With a big shareholder decision looming on AGL Energy’s controversial demerger in June, the power giant is racing to fill key staffing slots at both businesses.
There have already been considerable job losses and redundancies, with AGL shifting the headquarters of its demerged companies from Sydney to Melbourne and opting for a leaner structure, given the smaller market cap expected.
But there has also been a flurry of hiring activity as the green power retailer, AGL Australia, and coal generator, Accel Energy, set up a raft of new teams on the customer and generation sides of the operation.
AGL has hired 10 traders which are expected to be divided across the two companies, should the split proceed, while at an executive level, different structures are also taking shape for each entity.
While Accel keeps AGL’s chief operating officer – Markus Brokhof – in a hybrid deputy CEO/COO role, AGL Australia will do without the role and instead lean on a set of executive general managers to guide its business.
DataRoom understands Melinda Buchanan has been appointed to head trading, supply and operations after a decade-long career with the electricity operator.
Buchanan spent nearly two years as gas and renewables general manager and, prior to that, was head of AGL’s trading team before taking up a project director role with AGL Australia in June 2021.
CEO-elect Christine Corbett’s former chief customer officer position was filled by Jo Egan, currently responsible for AGL’s product and pricing for 4.5 million customer accounts.
Ryan Warburton, AGL’s current commercial and industrial head, will be in charge of large customers as it joins a crowded field looking to grab market share.
Jo Fox will be heading up people and corporate affairs.
Current chief technology officer Hugh Fahy will take on the same role for AGL Australia while projects boss, Dominique Van Den Berg, will be chief sustainability officer.
AGL’s CFO Damien Nicks rounds out the team.
Long-serving company secretary and general counsel, John Fitzgerald, will leave by December 2022 after working for six months in the same role at AGL Australia.
A search is under way to find his replacement, with the role expected to be filled externally.
Scheme documents for the demerger are due out by mid-May with a vote set to take place before June 30.
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