Professions

Canadian Ambassador to China and McKinsey & Company mainstay Dominic Barton will take over as chair of Rio Tinto from May 2022, as the company navigates a post-Juukan Gorge era.

Former BHP group financial controller Graham Tiver has been chosen as Woodside’s new chief financial officer and executive vice president.

Production workers at West Australian Newspapers were locked out indefinitely on Thursday night, their union claims.

Perth law firm Kott Gunning ceased trading on Friday after more than 100 years in business, with its partners and staff moving to two national firms.

The Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by the corporate regulator to overturn payments to insolvency experts Martin Jones and Andrew Smith.

Specialist intellectual property law firm Wrays has expanded with the acquisition of boutique Perth practice Lord & Co.

Two recent acquisitions have helped Deloitte extend its lead as WA’s largest accounting and consulting firm.

Woodside Petroleum’s chief financial officer Sherry Duhe is leaving the company after four years to take up the same position with fellow ASX-lister, Newcrest Mining.

Herbert Smith Freehills partner Tony Joyner has been appointed chair of the Committee for Perth board, replacing Kate Lamont.

UK-based SLR Consulting has substantially expanded its presence in Western Australia by purchasing local business 360 Environmental.

Businessman Sam Walsh has been awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon for his contributions to economic relations between Japan and Australia.

Heather Zampatti, Jennifer Morris and Amber Banfield are set to take up new board positions with three ASX-listed mining companies respectively.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has appointed Gavi Friedland as head of metals and mining in Australia and New Zealand, taking over from Perth-based Peter Watson.

After nine years as a top policy adviser to Mark McGowan, Jo Gaines is going into business with her sister, well-known boardroom adviser Alison Gaines.

KPMG has been fined, disciplined more than 1,000 staff and cut the pay of 16 partners after it found staff shared the answers for internal tests.

Job advertisements in Western Australia were up 1 per cent in August, while vacancies on the east coast fell sharply.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has moved a step closer to going into Australians' arms with the medicines regulator giving provisional approval.

Diversifying into corporate communications and making several major hires have been crucial to CGM Communication’s growth over the past decade.

Perth equity fund managers are having to look harder for value after generating very strong returns during the past year.

Investor pressure, the work of advocacy bodies and naming and shaming companies are some of the reasons Australia achieved 30 per cent representation of women on boards.

Ian Cochrane, one of Perth’s most respected corporate lawyers and company directors, has passed away. Aged just 67 years, Mr Cochrane had been battling cancer for nearly two years.

Law firms Steinepreis Paganin and Thomson Geer and stockbroker Canaccord Genuity were the top deal makers in the June half.

Alberto Calderon has been appointed as the new chief executive of AngloGold Ashanti, taking the reins from acting chief Christine Ramon in September.

Commercial law firm Piper Alderman has opened a Perth office after recruiting two partners from Allion Partners.

SRG Group will become a top 10 insurance broker in Western Australia after finalising the acquisition of Gibbscorp, as two big global competitors pursue their own merger.

Football West has recruited former Perth Glory boss Nick Tana to head a new charity aimed at supporting disadvantaged Western Australians through soccer programs.

The tax office is cracking down on dodgy company directors with a new identification system that will stick with them for life.

Improving outcomes for others has been a driving force in Michael Henderson’s professional and personal life.

Former Rio Tinto iron ore boss Chris Salisbury has joined the board of potash company BCI Minerals as a non-executive director.

There has been some notable progress for women in law, but they have come off a low base.

There has been plenty of change during the past year in Perth’s legal fraternity, which is enjoying healthy trade.

Former Austal boss David Singleton has taken on a new leadership role at Austin Engineering, which is relocating its headquarters to Perth.