New Chairman and Director for Orica Board

2nd May 2001

On 2 May 2001 Don Mercer becomes the new Chairman of Orica.

Peter Duncan, currently Chairman of the Shell Group of Companies in Australia, will also join the Board of Orica as a non-executive director on 1 June 2001.

Orica’s new Chairman and director will bring extensive international business experience to the Orica Board.

Don Mercer

Don Mercer was appointed Chairman of Orica on the retirement of Ben Lochtenberg.

Don Mercer joined Orica in 1997 as a non-executive director following his retirement from the ANZ Bank where he was Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to his career with ANZ Don held a number of appointments with Shell International in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada, Indonesia and Australia.

He joined ANZ in March 1984 as General Manager Strategic Planning and Economics, and in 1988 was appointed Chief General Manager, Australian Retail Services. In June 1992 Don Mercer was named Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He retired on 30 September 1997.

Don Mercer is Chancellor of RMIT University and Chairman of Australia Pacific Airports Corporation. He is a Director of CSIRO and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and is President of the Victorian College of the Arts.

Peter Duncan

Peter is currently Chairman of the Shell Group of Companies in Australia, a position he assumed on 1 July 1999. He was Chief Executive Officer of the Group until the end of 2000. He has worked in a diverse range of finance and general management positions with Shell International in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

From 1989 to 1992 he was Executive Director Finance and Information, Shell Australia Limited and a board member of Woodside Petroleum Ltd. From 1992 to 1997 he was Chief Executive of Deutsche Shell, a member of the board of the Oil Industry Association in Germany and a member of the advisory board of Commerzbank, in Germany.

In 1997 he was appointed to the position of Executive Director Oil Products, Shell Australia Limited, and in July 1999 he assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Shell Group of Companies in Australia, positions he held until the end of 2000. He was also a director of Shell Coal Holdings Australia from July 1999 until its sale in July 2000.

Peter is currently Chairman of the Australian Institute of Petroleum, a director of Woodside Petroleum Ltd, a member of the Committee for Melbourne, a member of the Business/Higher Education Round Table and a member of the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.