Rowley winds back FMG role

One of Fortescue Metals Group's founding directors and key spokesmen, Graeme Rowley, will take a step back from his executive role at the miner and pursue projects including a Western Australian film.

In a statement today, Fortescue said Mr Rowley will retire as an exective director from March 2 but will continue as a non-executive director.

"Mr Rowley, who along with Mr Andrew Forrest is Fortescue's longest-serving executive, has been instrumental in guiding the creation of the company from an idea in 2003 to what is now an entity capitalised at over $14 billion," the company said.

Mr Rowley is the executive producer of WA film Bugle Boy, for which he injected seed capital into.