The appointment of leading commercial lawyer Paul Meadows to Wesfarmers executive team has had a ripple affect across the top of the conglomerate, at both board and management level.
The appointment of leading commercial lawyer Paul Meadows to Wesfarmers’ executive team has had a ripple affect across the top of the conglomerate, at both board and management level.
The Melbourne-based litigator and partner of Allens Arthur Robinson will become group general counsel for Wesfarmers, prompting the resignation of Mr Meadows’ wife Patricia Cross from the company’s board after seven years.
The resignation of Ms Cross will leave Wesfarmers with just one woman on the board, Diane Smith-Gander who was appointed late last year.
The move is also part of a restructuring of the executive team answering to Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder.
Mr Goyder announced that finance director Terry Bowen would take responsibility for Wesfarmers three industrial divisions, CSBP, Wesfarmers Energy and Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety.
Furthermore, Wesfarmers Resources managing director, Stewart Butel, will now report directly to Mr Goyder.
Wesfarmers also announced the establishment of a management committee to ensure co-ordination between Kmart and Target on strategic issues, property matters, human resources and other areas of common interest.
Chairing the new committee will be Target managing director Launa Inman and include Kmart managing director Guy Russo, Wesfarmers finance director Terry Bowen and chief human resources Officer Ben Lawrence.
Below are two announcements from Wesfarmers as well as a brief biography on Mr Meadows:
Wesfarmers has appointed leading commercial lawyer, Mr Paul Meadows, as Group General Counsel. He will have responsibility for overseeing all of Wesfarmers’ legal matters and will serve as a member of the group’s executive committee and leadership group.
The appointment was announced today by Wesfarmers Managing Director, Richard Goyder, as part of an organisational restructure.
Mr Goyder said the changes would see company Finance Director Terry Bowen also take responsibility for Wesfarmers three industrial divisions, CSBP, Wesfarmers Energy and Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety.
Wesfarmers Resources Managing Director, Stewart Butel, will now report directly to Mr Goyder.
Mr Goyder also announced the establishment of a management committee to ensure co-ordination between Kmart and Target on strategic issues, property matters, human resources and other areas of common interest.
The committee will be chaired by Target Managing Director Launa Inman and include Kmart Managing Director Guy Russo, Wesfarmers Finance Director Terry Bowen and Chief Human Resources Officer Ben Lawrence.
Paul Meadows is a senior partner of Allens Arthur Robinson and has practised in areas of companies and securities, takeovers, banking, trade practices, contracts and insolvency law.
Below is the announcement about Mrs Cross’s resignation:
Patricia Cross has announced her resignation from the board of Wesfarmers following the appointment of her husband, Paul Meadows, as Group General Counsel to the company.
Mrs Cross has been a non-executive director of Wesfarmers since 2003. She has been a member of the Wesfarmers Board Remuneration and Nomination Committees.
“It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve on the board of this great Australian company for the last seven years,” Mrs Cross said. “I wish the board and management all the very best in their future endeavours.”
Wesfarmers chairman, Dr Bob Every, said Mrs Cross had been an outstanding contributor to Wesfarmers board for seven years and her experience and expertise would be greatly missed.
“Tricia has always combined outstanding financial skills, deep understanding and experience in global financial markets with a keen perception and grasp of operational and people-related matters so crucial to the successful implementation of strategies.”
Dr Every said Wesfarmers board was constantly reviewing potential new members and a replacement for Mrs Cross would be announced soon.
Her resignation from the Wesfarmers board will be effective from the end of March, 2010.
Below is an edited biography on Mr Meadows from the AAR website:
Paul Meadows has been involved in many of Australia's largest and most complex commercial cases and numerous major regulatory and governmental inquiries. Mr Meadows work includes the areas of companies and securities, takeovers, banking, mining and resources, trade practices (including competition), contract, tort, corporate insolvency and revenue laws.
Mr Meadows provided advice to listed corporations and their directors and officers, investment banks and professional services firms on regulatory, compliance, duty and liability issues. He also has considerable experience in advising executive and non-executive public company directors on corporate governance, proxy solicitation and other strategic and sensitive business matters.
Some of the clients he has advised are Rio Tinto Limited, National Australia Bank Limited, Macquarie Bank Limited, UBS Australia, Westpac Bank Limited, KPMG Australia, Credit Suisse, AXA APH Limited, Merrill Lynch, BHP Billiton Limited, Amcor Limited, Goldman Sachs, Commonwealth Government, Victorian State Government, Woodside, Coles Myer Limited and Orica Australia Limited.
In 1986 and 1987 Mr Meadows worked at Linklaters in London and in 1989 became a partner of Allens Arthur Robinson. In 2003 to 2004 he was co-head of the firm's commercial litigation practice group. He was appointed in 2006 as a Senior Advisor to UBS Investment Bank Australia. He is a member of the Law Council of Australia and International Bar Association. He has Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from Melbourne University.
He is listed in Euromoney's Guide to the World's Leading Litigation Lawyers and is named in Chambers Global as one of the leading litigation lawyers in Australia.
