Garret Dixon joins Watpac board

Former Gindalbie Metals boss Garret Dixon has joined Watpac as a non-executive director, signaling the company’s interest in building up the Perth-headquartered mining contracting division of its business.

Mr Dixon is currently president of the Global Mining Centre of Excellence at Alcoa of Australia, and a non-executive director of Gunson Resources.

He headed Mitchell Corporation for just eight months before being recruited as Gindalbie’s managing director, a position he held for almost five years.

Mr Dixon is a civil engineer by training and an 18-year veteran of Henry Walker Eltin, where he held various positions including that of executive general manager.

“Garret is an accomplished senior executive with a wealth of experience in the mining, transport and contracting industries in Australia and internationally, and on behalf of the board I am very pleased to welcome him to Watpac,” company chairman Chris Freeman said. 

Queensland-based Watpac is a construction, mining services and property development business with offices across the country.

Its mining operations currently comprise about 20 per cent of the group’s turnover and utilise almost 40 per cent of its equity.

Mr Freeman said Mr Dixon’s appointment would play an important role in the development of strategies to position the company’s mining business for future growth.

In Western Australia, Watpac Civil & Mining is currently the 11th largest mining contractor according to BNIQ, with a work book that includes BC Iron’s Nullagine mine, Iluka Resources’ mineral sands mine at Tutunup South, and Ramelius Resources’ Mt Magnet gold mine.

Watpac is focused on delivering more than $1.8 billion of work in hand across its contracting businesses this financial year.