Oakajee Port and Rail, which is in the midst of sensitive government negotiations over its planned Mid West development, has bolstered its ranks with the recruitment of senior Commonwealth Bank executive Wayne Zekulich as chief financial officer.
OPR, which is jointly owned by Murchison Metals and Mitsubishi Development, plans to develop a port with the capacity to transport 45 million tonnes of ore each year, and 570 kilometres of rail infrastructure in the iron ore-rich Mid West.
Mr Zekulich will be responsible for financial management of the development of port and rail infrastructure, including finalising bank finance arrangements to underpin the project.
He has extensive financing and capital markets experience, including mergers and acquisitions, arranging and underwriting funding for greenfield project financings and privatisations.
Mr Zekulich was head of the Perth office of NM Rothschild & Sons for four years, prior to his appointment at the Commonwealth Bank in 2006, and before that worked for Deutsche Bank.
Murchison executive chairman Paul Kopejtka said Mr Zekulich's appointment was a major boost to the OPR executive team.
"Wayne brings to OPR a wealth of experience and proven track record in areas that are key to OPR's success in the months and years ahead," Mr Kopejtka said.
"We believe Wayne will make a great contribution to the development of OPR's projects and we look forward to a long and rewarding association.
