I thank the Chairman and the committee for the opportunity today to address it following my nomination as chairperson of the Shannon Foynes Port Company. My address will take five to seven minutes, if that is not too long, and I am very happy to take any questions. The only time constraint is the time constraint of members. I wish to cover two aspects, my business career details and my vision as chairperson of Shannon Foynes Port Company. I am a seasoned professional with extensive experience on all aspects of management gained across a number of large and complex industries. This experience ranges from preparation of strategic and operational plans to optimising operations to ensure competitiveness and survival in the global marketplace.
I joined Aughinish Alumina in January 1980 and was appointed CEO in January 1999 on the ownership change from Alcan, Montreal to Glencore AG, Switzerland. The Aughinish Alumina operations represent an investment of $1.25 billion and, with an annual output of 1.8 million tonnes, is the largest alumina refinery in Europe. It is recognised in the industry as one on the leading refineries in the world in terms of output, safety and environmental standards, operating efficiencies and people productivity. As CEO, I was responsible for the preparation of detailed annual plans covering each activity and I was held fully accountable for performance against the approved plans. Throughout my career at Aughinish I played a key role in the development of the operations as CEO and prior to that as a senior manager with varied responsibilities including finance, which is my core skill, commercial, with direct responsibility for extensive global procurement requirements, pension trusteeship, organisational change and company secretary, including the necessary legal interfaces. I have served on the national executive of IBEC and am a past chairman of its energy policy committee. I am also a past chairman of the European Union alumina producers, a grouping within the European Aluminium Association and have represented the interests of the industry at EU level. I have also served on the boards of alumina operations in Italy and the West Indies.
In June 2003 I transferred to Jamaica as CEO of West Indies Alumina Company, a joint venture owned by Government of Jamaica and Glencore AG. These operations comprised two alumina refineries, extensive bauxite mining, a railway system and a large shipping port which served the needs of West Indies Alumina Company and significant third party business. It had a workforce of 1,700. During my career there, I led on the development of an operations plan covering production increase, efficiency improvements, people productivity and systems enhancements. I gained shareholder approval for that very detailed plan and got its implementation under way.
I retired from full-time employment and as chief executive officer, CEO, of Windalco in July 2006 but continue as an international consultant to Glencore on alumina refinery operations. In this role, I have carried out a number of studies on its behalf, including a port upgrade study at their alumina refinery in Texas, USA.
My career history prior to joining Aughinish in 1980 included six years as chief financial officer, CFO, of a major motor group. I also worked for four years in the soft drinks industry in Cantrell & Cochrane in Dublin and, prior to that, in the building products industry in Roadstone in Dublin.
My management and financial experience is extensive and I hold particular expertise in leading on the development and optimisation of complex capital intensive operations, improving workforce organisation and productivity and, of course, my expertise is in all areas of financial planning, reporting and control. I also have a record of delivering high performance year-on-year and meeting or surpassing agreed targets and objectives. That is a summary of my business career experience.
I will move on to my vision as chairperson the Shannon-Foynes Port Company. The Shannon-Foynes Port Company is the business enterprise which is responsible for the maritime management of the Shannon Estuary. It services a number of facilities and customers and handles in excess of 10 million tonnes per year. Its contribution to the economy of not only the mid-west but nationally is significant and vital. It is critical, therefore, that the company continues to be run and developed on business grounds, including meeting its financial responsibilities to its shareholder, the Government. Business grounds must also recognise the varying interests of all stakeholders.
Taking into account the above, my vision as chairperson will be to work with the board of directors and through the CEO and his team on all aspects of the enterprise. The term "all aspects" is best summarised under two areas, namely, operational excellence across all activities and the development and progressive implementation of a business strategy to secure and grow the business. This strategy, where appropriate, will be complementary to and supportive of the overall development of the region.
Operational excellence is built around clear and achievable targets and objectives covering all key areas such as safety and environment, people, governance, financial, etc. The targets and objectives will be consistent with the overall strategic direction. Actual performance will be measured and reviewed hard nosed against the targets on a regular basis. My initial meeting with the CEO of Shannon-Foynes Port Company gives me comfort that a focused and professional approach is under way and my objective is to contribute to building and consolidating this approach.
On the business strategic side, in my business experience it cannot be assumed that the customer base today will be the same in ten or 20 years. Shannon-Foynes Port Company is no different from any other enterprise in this regard. The Shannon-Foynes Port Company business strategy must, therefore, identify, pursue and deliver new customers to ensure its growth and survival. The strategy will also identify and cater for the impact on the company of any such new customers. In developing a realistic strategy, it is critical that Shannon-Foynes Port Company works with other interested parties in the region and nationally, such as IDA Ireland. I recognise from my brief discussion with the CEO that the company is well advanced in its strategic thinking.
I see my vision and goals as ensuring operational excellence and performance delivery year on year, meeting or exceeding the shareholder expectations and also having in place a realistic strategic plan which adds tangible benefits as each element is implemented. All of this will be in the context of a strong, unified board working in harmony with the CEO and his team and with good relationships and support from the appropriate external bodies.
That summarises my vision and career experience. I would be only too happy to take question on any aspects.