Andrew Forrest Andrew "Twigger" Forrest Mining Mongul "Father" Of GenerationOne Media Man

Andrew Forrest

Chairman and CEO, Fortescue Metals Group

Websites

Fortescue Metals Group GenerationOne

News

James Packer - Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest Indigenous Employment Tag Team - 6th July 2011

Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest Wins Media Man Social and Community Entrepreneur Of The Month - May 2010

Profiles

GenerationOne Mining

Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest and Greg Tingle (Media Man director and founder)

GenerationOne Ideas Forum, Fox Studios, Sydney - 29th July 2010

James Packer and Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest

Profile

Mr Forrest started Fortescue in April 2003 and was the driving force behind the creation of the Pilbara Iron Ore and Infrastructure Project. He was the inaugural Chairman of Fortescue but handed over the role to a Non-Executive Director in May 2005. Mr Forrest is Chief Executive Officer and an Executive Director of the Company and is also on the Remuneration Committee.

Mr Forrest is also currently Non-Executive Chairman of Poseidon Nickel Limited and is also Chairman of the West Australian charity, The Australian Children's Trust.

Previous roles include Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman of Anaconda Nickel Ltd (now Minara Resources Ltd) and Chairman of the Murrin Murrin Joint Venture, Director of the West Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy, Chairman of Athletics Australia, Chairman of Moly Mines Ltd and Chairman of Siberia Mining Corporation Ltd.

Mr Forrest has extensive experience in the mining sector with specialist expertise in large scale project finance and implementation. Mr Forrest is also a long-standing Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Andrew Forrest (born 1961) also known by his nickname Twiggy, is a Western Australian mining entrepreneur, currently chief executive officer, and the major shareholder of Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) Ltd, which is developing the Pilbara Iron Ore and Infrastructure Project. Between 28 December 2007 and 3 October 2008, he was identified as Australia's richest man.

Career

Forrest graduated from Hale School in Perth, and after university, worked as a stock broker at broking house Jacksons. In his early 30s, he became the founding CEO of Anaconda Nickel (now Minara Resources). Although this project experienced teething problems during commissioning and attracted intense criticism, it has since grown to be one of Australia's single largest mineral exporters with its giant Murrin Murrin Joint Venture nickel project.
In 2003, he took control of Allied Mining and Processing and renamed it Fortescue Metals Group. With Forrest as CEO, Fortescue grew to possess three times the tenements of its nearest rival in Western Australia's iron ore rich Pilbara region. Fortescue holds major deposits at Mount Nicholas, Christmas Creek, Cloudbreak, and Tongolo.

In 2007, Forrest took control of a Niagara Mining, which owns tenements around Laverton, Western Australia, the site of the famous 1969 Poseidon nickel boom

Personal life

Forrest is the youngest son of Donald and Judith Forrest. He is the great-grandnephew of former Premier John Forrest. His early years were spent as a jackaroo on the family station at Mindaroo in the Pilbara.

His great-grandfather, David Forrest, was the manager of Minderoo Station and was MLA for the seat of Ashburton for 2 years.

Forrest is married with three children.

Philanthropy

In 2009, Forrest opened Hale School's new Teaching and Learning precinct including a new Library Resource Centre, which was named The Forrest Library in recognition of the contributions made by the Forrest family to the School.

Former Prime Minister, John Howard said of Forrest in 1999: "I've met a lot of managing directors, but I don't think I've met a more self-evidently enthusiastic and dedicated managing director than I’ve met in Andrew Forrest"

In 2008, Forrest met with Australia's PM Kevin Rudd to get some financial backing from the Federal Government, for his plan to employ 50,000 Aboriginals. (Credit: Wikipedia).

Profiles

GenerationOne

Website

GenerationOne

News

Australian Aboriginals And Casinos Generate Bob Geldof Heat, by Greg Tingle - 20th May 2010

Gaming and community entrepreneurs, what do Aussie indigenous peoples, casinos and pop icon Bob Geldof share in common? No, its not a game of what's red, white and black all over... ok, bad joke... the answer is "a nun in a blender". Getting serious, wonderful Australian initiative GenerationOne, has once again brought together an eclectic mix of society, business, rock stars, humanitarians... the whole box and dice. Media Man, passionate community campaigner and media entrepreneur, and Gambling911, new media powerhouse, hit the Aussie Outback in search of answers...

Live Aid humanitarian and rock star "rat" tells us Australia has "exiled" indigenous Australians from the nation.

Australian and Asia Pacific casino and lifestyle king, James Packer of Crown, copped an earful, as did others... more on that later, but here's an overview... the calm before the storm friends...

"They were forced to be exiled from themselves and that must stop," he preached.

"You need to pull them back into themselves because you’ve acknowledged them as being. The spiritual core of yourselves will only be filled when this is done.".

Mr Boobtown Rat was speaking to a breakfast for Perth, WA mining baron Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest’s nation-touring GenerationOne movement. "Twiggy" and the team aims to halt indigenous disparity within this generation. Geldof likened indigenous affairs in Australia to situations he’d witnessed in 3rd-world Africa, and you get the idea.

"I said on the radio back in 1984 that to die of want in a world of surplus is not only intellectually absurd, it is morally repulsive. Well let’s add economically illiterate to that.

It already started to sound that he was talking to the casino, development and mining industry... he has a captive audience, that much is for certain, and news media caught every word!

"You’ve removed from your society of 'having a go' 500,000 of your own. That is absurd. It’s economically stupid.

"Just like those 44 million African children (given access to education from the Live Aid campaign) will be a massive driving force in the world economy, so your own Aboriginal people require to be allowed in. The access point is education."

Geldof urged the "rich bastards" (Mr Packer et al) in attendance at the breaky to contribute wholeheartedly and dig deep re Mr Forrest’s fight to end indigenous disparity. It's a shame 'Our Richard' (Branson), Steve Wynn (still winning big), and billionaire 'Google Guys' weren't in attendance.

Taking shots at a guest representative of Mr Frank Lowy’s Westfield empire and GenerationOne benefactor and key supporter, casino king James Packer, Geldof said "You can build a small shop and then you can build very, very big shop. You can build a casino and then you can build five casinos, you’re still building fu...king casinos."

But Geldof was more than happy to take a pot shot at himself, thereby covering his ass for later heat...

"Or you could be singularly responsible for two of the worst pop records ever made (We Are the World and Do They Know It’s Christmas?).

"You can do all that, but it’s just not enough. It’s all sort of empty. It doesn’t mean very much. Of course, what it is is being able to take what you’re doing, which is less than some and more than others, and extend it out. Well that’s what Twiggy (Andrew Forrest) is doing."

8 minutes of Geldoff speak, poetic tongue, relating to all, Dreamtime included, it was appropriate that Geldof (Mr Rat) signed off with a quote from German writer Johann von Goethe "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.".

Media Man and Gambling911 wish the loyal readership magic of Enchanted Unicorn proportions and genius, be it poker, casino classics, sports betting, or friends and relationships. Geldof is not interested to have a 'Boomtown Rats' themed slot machine, despite fellow rocker, Aussie Angry Anderson doing well with his 'Rose Tattoo' casino club themes. Packer has not publicity commented on a Kerry Packer or 'Underbelly' casino slot game to date, which means its still a possibility. Rock on my brothers, white, black or other! We are one.

Media Man is a supporter of GenerationOne

Profiles

Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival