Andrew Leighton is OneFortyOne’s incoming Chief Executive Officer. He will join the company following a comprehensive selection process and will succeed Michael Barbara, who has been serving as Interim CEO.
OneFortyOne Chairman, John Gilleland, said the board was delighted to appoint a leader of Mr Leighton’s calibre.
“Andrew is an accomplished senior executive with deep experience across forest products and complex industrial businesses in Australia and New Zealand,” Mr Gilleland said.
Mr Leighton brings more than 20 years of senior executive experience, including CEO, Managing Director, Regional President and General Manager roles across the forest products, manufacturing and agribusiness sectors. He is currently Chief Executive Officer of FWPA, where he has led significant organisational and cultural change, strengthened member engagement, and delivered a new strategic plan focused on industry growth, transparency and accountability.
“His leadership of Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has demonstrated his capability to bring people together, set clear strategic direction and deliver strong organisational outcomes. Andrew’s experience and steady leadership give the Board confidence in his ability to lead OneFortyOne strongly for the future.”
Prior to FWPA, Andrew held senior leadership roles with Norske Skog Australasia, including Regional President, where he was responsible for large-scale manufacturing, forestry, energy and bio-product operations across multiple sites. He has also served as General Manager Strategy and Business Development at Ingham’s Group and has extensive experience in strategy execution, P&L management, governance and stakeholder engagement.
Mr Gilleland thanked Michael Barbara for his leadership as Interim CEO.
“On behalf of the Board, I would like to sincerely thank Michael for his leadership and stewardship of OneFortyOne during this transition. Michael has worked closely with the Lead Team to lift culture, bring focus, and create valuable momentum. The business is well positioned as we welcome Andrew.”
Mr Leighton said he was pleased to be joining OneFortyOne and looked forward to working with the team.
“OneFortyOne is a highly respected forestry and manufacturing business with strong assets, capable people and deep community connections. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the team to build on these strengths and lead the business into its next chapter.”
