Building on a solid foundation

On 1 July this year, Julian Segal took over the reins from Des King as Managing Director and CEO of Caltex Australia and has hit the ground running. He has spent time visiting the Caltex refineries and terminals and has also spent time with the Caltex Board, and with Chevron (Caltex’s 50% shareholder) in both Singapore and the US.

“Caltex is a great company with a long Australian history, spanning over 60 years. There are few other companies on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that have that longevity,” Julian said.

“My focal point, as the new Managing Director and CEO of Caltex, is to increase earnings per share. We will deliver on our strategy while creating a culture that continually challenges the status quo and executes our plans with speed and excellence.”

Julian led global chemicals company Incitec Pivot from June 2005 to May 2009. Under his management the company moved from well outside the top 100 ASX companies into the top 50 companies within three years. When announcing his appointment, Caltex Australia Chairman, Elizabeth Bryan said, “Julian’s strong track record, commercial skills and experience will be integral in further developing Caltex’s strengths and ensuring that it is positioned well for the long term.”

Julian has been quick to note the volatility of the oil industry and acknowledges the need to continue to focus on the factors within our control.

“As a business we need to become more efficient, bigger and stronger. We need to foster a culture that has genuine urgency, solid accountability and strong cost control. Culture is imperative to a company’s strength and success,” Julian said.

“First and foremost though, above all else is the safety of our people and our operations. This goes hand-in-hand with ensuring we have a safe, secure, reliable and incident-free operation.

“I want to build on the firm foundations that have been laid by my predecessors and ensure the business remains strong, as we continue to ride out the challenges of the current economic climate and protect the gains we have made to date.

“In the short to medium term, we will continue to focus on the factors and opportunities that are within our control – refinery reliability, cost control and efficiency. We will also take advantage of appropriate external opportunities that present themselves. This will ensure the company is in a position of strength to cushion the natural cycles of our industry.”

Julian holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the Israel Institute of Technology and a Masters of Business Administration from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

Prior to his role as Managing Director and CEO of Incitec Pivot Limited, Julian spent six years at Orica in a number of senior management positions, including Manager of Strategic Market Planning, General Manager – Australia / Asia Mining Services, and Senior Vice President – Marketing for Orica Mining Services.

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