30/05/2022
Late last year Matt Howell made the tough decision that the time was right to step down from his position as CEO and move on to the next phase of his life.
It was not an easy decision to make following almost nine years at the helm and a successful track record as the company’s leader.
In September 2013, Matt inherited the management of a business in need of a damn good talking to and it was up to him to deliver the lecture.
“Nine years ago, the business was in a really tough predicament. Now it’s the largest and most efficient aluminium smelter in Australasia. It is safer, cleaner, more productive and a hugely respected corporate citizen.”
His goals achieved (and then some), he believed it was time to move on. Knowing when to make that call to refresh leadership thinking at the top was the hard part.
“I knew in my heart that this was the right decision for myself and for Tomago. The business is in a great position so now it’s time to hand the baton over to someone else.”
“There is a real camaraderie here. We’ve created a way of doing things that is very different to many other places I’ve worked at. We take our business seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Working hard and having fun at the same time is all part of the magic.”
Matt says while he has thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience there is no denying it has been a full 24/7 gig for the whole nine years, with the past two years especially intense.
Matt officially walked out the gates for the last time on Friday, following several farewells. On Thursday the board presented Matt with a special engraved Ingot and an aerial photo of the plant and on Friday the farewells continued with Variety, The Children’s Charity coming onsite to cook up a sausage sizzle.
Matt’s plans post-Tomago Aluminium? Professionally, he has accepted an appointment to the Board of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, an Australian Government-owned ‘green bank’ established to accelerate the flow of finances into the clean energy sector.
“Ensuring a future for manufacturing in this country is a passion of mine and the CEFC appointment will keep me engaged in the energy transition,” he said.
On a personal level, he plans to take time out and decompress, lose some weight, work on his fitness and “move on to the next phase of my life.” He doesn’t have any plans to move away from Newcastle, saying: “Having lived in 21 homes in multiple countries, Newcastle is now home.”
“My time at Tomago and the many friendships forged here has been, without a doubt, the highlight of my working career.”
From everyone here at Tomago, we wish Matt all the best in his next chapter and thank him for his nine years of committed service.
