Appointments November 17, 2023

Deputy State Solicitor Craig Bydder has been appointed to Solicitor-General of Western Australia, taking over from Joshua Thomson who had held the role since 2018. Mr Bydder was admitted to practice in 1999 and has spent more than 20 years working for the State Solicitor’s Office. He led SSO’s civil litigation division and was promoted to deputy state solicitor in 2017 and then senior counsel in 2022.

Former Senior State Prosecutor Craig Astill has been appointed as District Court Judge, effective from November 20. Mr Astill specialises in criminal law and has practiced as a Francis Burt Chambers barrister since joining the Bar in March 2021. He was admitted into practice in 2002 in Victoria before moving to Perth to join the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Western Australia, where he remained for 17 years.

City of Fremantle has recruited Pete Stone as director creative arts and community, a position in which he will oversee art and culture, customer experience and learning, and community development programs. Mr Stone has transitioned to this role from City of Melville where he has worked as creative producer for the past three years. Mr Stone formerly worked as Fremantle Arts Centre general manager from 2010 to 2015, and later as City of Fremantle manager arts and culture from 2015 to 2018. He was involved in Perth Festival's event production of Highway to Hell in 2020 and he currently sits on the board of Fremantle Biennale as chair.

Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth chief executive Penny Dakin is the most recent addition to the Forrest family's charitable arm, Minderoo Foundation. Ms Dakin was unveiled as the new executive director of Minderoo's community focus area and is set to start the role in January next year.

An environmental consultant who used to work with Satterley Property Group has been selected for the Environmental Protection Authority board. Darren Walsh, who currently heads up environmental consultant group JBS&G Australia, formerley Strategen Environmental Consultants, was announced to replace outgoing board member Jenny Pope.

A Fortescue Future Industries employee based in the United States has quit the green empire, marking another resignation in recent months. FFI director Todd Clewett resigned after he accepted a role “closer to home to spend more time with his family” but will assist with a transition out of the US-based role.

Rio Tinto has fired long-serving executive Ivan Vella over allegations of mismanagement of confidential information, about a month before his scheduled departure. Mr Vella, the mining giant's aluminium chief executive, was due to start a new role as chief executive of battery metals miner IGO. Rio Tinto has appointed Jérôme Pécresse, who joined in October, to succeed Mr Vella in leading its aluminium business.