BHP chair Ken MacKenzie bats away suggestions he’d take on Qantas role

BHP chair Ken MacKenzie is ‘very happy’ where he is and has no designs on outgoing Qantas chair Richard Goyder’s role.

BHP chairman Ken MacKenzie has been re-elected for another year.

BHP chairman Ken MacKenzie is “very happy” where he is and has not been approached about taking over from Richard Goyder at the helm of the embattled Qantas board.

Speaking after BHP’s annual general meeting in Adelaide on Wednesday, Mr Mackenzie said unequivocally that he had not been approached about the Qantas role.

“I’m very happy here at BHP and I have no intention of going to become the chair of Qantas,’’ he said.

“I have just been re-elected by shareholders for this year and my intention is to stand for re-election at BHP next year.’’

Mr MacKenzie was comfortably re-elected as BHP chair for another year at the annual meeting, where the remuneration report also sailed through with strong shareholder support.

Outgoing Qantas chair Richard Goyder announced in mid-October he would step down from the role, just two weeks after saying he had the support of the airline’s major shareholders to stay put.

But following a series of meetings with shareholders in early October, intended in part to ascertain their support for him staying in the role ahead of the company AGM on Friday, November 3, Mr Goyder announced he would be stepping down, albeit with a lengthy transition period which could extend as far as the company’s 2024 AGM a year away.

Mr MacKenzie started with BHP as a non-executive director in late 2016 and has been chair since September 1, 2017.

By the time next year’s AGM rolls around, his tenure will have matched that of predecessor Jac Nasser, who succeeded Don Argus – the longest-serving chairman in the company’s modern era, at 11 years – in 2010.

Mr MacKenzie also sits on the advisory board of American Securities Capital Partners and is a part-time adviser at Barrenjoey.

He was managing director at packaging company Amcor from 2005-2105.

Originally published as BHP chair Ken MacKenzie bats away suggestions he’d take on Qantas role