Our weekly appointments wrap includes Keren Paterson, George Varma, Rowan King, Kim Hayman, David Hodgson, Jane Johnson, Daisy Pearce, Michael Prior, Varun Ghosh and Patrick Dodson.
JSW Drilling has announced mining engineer Keren Paterson as its new chief executive and managing director. Ms Paterson had served on the board of JSW for the past six years and brings this experience along with her more than 25 years of mining expertise to the company. Prior to this appointment, Ms Paterson was chief executive and managing director at Trigg Minerals for nearly 10 years.
George Varma has been recruited by law firm Gilbert and Tobin as a partner in its energy and resources team. Mr Varma has experience across a range of industries including renewable energy, infrastructure, mining, and oil and gas. He has transitioned to Gilbert and Tobin after six years working at Pinsent Masons where he led the firm’s global hydrogen practice based in Perth. Mr Varma had previously worked at Pinsent Masons between 2009 and 2013 as a senior associate based in Dubai. Between his two stints at Pinsent Masons, Mr Varma worked as Norton Rose Fulbright special counsel for four years.
Citi Investment Banking Australia has promoted its head of metals and mining Rowan King to the position of managing director. Perth-based Mr King has been working at Citi for 12 years advising clients within the natural resources market on capital market transactions, mergers, acquisitions and divestments. Prior to joining Citi, Mr King was an associate director at international financial services company UBS for nearly four years and before this, a corporate finance manager at EY for 3.5 years.
Grant Thornton has appointed Perth-based partner of private business tax and advisory Kim Hayman to the position of office chair. Mr Hayman is a chartered accountant and an experienced business adviser. He has worked as a partner at Grant Thornton for more than 15 years having joined the firm in mid-2008. Mr Hayman will be taking over as office chair from David Hodgson who has held the role for the past four years. Mr Hodgson will remain within the Grant Thornton company, settling into a role on the firm's national board.
Family law specialist Jane Johnson has been accepted into the Family Court of Western Australia as a Magistrate. Ms Johnson was first admitted to practice in New Zealand in 1989 and worked in family law for a private firm for 18 years. She then moved to Western Australia and was admitted to practice in the state in 2008, commencing work at Subiaco-based Kim Wilson and Co Family Lawyers. Ms Johnson became an accredited family law specialist in 2015 and has remained at Kim Wilson and Co for the past 16 years. She is set to commence as a Magistrate for the Family Court of WA on January 1.
West Coast Eagles AFLW has appointed former Melbourne Football Club AFLW captain Daisy Pearce as senior coach. Ms Pearce led the Demons to win the AFLW premiership in 2022, after which she retired as an AFLW player to be involved in coaching for Geelong AFL for the 2023 season. Ms Pearce will take over as West Coast Eagles AFLW senior coach from Michael Prior who held the role for two years and stepped down in October.
WA Labor has preselected barrister Varun Ghosh to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Patrick Dodson from the Federal Senate. Mr Ghosh has been a barrister at Francis Burt Chambers since he was elected to the Bar in 2018, working in commercial and administrative law, along with industrial relations and employment law over his career to date. He was nominated as the preselected candidate by WA Labor at a meeting this week and will step into the role following the retirement of Mr Dodson, who will leave the Senate on January 26. Mr Dodson, a Yawuru man from Broome who has been a champion of the reconciliation movement for close to five decades, cited an ongoing battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma when announcing his resignation late last month.
