8 – August 2013, Australian Forests & Timber News
OneFortyOne Plantations completes management team F
orestry group OneFortyOne Plantations has finalised its Australian management team with the appointment of its Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Owen Trumper has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) while Julie Connors has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The appointments follow that of Linda Sewell, who was named Chief Executive Officer in April.
Trumper was previously General Manager of HVP Plantations and has extensive expertise in such areas as contract harvesting, distribution, processing and sales in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, as well as in managing forest nurseries. Connors was previously Accounting Manager for The Campbell Group, based in Portland, Oregon, and was responsible for accounting and reporting for all international portfolios held by TCG.
Sewell said the appointments completed the management transition process for OFO, which was formed last year by TCG following the purchase of the forward rotations of more than 110,000 hectares of forestry assets in the Green Triangle region of South Australia. The plantations were previously owned and managed by the Government of South Australia and are known to be among the highestquality softwood plantations in Australia. Sewell said OFO’s operations were now being run from Australia, although TCG continued to provide management oversight and advisory services. “We have put together a very
strong management team that has extensive forestry expertise gathered from around the world,” she said. “We are optimistic that the forestry industry, especially in the South East
of South Australia, has a very strong future.” Forestry management of the assets is currently being undertaken by ForestrySA as a condition of the purchase agreement.
Owen Trumper.
Julie Connors.
New CEO has marathon background ONEFORTYONE Plantations may be a fledgling operation but its new CEO, Linda Sewell, is definitely not a newcomer to the game. She is regarded by many as a true professional with runs on the board in one of the toughest industries around. Australian Forests & Timber News had a brief question/answer session with Linda recently in a bid to shed some light on the lady in the lead role. Where born – New Zealand, moved to Melbourne with CHH in 2004. Education – BSc (Botany) and BCom (Finance) from Auckland University. What prompted your entry into
the forestry/timber industry and your first main job in this field – I started working for Ernst & Young and CHH became my client given my botany background; six years later I went to work for CHH. Your time with CHH (some of the highlights of this period) – I was there for 11 years – the first six were in a variety of finance roles, the most memorable (for me at least) was the two years I headed up the Mergers & Acquisitions group, taking the lead on behalf of CHH on all company acquisitions and disposals over that period. Many of the businesses in Australia were acquired at that time. For the last five years I was the inaugural CEO of CHH Futurebuild, the
company’s laminated veneer lumber division. My first day of the job was the commissioning and hand over of the new LVL mill at Marsden Pt, New Zealand. Over the five years we doubled in size, started up a brand new world class mill and built new markets around the world. Why you made the move to HVP (some of the highlights of this period) – I moved to HVP when the previous CEO retired in early 2006. By then I had moved to Melbourne and so I wanted to stay in Melbourne and stay in the industry – HVP fitted both criteria. I was with the company for nearly seven years. One of the biggest highlights of the tenure was
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leading the company through the Black Saturday bushfires. It was a challenging time for the company, not least that we lost over 10% of the company’s estate in a little over six hours. When you made the move to OFO – I moved to OFO in April 2013. After seven years with HVP, it was simply time for a change. I’ve moved from a stable, mature plantation company to one which is starting out on its journey to go from public to private ownership. It was too good a challenge to pass up. The major differences between OFO and HVP roles – at HVP I was the CEO of a well-established private company, having privatised 15 years ago, with a team of 100 staff. At OFO, the estate has only been privatised less than 12 months, the estate is managed by a third party contractor (ForestrySA) and I only have a team of four. I have had to establish an office, build a business brand and lead the strategy of the company alongside a forest manager. A blend between a start-up company and a large, substantive business. Irony: having worked for CHH and the fact that it closed two of its timber mills in Mt Gambier after failed talks with the SA Government prior to the sale of ForestrySA forward rotations to The Campbell Group. Will there be talks to try and “mend the fence” – CHH is a major customer of OFO and so quite clearly we will be looking to build relationships with CHH now that the estate has changed hands. Will ForestrySA (as such) remain operational; what of ForestrySA’s bushfire preparedness and its community work/support – FSA is a separate company with a number of different customers, including OFO and the Government. Little has changed at the operational end of the business and the preparedness and approach during the recent fire season is testament to that fact. Will there be silviculture/species/ harvesting changes in the near future – the market has changed substantially in the last three years
Linda Sewell.
with the closure of KCA and CHH Lakeside mills and the reduction in overall building activity. Any changes in forest operations would be as a result of these market changes. Already more wood is going to export markets given the domestic market demand does not meet the ongoing log supply. How you view the current state of the forestry industry (in general) and its long-term outlook – it is going through a period of transition. The Green Triangle is well placed with a large amount of forest estate and a well established processing infrastructure. However, it is important to continue to invest in the region if it is to be long term sustainable and in particular, there is a need for a new large scale domestic processor of pulp log. Are Government policies (or lack thereof) hindering industry growth – the water policy of South Australia is of particular concern. Not only will it hinder future growth of the plantation estate but it could result in an overall reduction. This is clearly an inhibitor to future growth. Something a little more personal ... your likes, dislikes; favourite pastimes; sporting affiliations; other interests. – I used to run international marathons (Great Wall of China, Angkor Wat, New York, Boston, Greenland Polar Circle). Now my running is more modest given I have a 4-year-old son.