Our Board and Management
Mr Chaney AO was appointed Chairman on 1 July 2021. He is currently Chairman of Wesfarmers Limited and was previously Chairman of Woodside Petroleum Limited (retired April 2018) and National Australia Bank (retired December 2015); a former Director of BHP Limited (retired October 2005) and Managing Director of Wesfarmers from 1992 to 2005.
Mr Chaney holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from The University of Western Australia and worked for eight years as a petroleum geologist in Australia and the USA. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1992 and has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from The University of Western Australia.
He is former Chancellor of The University of Western Australia (retired December 2017) and former Governor of the Forrest Research Foundation (resigned December 2020). Mr Chaney was previously Chair of the National School Resourcing Board (retired October 2023) and a Director of the Centre for Independent Studies (retired July 2022).
Mr Chaney is Chair of the Nomination Committee and a member of the People & Culture Committee.
Mr Ashforth has had a near-thirty year career in law, investment banking and corporate advisory, including as a Partner of Freehills, a Managing Director with Gresham Partners, an Executive Director with Macquarie Capital and the Executive Chairman of the private AMB Holdings. He was also previously a Regional Adviser with Goldman Sachs.
Until recently, Mr Ashforth was also a Director of the Wunan Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Kununurra Australia that works to empower and support Aboriginal people in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. He was a Member of the Australian Takeovers Panel for nine years, and was previously the Non-Executive Chairman of Castle Minerals Limited.
Mr Ashforth graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours).
Mr Ashforth is a member of the People & Culture Committee and the Nomination Committee.
Mr Fitzgerald has over 35 years’ resource financing experience and has provided project finance and corporate advisory services to a large number of companies in the resource sector.
He has previously held senior positions at NM Rothschild & Sons, Investec Bank Australia, Commonwealth Bank, HSBC Precious Metals and Optimum Capital. Mr Fitzgerald is a Chartered Accountant, a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Mr Fitzgerald is Chairman of Medallion Metals Limited, Non-Executive Chair of Turaco Gold Ltd and was previously Director of Danakali Limited, Chairman of Exore Resources Limited, Carbine Resources Limited, Integra Mining Limited and Atherton Resources Limited.
Mr Fitzgerald is Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee and a member of the Nomination and People & Culture Committees.
Mr Cernotta is a mining engineer having held senior operational and executive roles in Australia and overseas over a 35 plus year period. He has considerable experience in the management and operation of large resource projects, with a track record for improving safety performance, managing costs and improving operational efficiencies, across multiple commodities and international jurisdictions.
Most recently Mr Cernotta served as Director of Operations at Fortescue Metals Group, Chief Operating Officer (Underground, International and Engineering) at MacMahon Holdings Limited and most relevant as Director of Operations for Barrick (Australia Pacific) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation, with international assets in Africa, PNG and Saudi Arabia.
Mr Cernotta is currently Chairman of 29 Metals Ltd and a Non-Executive Director of PLS Group Limited and Critica Limited. He was previously Non-Executive Chairman of Panoramic Resources Ltd and ServTech Global Holdings Ltd and a Non-Executive Director of New Century Resources Ltd.
Mr Cernotta is Chair of the People & Culture Committee and a member of the Nomination Committee.
Ms Langer has more than 25 years’ experience in professional services across a variety of sectors, including substantial experience in the resources sector, where she has advised both ASX-listed and private boards on talent, organisational design, succession planning and leadership. Ms Langer has also been responsible for management functions including strategy, business development, budgeting and human resources. Originally qualified as an accountant with Arthur Andersen, Ms Langer spent time in their insolvency, corporate finance and management consulting practices before transitioning into Executive Search initially with Michael Page and subsequently Derwent Executive, where for 13 years she led Derwent’s national Mining Practice based in Western Australia.
Ms Langer is a Non-Executive Director of Sandfire Resources and Jupiter Mines. In addition, she also holds Board roles with private company Endura Mining Pty Ltd, The Gold Corporation and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Ms Langer is Chair of the Environmental, Social & Safety Committee and a member of the Audit & Risk, Nomination and People & Culture Committees.
Ms Warburton is a Chartered Accountant with experience in the construction, mining and infrastructure sectors, having held senior executive positions at Rio Tinto, Brookfield Multiplex, Aldar Properties PJSC, Multiplex and Citigroup. Ms Warburton is a Non-Executive Director of Wesfarmers Limited and South32 Limited. She is also an Independent Director of Mirvac Funds Management Australia.
She was formerly the Co-Deputy Chair of Fortescue Metals Group Limited, Chair of the Australian Government's Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, Non-Executive Director of NEXTDC Limited, Gold Road Resources Limited, Blackmores Limited, Worley Limited, Thiess Group Holdings Pty Ltd and Karlka Nyiyaparli RNTBC Aboriginal Corporation, along with a part-time member of the Takeovers Panel and on the Board of not-for-profit organisation, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Ms Warburton holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Business Law) from Curtin University. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Institute of Building and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She was awarded WA Telstra Business Woman of the Year in 2014 and was a finalist for The Australian Financial Review’s Westpac 100 Women of Influence in 2015.
