Fiona Hick is the former chief executive officer of Fortescue Metals Group’s iron ore division, a position she held for less than six months before resigning on August 28, 2023. She was the first woman to lead the iron ore business of Australia’s third-largest miner and one of the few female executives in the male-dominated industry.
Marriage, Husband & Kids
Fiona Hick is married to Andrew Hick, a former Woodside executive who is now the managing director of Strike Energy Ltd., an oil and gas exploration and production company. They have two children, a son and a daughter. They live in Perth, Western Australia.
Fiona Hick is an avid runner and cyclist, who enjoys participating in marathons and triathlons. She is also a supporter of various charitable causes, such as the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which provides entertainment and support for seriously ill children and their families.
Wiki/BIO
| Name | Fiona Hick |
| Birth year | 1974 |
| Age | 49 years old (as of 2023) |
| Birthplace | Perth, Western Australia |
| Education | St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School |
| Murdoch University | |
| The University of Western Australia | |
| Occupation | Former CEO of Fortescue’s iron ore |
| fionahick | |
| fiona.a.hick | |
| fiona-hick-4b5a4419 | |
| Homepage | Dreshare.com |
Age & Biography
Fiona Hick is the former chief executive officer of Fortescue Metals Group, an iron ore producer based in Australia. She was born in 1974 in Perth, Western Australia. Her exact birthday and birthplace are not publicly available, but she attended St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School and graduated in 1991. She is 49 years old as of 2023.
Education
Fiona Hick was born in Perth, Western Australia, in 1974. She attended St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, where she developed an interest in science and engineering. She graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from Murdoch University in 1996 and later completed a Master of Business Administration from The University of Western Australia in 2006.
Career & Achievements
Fiona Hick started her career as a process engineer at Alcoa World Alumina Australia in 1997, where she worked for seven years in various roles across operations, maintenance, and projects. She then joined Woodside Energy Group Ltd., Australia’s largest independent oil and gas producer, in 2004. She held several senior positions at Woodside, including vice president of operations for the North West Shelf Venture, Australia’s largest resource project.
In February 2023, Fiona Hick was appointed as the chief executive officer of Fortescue Metals Group’s iron ore division, following a restructuring that created two separate CEO roles for the company’s metals and green energy businesses.
She was responsible for overseeing Fortescue’s core operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, which produces about 180 million tonnes of iron ore per year. She also led the company’s efforts to decarbonize its mining operations by 2030, through initiatives such as electrifying its haul trucks and trains and using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
Fiona Hick was widely regarded as a capable and experienced leader, who brought a fresh perspective and a strong focus on safety, sustainability, and innovation to Fortescue. She was also praised for her efforts to promote diversity and inclusion within the company and the industry, especially for women and Indigenous people. She was a mentor for Women in Mining WA (WIMWA), a non-profit organization that supports women working in the resources sector.
Challenges and Resignation
Despite her achievements and reputation, Fiona Hick faced some challenges during her tenure at Fortescue. One of them was the cost blowout and delay of the Iron Bridge magnetite project, a joint venture between Fortescue and China’s Baosteel Group. The project, which aims to produce high-grade iron ore concentrate for export markets, was originally expected to cost $2.6 billion and start production in mid-2022. However, in April 2023, Fortescue announced that the project would cost $3.5 billion and be delayed until mid-2023.
Another challenge was the decline in iron ore prices, which affected Fortescue’s profitability and share price. Iron ore prices reached a record high of over $230 per tonne in May 2023, driven by strong demand from China and supply disruptions from Brazil. However, prices fell sharply in the following months, due to China’s efforts to curb steel production and emissions, as well as increased supply from other producers. By August 2023, iron ore prices had dropped below $150 per tonne.
On August 28, 2023, Fortescue announced that Fiona Hick had resigned as the CEO of its iron ore division, effective immediately. The company said that the decision was “friendly and mutual”, and that she would be replaced by Dino Otranto, the chief operating officer for iron ore. The announcement came as a surprise to many analysts and investors, who questioned the timing and reasons behind her departure.
Some speculated that she might have been pressured to leave by Fortescue’s chairman and founder, billionaire Andrew Forrest, who is known for his hands-on and demanding style of leadership. Others suggested that she might have been unhappy with the company’s direction and culture, or that she might have received a better offer from another company.
Fiona Hick did not give any specific explanation for her resignation, other than saying that she was thankful for the opportunity and wished Fortescue well in its mission to decarbonize. She also did not reveal her future plans, leaving many wondering what she would do next.
Some Facts About Fiona Hick
- She was born in 1974 in Perth, Western Australia, and graduated from St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School in 1991.
- Fiona has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Murdoch University and a master’s degree in business administration from The University of Western Australia.
- She started her career as a process engineer at Alcoa World Alumina Australia in 1996 and then joined Woodside Energy Group in 2000, where she rose to become the executive vice president of development and marketing.
- Fiona was responsible for overseeing Woodside’s major projects, such as the Pluto LNG project, the Browse LNG project, and the Scarborough LNG project, as well as expanding Woodside’s presence in international markets, such as Myanmar, Senegal, and Canada.
- She was appointed as the CEO of Fortescue’s iron ore division in February 2023, succeeding Elizabeth Gaines who became the global brand ambassador for Fortescue Future Industries, the company’s renewable energy arm.
- Fiona was the first woman to lead Fortescue’s core business and the second woman to head a major iron ore producer in Australia, after Gina Rinehart of Hancock Prospecting.
- She oversaw Fortescue’s operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where it has two main hubs: the Chichester Hub and the Solomon Hub, which produce about 180 million tonnes of iron ore per year.
- Fiona also managed Fortescue’s growth projects, such as the Iron Bridge magnetite project and the Eliwana mine and rail project, which aim to increase Fortescue’s production capacity and product quality.
- Fiona led Fortescue to achieve record production and shipments of iron ore in the June quarter of 2023, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and cyclone Seroja.
- She resigned from her role as CEO of iron ore after less than six months on the job, in a surprise move that raised eyebrows in the industry and the media.
- The reasons for her resignation were not disclosed, but some analysts speculated that it could be related to her performance, her relationship with Fortescue’s founder and chairman Andrew Forrest, or her personal circumstances.
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