Inside the ‘unending chaos’ at Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue

After a frenetic world tour during the pandemic, the billionaire miner was forced to wind back his grand hydrogen plans. A Financial Review investigation tracks the chaos, outbursts and questionable decisions that led to an exodus of executives.

The Financial Review interviewed 23 of Andrew Forrest’s former executives and associates who describe the Fortescue chairman’s erratic leadership style. Bethany Rae

Primrose RiordanAssociate editor

Dec 12, 2024 – 5.00am

Email LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

Andrew Forrest uses terms of endearment freely. In interviews and around the office, he often calls people “darl”, “babe”, “digger”. Those close to him say that’s just how he communicates.

But for members of a small Fortescue chat group, one message that flashed across their phone screens a few years ago still came as a surprise.

Email LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Subscribe to gift this article

Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.

Subscribe now

Already a subscriber?

License article

Introducing your Newsfeed

Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.

Find out more

Primrose RiordanAssociate editorPrimrose Riordan covers private companies and family offices from the AFR's Sydney newsroom. Primrose was previously a correspondent for the Financial Times and covered foreign affairs and politics in Canberra. Primrose has won multiple awards for her journalism including from The National Press Club, SABEW in the US and Press Gazette in the UK. Message Primrose on Signal: https://tinyurl.com/PrimroseSignal