Ms Warburton is a member of the Audit & Risk, People & Culture, Environmental, Social & Safety (ESS) and Nomination Committees.
Ms Finlayson is a minerals processing engineer with extensive mining experience having held a number of senior leadership and operational roles across a range of commodities including iron ore, diamond, base metals and coal.
Ms Finlayson is Managing Director of DevEx Resources Limited and previously served as Managing DIrector of Rio Tinto’s Battery Materials business, where she was responsible for developing Rio Tinto's battery materials portfolio through targeted investments in assets, technology, and partnership. Prior to this appointment she held the role of Managing Director of Rio Tinto Borates & Lithium overseeing Rio Tinto’s Borates operations in California and Europe, as well as the Jadar lithium project in Western Serbia.
Ms Finlayson holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Minerals Engineering) with Honours from the Western Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie.
Ms Finlayson is a member of the Environmental, Social & Safety Committee and the Nomination Committee.
Mr Quartermaine is a highly experienced mining executive with a career spanning more than 35 years in the resources sector.
He retired as Managing Director and CEO of Perseus Mining Limited in September 2025 after 15 years with the company. During Mr Quartermaine’s tenure, Perseus grew from a single asset gold developer in Ghana into a globally recognised pan-African, multi-mine, multi-jurisdictional company with three operating mines, a fourth mine in construction and a fifth development at DFS stage.
Mr Quartermaine is Non-Executive Chairman of Asara Resources Limited.
Mr Quartermaine brings significant gold mining, processing and development experience. Mr Quartermaine holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from the University of Queensland and a Master of Business Administration from Macquarie University. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Certified Practicing Accountants.
Mr Quartermaine is a member of the Nomination Committee.
Mr Bowen has more than 30 years' experience in senior financial, operational and strategic roles across large listed and private companies, bringing deep capital allocation and financial stewardship expertise together with audit and risk committee leadership in the resources sector.
Mr Bowen was an independent Non-Executive Director of BHP Group from 2017 to 2023, chairing its Risk and Audit Committee from 2020, and has also served as a Non-Executive Director of Transurban Group and Coles Group. His executive career included senior finance and operating roles including CFO of Jetstar Airways, Managing Director of Wesfarmers Industrial & Safety and Finance Director of Coles, followed by eight years as Finance Director of Wesfarmers Limited. He was also a Partner and Chair of the Operations Group at BGH Capital, and most recently, President and COO of Rokt, an e-commerce technology company based in New York until August 2026.
Mr Bowen is currently Senior Advisor to BGH Capital and an advisor to the Board of Rokt and will join the board of Woolworths Group from 1 October 2026. Mr Bowen holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of South Australia, is a Fellow of CPA Australia, and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
Mr Bowen is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and Nomination Committee.
Mr Gurner is a Chartered Accountant with more than 25 years' international experience in finance, commercial management and corporate strategy within the resources sector.
Prior to joining Northern Star, Mr Gurner held executive and senior finance roles across several Australian and internationally listed base metals and energy companies.
Mr Gurner holds a Bachelor of Science Degree with Honours, a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and is a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Gurner was re-appointed Chief Financial Officer of Northern Star in December 2021, having previously held the role prior to the merger with Saracen Minerals Holdings in February 2021. He was subsequently appointed Deputy CEO on 2 July 2026 and Interim CEO on 31 August 2026.
Mr Jessop is a mining engineer with over 30 years’ of technical and operational experience in the mining industry covering underground and open pit operations throughout Australia. Prior to joining Northern Star, Mr Jessop was COO at Saracen Mineral Holdings and has held numerous General Manager roles for Evolution Mining.
Previous roles have included Operations Manager at Panoramic Resources at Lanfranchi Nickel Project, Manager of Projects at Panoramic Resources, Project Manager – Agnew and Cosmos for Byrnecut Mining as well various other roles throughout his tenure.
Mr Jessop studied at the WA School of Mines in Kalgoorlie achieving a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) as well as a Bachelor of Science (Mine and Engineering Surveying). Mr Jessop is the holder of a First Class Mine Managers Certificate of Competency.
Ms Macdonald is a lawyer with over 30 years’ experience in private practice and industry with particular focus on corporate and mining law. A Graduate of Bristol University, England, Ms Macdonald qualified as a solicitor in London and was admitted to the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1990, and to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1995.
Prior to her appointment as Northern Star’s General Counsel with executive responsibility for legal, Ms Macdonald has provided legal services to Northern Star continuously since 2009, commencing with the acquisition of the Paulsens gold operations.
In addition Ms Macdonald has executive responsibility for Legal, Company Secretary and Heritage.