Linfox’s long-time chief to stand down

Australian Financial Review – 19 March 2014

After nine years behind the steering wheel, CEO Michael Byrne is looking for a new endeavour.

JENNY WIGGINS

Linfox Logistics chief executive Michael Byrne will leave the trucking group at the end of the year after nine years in the top job, raising questions whether the Fox family will take more direct control of its logistics arm.

The logistics group plans to •undertake internal and external searches to find a replacement for Mr Byrne, who is understood to be looking for a new challenge after nearly a •decade with the $2 billion privately-held Linfox group that was founded by •Lindsay Fox in in 1956.

Linfox has also appointed a former Australian Defence Force engineer, Gabrielle Costigan, to the new role of Linfox Logistics CEO Asia to strengthen the transport group’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region where customers include UK supermarket group Tesco in Asia and multinational consumer goods group Unilever.

Linfox, which employs some 23,000 people, already operates in 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and is •planning to add 1500 jobs this year after winning new contracts, including a warehousing and distribution •contract with Defence Force that took two years to negotiate.

Ms Costigan, a former military assistant to the chief of joint operations command in the Australian Defence Force and a manager of military •programs for US aviation services group VAS Aero, will be based in •Bangkok and start in May.

Mr Byrne, who will spend the remainder of his tenure at Linfox •developing a five-year strategy for the logistics group, will outline Linfox’s growing need demand for highly educated •specialists with experience in information technology, mathematics, •engineering and people management at the Australian Logistics Council’s annual conference in this week.

Other logistics CEOs will tackle •policy issues, with Ian Hunt, the new CEO of the Moorebank Intermodal Company (MIC), planning to call for a co-ordinated national strategy that includes Brisbane and Melbourne to get more interstate freight onto rail.

MIC has been established by the federal government to develop a new freight terminal at Moorebank in south-west Sydney, but Mr Hunt will argue equivalent intermodal terminals are needed in other states.

Qube Holdings’ managing director, Maurice James, will tell business leaders they need to need to tackle “excessive demands from activist unions” to boost productivity and cut costs. Mr James, who will submit a bid on behalf of Qube to operate the planned Moorebank terminal, will suggest the potential automation of container terminals and trains could help productivity. Aurizon’s leader of strategy and business development, Mike Carter, will call on business to challenge “glory projects” and recommend executives try to develop existing assets as well as pursuing new projects.

Michael Kilgariff, managing director of the Australian Logistics Council, will call on governments to identify more assets to be recycled to pay for new freight logistics infrastructure as well as providing better urban planning and cutting red tape.