Warburton to join Northern Star

Experienced director Sharon Warburton will join the board of Northern Star Resources in September, ahead of the goldminer’s annual general meeting.

Ms Warburton, who sits on the board of Blackmores, Wesfarmers, and Worley, will join Northern Star as a non-executive director on September 1.

She is also a director of Gold Road Resources and will step down from the role after six years on September 30.

Northern Star chairman Michael Chaney said Ms Warburton’s experience would be a valuable addition to the company.

“Sharon’s strategic prowess and commercial acumen will be enormously valuable to Northern Star as we embark on the next chapter of creating value from our exceptional portfolio,” Mr Chaney said.

“She has an enviable record of success and achievement, not just in the resources sector but right across the listed company spectrum, as both a senior executive and a director, and is widely regarded for her financial and risk management expertise.”

Ms Warburton was also the co-deputy chairman at Fortescue Metals Group between 2013 and 2020 and a past director of Western Power and Brisbane-based NEXTDC.

Earlier, she trained as a chartered accountant with KPMG before being appointed financial controller at Rio Tinto’s Hamersley Iron subsidiary in 1995 and then as group finance executive in London in 1998.

Ms Warburton is also a part-time member of the Australian Takeovers Panel.

Meanwhile, Anthony Kiernan will retire from the role of non-executive director at Northern Star on November 18, at the company's AGM.

Mr Kiernan, who was the chairman of Saracen Mineral Holdings for three years, joined Northern Star as lead independent director in February when the goldminers completed their merger.

He is retiring from the board to focus on other interests, Northern Star says.

“Tony’s experience and wisdom has made him a really valuable member of the board and we shall miss his input greatly,” Mr Chaney said.

Shares in Northern Star were up 1.4 per cent at 2pm AEST to trade at $9.49.