Company

Richard (Dick) Kell AM joins Board

Dick Kell AM joins Monkey Steel as non-executive Director

02-May-2008

Monkey Steel has announced the appointment of renowned structural engineer Dick Kell AM to the holding Company’s Board of Directors. Dick joined the board on 30 April 2008 as a non-executive Director and will also Chair the Board’s Remuneration Committee. Dick’s formidable experience and reputation are a huge boost to the company as it starts to expand internationally from its base in Queensland.

Will Liley, Chairman of the Board, said of the appointment “we are fortunate to have secured Dick Kell as an outstanding addition to the Board, and we will continue to strengthen the Board with further non-executive appointments in our aim to assemble world class support for the company’s management”.

Richard (Dick) Kell AM, FTSE, MAICD

A Civil Engineer, Honours Graduate from University of Sydney, Australia 1959.

He has spent his working life as an engineer and project manager in infrastructure engineering and as Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of what has become a significant listed international consulting engineering company. He has specialised in building, bridge, road and marine projects throughout Australia and in Asia Pacific, notably PNG, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and in Abu Dhabi. In recent years he has worked as project director, project manager and engineer under FIDIC Contracts. He has also served on the boards of other companies.

Dick Kell joined Sydney based consulting civil and structural engineers McMillan & Britton in 1959 not long after graduating. He worked in bridge and building structures and project management on projects throughout NSW, but it was his involvement in the Sarawak Bridges Project commencing in 1964 that launched his long career in major projects with his firm outside Australia principally in Asia/Pacific, one of the first Australian engineering firms to do so. He became Managing Director of McMillan Britton & Kell Pty Ltd (MBK) in 1976 as the firm continued to grow in numbers and scope of services. In 1999, MBK merged with Queensland firm Cardno & Davies and he became Chairman of Cardno MBK, and with his Board, set about growing the combined firm while he continued to manage major engineering projects. He was Chairman when Cardno Limited (Cardno) listed on the ASX in 2004. There are now more than 3000 staff in Cardno offices throughout Australia and overseas.

He was elected as President 2003-2005 of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers FIDIC and was previously a member of the FIDIC Executive Committee and Convenor of ASPAC, the Asia-Pacific Grouping of FIDIC. In these roles he has travelled extensively to meet with consulting engineers, contractors, banks etc. throughout the World. He is a member of the Advisory Board FIDIC Training Centre, Tsinghua University Beijing, China and is also a Past President of the Association of Consulting Engineers Australia.

He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1998 for exceptional services to Engineering, particularly Bridge Engineering and International Affairs.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. He was the recipient of the Institution of Engineers, Australia John Connell Medal for Structural Engineering 2000, and was awarded an Australian Centenary Medal in 2003.

He is a Member, Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He was a Director 1999 to 2006 and Chairman 1999 to 2004 of Cardno Limited. Cardno has offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Perth and Melbourne and throughout regional Australia; also in PNG, China, Indonesia, UK, USA and Abu Dhabi. Cardno is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. He remains a director of operating companies Cardno International, Cardno PNG and Cardno (NSW) Pty Ltd. Notable recent projects undertaken by Cardno under his direction include Bolte Bridge Melbourne, My Thuan Bridge Vietnam and Rajang Bridges, Sarawak.

He was a non-executive director 1998 to 2007 of the Environmental Group Limited, an environmental technology contractor listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, and was non-executive Chairman of Quality Assurance Services Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Standards Australia.

About Monkey Steel

Monkey Steel Pty Ltd is the provider of a unique range of concrete reinforcement products for use in major construction projects. The foundation product MonkeyBar® is an engineered bar used for joining lengths of reinforcing steel where speed, performance, precision and cost are vital to the construction process. Monkey’s first production facility is in Brisbane to service the South East Queensland construction market. Monkey Steel is a 100% owned Australian company.
Monkey Steel Pty Ltd, through its holding company Sugar Steel Engineering Pty Ltd, is the grateful beneficiary of two grants from AusIndustry. In June 2005 the company was awarded a COMET grant to assist in proving and commercialising its patented reinforcing steel technology. In December 2006 Monkey Steel was awarded a grant under the Commercial Ready program for $1.44 million to develop its automated production line for the MonkeyBar®.
In 2007 MonkeyBar® was awarded the prestigious Engineering Excellence Award for Innovations and Inventions in the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia.

For Further information
Julian Mitton, CEO Monkey Steel
Tel 02 8354 4000