resources (1998-2010) until it was acquired by Toho Zinc and continues to advise Toho Zinc.
Mr. Suh, Ji Won
Director
Since joining POSCO in 1996, Mr. Suh, Ji Won has built a career for the past 25 years in Human Resources, Corporate Strategy, and Raw Materials Procurement departments.
He has earned broad and sufficient expertise in Steel Raw Materials industry based on his experience in Coal Procurement Group, Iron Ore Procurement Group, and Raw Material Strategy field.
In recognition of his contribution to developing Raw Material competitiveness in POSCO, Mr. Suh became the Head of Raw Material Office I in 2021.
Career
- 2021- Head of Raw Material Office I (Senior Vice President), POSCO
- 2019 -2020 Leader of Coal Procurement Group (VP), POSCO
- 2016-2018 Leader of Raw Material Group (VP), POSCO-International
- 2014-2015 Leader of Iron Ore Procurement Group, POSCO
- 2012-2013 Team Leader of Secretarial Office to the POSCO CEO
- 1996 Joined POSCO
Seiji Taguchi
Director
Seiji Taguchi has more than 30 years’ experience in metals and mineral resources industry with expertise in trading in steel making material fields and investment and management aluminum project.
After joining Marubeni in 1991, he started his career in the coking coal industry looking after Australia, United States, Canada, China, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam for about 17 years.
He also worked in Light Metals business for 9 years.
As the General Manager of Light Metal Dept. of Marubeni from 2016 to 2019, he contributed much to managing aluminum business in Australia and Canada.
Before becoming the COO of Metals & Mineral Resources Div. in 2024, he was the Senior Operating Officer of that Division for 3 years.
His current responsibility as COO of Metals & Mineral Resources Div. of Marubeni reaches not only iron ore and coal but also other metals such as copper and aluminum businesses.
He graduated from The University of Tokyo where he majored in Metallurgy.