Ben Armstrong Email & Phone Number

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

I am co-owner and director at PQ Partners, a boutique management consultancy firm that provides strategic, process, and project delivery services to clients globally across the resources, utilities and other industries.Major Achievements:- Streamlined major capital project governance and assurance approach for a global resources company by benchmarking and analysis resulting in 3-month reduction in development and approval times- Simplified legacy corporate planning and budget process for a large mining company, resulting in a significant saving in planning effort by streamlining activity required, rationalising approval paths and reducing documentation requirements- Developed strategy for balancing financial and non-financial outcomes for water and biodiversity parameters for a global resources company by understanding and reducing footprint and maximising investment value. This resulted in improved management of sustainability risks while preserving financial returns of the operation;- Integrated sustainability impacts including climate change and social impact into planning and investment decision-making processes for a number of a global resources clients. Our approach focused on highlighting both financial and non-financial trade-offs across all stakeholders providing clearly documented, fact based and defensible decisions. This work also greatly improved workforce engagement through visible alignment to corporate values;- Developed climate adaptation and resilience plans for each asset in a global mining company’s portfolio through identification and management of material risks. Consolidation at company level enabled prioritisation of spend and action;

Melbourne, Australia

BHP is a very large, high profile tax payer, making payments globally of US$7.8 billion in 2018. With no direct tax experience, managed the transformation of BHP’s complex and large tax function.Major Achievements:- Designed and implemented a new single globalised team of ~100 people, aligned under common systems and processes.- Achieved significant reduction in operating cost and a significant improvement in the management of tax risk in two years through structural changes, offshoring of transactional roles and implementation of automation.- Reengineered approach to tax risk management and control.- Delivered BHP’s respected Economic Contribution Report from 2016 to 2018, receiving a Highly Commended in the London Stock Exchange Building Trust in Public Reporting Awards.

Melbourne, Australia

Group Acquisitions and Divestments is responsible for all major M&A activity within BHP. Joined the team to analyse the potential to demerge a suite of assets from BHP, ultimately resulting in the successful $10 billion listing of South32 (ASX:S32).Major Achievements:- Delivered the business valuations and accounting metrics that underpinned the decision to demerge South32 from BHP in 2015. Provided the internal and external valuations for the 85 entities demerged, setting the prices for assets transacted, taxes paid, and driving the external credit rating of the new company.- Managed preparation and approval by regulators in Australia, the UK and South Africa of the Independent Competent Persons Reports for the South32 assets to be demerged by BHP. Required significant stakeholder influencing to deliver these within the timeline available. Presented progress to the BHP Board. They formed a core part (~1000 pages) of the South32 public listing documents lodged with exchanges around the world.

Toronto, Canada Area

A new Potash Projects Development organisation was set up by BHP in 2011 to support the construction of BHP’s multiple Potash assets in Saskatchewan Canada. Led the finance and commercial functions within the organisation and was responsible for the commercial relationship with the Engineering Contractor.Major Achievements:- Successfully built an integrated commercial program management team in Canada for BHP of ~75 people.- Drove development of the operating system that defined the day to day mechanics of contracting, procurement, engineering approvals and reporting, while ensuring strong financial governance and control. The operating system was recognised and best in class by BHP’s central projects function.- At the time of leaving the role, surface works at the major Jansen project in Saskatchewan were complete and the sinking of shafts to ~1,000m was underway. These have since been successfully sunk to final depth.

London, United Kingdom And Vancouver, Canada

Managed the capital investment process, business evaluation, risk management, strategy and planning for the Diamonds and Speciality Projects Customer Sector Group.Led the analysis and prepared the strategy review documentation for presentation to BHP senior management that resulted in BHP’s focus on the Potash industry (now BHP’s potential 5th pillar) and exits from the Diamonds and Titanium industries.

Melbourne, Australia

Led the business evaluation of:- Rio Tinto’s Coal assets during BHP’s attempted acquisition.- New Hope’s coal assets, leading to a successful $2 billion acquisition.

Melbourne, Australia

Conducted analysis for potential resources investments across BHP’s global assets. Chaired the group responsible for setting BHP’s commodity price forecasts on behalf of the CFO.

Sydney, Australia

Eureka Capital Partners is a privately owned investment business focussed on resources and energy. Commenced as a business analyst moving to project manage a major potential renewable energy investment which resulted in the development of an Initial Public Offer (now ASX:RYG)

Various

Located variously in the Middle East (UAE, Qatar), Asia (China, Japan) and the USA, delivered oil well imaging services on oil drilling rigs.

Sydney, Australia

Commissioned as an Officer in the Australian Army Reserve, led a troop of four armoured vehicles and their crews. Graduated top of officer commissioning class.

Mba

B.Eng, Manufacturing Engineering And Management