Could a bunch of high profile chief executive departures start to emerge from Australian listed companies before the year’s end?
Some believe that could be the case, with a number of long standing ASX-listed company bosses due to retire and what better than before a financial crisis is looming.
At the start of the last financial crisis around 2008, it was the trend that some top names in business left before the credit crunch truly set in, with Greg Paramor departing as the managing director from Mirvac Group and Geoff Dixon leaving Qantas.
Right now Downer Group boss Grant Fenn and the chief executive of Mirvac Group Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz are the point of conversation about possible departure candidates.
The future of Alan Joyce as the boss of Qantas has also been debated, but that has been for a number of months.
Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz has been running Mirvac since 2012 and would likely have the pick of any directorship she chooses from an ASX-listed company - she has been well regarded during her time running the $8bn real estate investors and developer and women board members of her calibre are strongly sought after.
One on hand it makes sense, given how long she has been in the job, but the timing could also seem odd, as Mirvac has only recently inherited AMP’s highly prized office fund.
Yet some believe that Campbell Hanan, Mirvac’s head of commercial property and considered Ms Lloyd-Hurwitz’s successor, largely drove that transaction.
Mr Fenn, meanwhile, has been at Downer since 2009 and was promoted to the chief executive role in 2010.
He is now embarking on more asset sales, selling its Transport Projects business through Macquarie Capital, which may suggest he is staying for the time being.
The $3bn Downer has sold its mining services arm and its Spotless laundries operation, prompting to questioning how many more assets sales at Downer are to come and what will be left?
Liverpool Partners may seek backer for Genea
Speculation is mounting that Genea could be the next healthcare business to hit the market, with owner Liverpool Partners likely to be looking for a financial backer.
Ramsay keen on Healthscope
Ramsay Health Care is believed to be positioning itself to become involved in a break-up of Healthscope and is keen to gain control of hospitals owned by its rival.