Jason Waters will be chief executive at The Perth Mint after the departure of Richard Hayes, while Ralph Addis will leave his role at another government entity to lead Lotterywest.
Mr Addis has served as the director general of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and the previous Department of Regional Development, for the past seven years.
A statement from Regional Development, Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said Mr Addis would be chief executive of Lotterywest and Healthway for the remainder of his contract, which expires on June 30 2022.
It said Pilbara Development Commission chief executive Terry Hill would act as director general of the department until a replacement was found.
The role will be advertised in the coming days.
A spokesperson for the Public Sector Commission said Mr Addis was interested in a change that aligned with this interest in community development in the final months of his contract.
“The Public Sector Commissioner approved the move as it provides Lotterywest and Healthway with strong leadership while a permanent CEO is found following the retirement of previous CEO Susan Hunt PSM,” the spokesperson told Business News.
Meanwhile, after 30 years’ in the energy sector, Mr Waters has been made chief executive of The Perth Mint.
Most recently, Mr Waters led Synergy. Prior to this role, he was the chief executive of Verve Energy.
Gold Corporation chair Sam Walsh said Mr Waters was a great fit for and would lead the next chapter of safe and sustainable growth at the organisation.
“His track record of managing government trading enterprises in the complex energy sector, along with his impressive commercial, strategic and leadership skills make him well-placed to lead this iconic Western Australian organisation,” he said.
John Collins, who has been acting in the position since Richard Hayes went on leave in October, will stand down today and be replaced by deputy chief executive Jane King until Mr Waters starts in April.
Mr Hayes originally planned to retire in April 2022, but instead has taken annual leave for the remainder of his term.
An article from The Australian Financial Review in December suggested Mr Hayes left due to cost and implementation issues with a technology systems upgrade.
A spokesperson for The Perth Mint told Business News this was not the case and that media articles from the time contained inaccurate statements.
“Mr Hayes cited a desire to transition to retirement and health concerns as the reasons behind his decision,” the spokesperson said.
“A successful technology systems upgrade was completed late last year, which has allowed The Perth Mint to deliver products and services across the entire precious metals market value chain, improve risk management and customer experience, and take advantage of the latest innovations in technology.
“The retirement of Richard Hayes is not related to the systems upgrade.”
At the time of Mr Hayes‘ retirement announcement, Mr Walsh said Mr Hayes was leaving at the top of his game, given the organisation’s recent financial results.
In the 2021 financial year, the company posted an underlying profit of $56 million, making it the most successful year in its history.
Mr Hayes has dealt with controversies over his time at the helm, including The Perth Mint being subjected to an investigation by the London Bullion Market Association following allegations the business was buying gold from unethical miners in Papua New Guinea.
The investigation found the Perth Mint had not engaged in any serious misconduct.
