John Mullen joins Brambles board, to add third chairmanship to workload

John Mullen is rejoining the board of Brambles, where he’ll add to his bulging workload. Here is how.

John Mullen is adding a third chairman role to his busy corporate workload. Picture: Hollie Adams

High profile director John Mullen will add a third chairman’s role to his bulging workload after returning to the board of logistics giant Brambles, in addition to chairing Telstra and the Japan Post-owned Toll Group.

Mr Mullen will join the Brambles board on November 1 and replace Stephen Johns as chairman prior to the company’s 2020 annual general meeting, expected in October.

The 64-year old will step down as a director of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners to squeeze the new role in, with Brambles noting he will only be a director of two listed Australian entities next year given Toll Group no longer trades on the ASX.

Still, all three roles face challenging demands with Telstra’s bottom line damaged by the National Broadband Network, Toll midway through a restructure of the business and Brambles pushing ahead with expensive automation while trying to keep a lid on costs.

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Mr Mullen originally served as a director of Brambles from 2009 through to 2011 under Graeme Kraehe but stepped down from the board to become chief executive at rail operator Asciano.

“Following a rigorous and extensive search process, we are delighted that Mr Mullen has accepted our offer to join the board and be my successor,” Brambles chairman Stephen Johns said.

“His extensive experience, both internationally with DHL and locally with Asciano and TNT, and his chairmanship of Telstra ensures he is ideally placed to help lead the company. Mr Mullen’s prior experience as a non-executive director of Brambles also uniquely positions him for this role.”

In January, Mr Mullen said there was too little appreciation of the sacrifices made by executives, and that increasing corporate governance demands were leaving boards with too little time to discuss strategy.

The veteran executive - who become Telstra chair in 2016 - suffered a near-death experience in early 2012 after being bitten on the foot by a small jellyfish.

“I can tell you there’s nothing there because I’ve been to the other side, or close. I expected to see my grandmother in diaphanous clothes with white light and Burt Bacharach playing. But I didn’t. I just saw black,” he told The Weekend Australian at the time.