Cape taps Hutchinson as CEO

Utilities infrastructure and mining services company Cape has announced its co-founder, Peter Rowles, has stepped down as chief executive and has been replaced by chief operations officer Greg Hutchinson.

Mr Hutchinson started as chief executive today, while Mr Rowles will remain with the company.

Cape said Mr Hutchinson’s new role involved working on special projects, such as maximising opportunities presented by its recent acquisition of the Dunstans Construction Group business in Victoria.

It acquired Dunstans in August, and the new entity has the largest fleet of operating horizontal directional drilling equipment in Australia, according to Cape.

Cape chairman Philip Cardaci said Mr Rowles’ contribution to Cape was enduring.

“Peter’s impact on the business, from establishing the Underground business which later was incorporated into Cape, to turning around Cape’s operational performance after a significant downturn, cannot be overstated,” he said.

“He regenerated the team, broadened our customer based, and improved our safety performance."

Mr Cardaci said that since Mr Hutchinson had joined Cape in July 2018, he had demonstrated his suitability to replace Mr Rowles when he stepped down from the role.

“Greg has been leading Cape’s day-to-day business operations, with a focus on creating sustainable success for our clients through fit-for-purpose planning and constructive consultation,” he said.

Prior to joining Cape, Mr Hutchinson held senior positions at BGC, NRW and Ertech.