The Pentarch Group’s approach is founded on business diversity, risk management and people. Primarily, the safety, wellbeing and opportunity for our people is at the core of all that we do. It is through fostering these elements that we continue to succeed.
To be considered the first and logical choice by our customers, suppliers and potential new employees.
To be seen as up-to-date and relevant in the constantly changing commercial environment in Australia and internationally.
To inspire our people to embrace and live out the values we aspire to uphold.
To embrace innovation and new technology and processes to provide a competitive edge to meet our strategic goals.
To continuously improve our sustainability practices across all business units, setting new standard for a better future.
To achieve growth through superior customer service, quality and commitment.
A one-off shipment of softwood pine logs to South Korea in 1992 was the catalyst for the establishment of Pentarch Forestry™, which would become the group’s largest business.
Log export operations has led to involvement in break bulk ship chartering, timber harvesting, wood chip production, inland transportation and merchandising logs through an innovative logistics model. This model offers forest owners a viable export alternative to domestic processes, which were previously unavailable in Australia.
The construction of a sawmill at Pentarch’s Allied Natural Wood Enterprises wood chip mill in Eden, NSW, was an investment in the circular economy as it meant further refinement of valuable forest resources.
The 2021 acquisition of the Dormit sawmill and pallet processing business and the purchase of Boral Limited’s Australian hardwood and softwood timber businesses (Allen Taylor & Company Pty Ltd and Duncan’s Holdings Pty Ltd) made it Australia’s largest hardwood processor.
In 2024, the business evolved again with investment in the prefabricated housing component market via a partnership with Green Timber Technologies.
The Pentarch Agricultural division offers a variety of different hay and grain products sourced through its Australia-wide networks and using dedicated production facilities, which are located in some of the best cereal hay growing regions of the country.
Pentarch Farms is the marketing arm of the division, and it has been involved in exporting agricultural products for over 30 years, since commencing containerised oaten hay supply into the Japanese market in 1987.
In 2002, we made a strategic decision to invest in a hay processing facility in Narrogin, Western Australia, in a joint venture with Wilson Stockfeeds. Wilson Stockfeeds is an experienced and highly regarded grower, processor and exporter of hay based in Tocumwal, New South Wales.
A further investment was made in 2018 in a new state-of-the-art hay processing plant at Ultima, Victoria. This plant is located in the heart of the Mallee grain growing region. In recent years, we have expanded our expertise to containerised grain exports. We also provide to grain marketers in the Mallee region a grain packing and rail freight service from Ultima to the Port of Melbourne.
The focus of this division is to invest in businesses that operate under the rapidly expanding Bio-Economy landscape, including:
Malcolm is the Chairman of the Pentarch Holdings Board of Directors. He joined the Pentarch Group in 1987. Formerly the Group Chief Executive Officer, he has had a strong strategic and operational involvement in the establishment and development of both the Agricultural and Forestry divisions with a particular emphasis on marketing and shipping aspects within each division.
As Chairman of the Pentarch Group of companies, Malcolm is responsible for the Board of Directors, including providing leadership and guidance on the governance and direction of the Pentarch Group.
Prior to joining Pentarch, Simon practised as a Chartered Accountant both in Australia and overseas, developing commercial expertise across an array of industries. Commencing with the Pentarch Group in 1997, Simon gained an in-depth knowledge of the groups’ various operating divisions and was responsible for implementation of effective systems, policies and procedures to facilitate the Groups’ continual growth in his initial role as Chief Financial Officer.
Simon was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer in 2014 and held the role for seven years until he was elevated to Pentarch Group Executive Director. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Graduate Diploma in Accounting and has been an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia since 1989.
Ian is a Director of the Pentarch Group with specialist knowledge in the Forestry Division. Ian joined the Group in 1993 after gaining experience in the plantation and forestry industry in Australia.
Ian has been responsible for the development of resources in Australia and the marketing of various species into the countries of Asia and has had a particular interest in the development of the Chinese market for forest products. He is also versed in the various aspects of international trade and supply chain dynamics.
Stephen joined the Pentarch Group having previously managed Boral’s National Building Products Division. Stephen started at Boral in 2003 and worked in a range of executive roles across Boral’s Timber and Building Products businesses. Prior to Boral, Stephen was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group for 9 years and before that worked in the sugar industry as a production Engineer with CSR.
Stephen is a director of Forest and Wood Products Australia and The Forest and Wood Products Association. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, an MBA from the London Business School and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Fraser is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of finance experience in both Public Practice and Industry. Fraser joined the Pentarch Group in 2007 as the Group Financial Controller before being appointed CFO in 2014.
As CFO, Fraser is responsible for the Shared Services division of Pentarch, which incorporates the financial and administrative management of the Group, including key areas such as Information Technology, Business Systems Development, Legal, People & Culture, Tax, Financial & Management Accounting, M&A, Capital Management, Treasury, and Risk.
Fraser has extensive experience across the operational, commercial, and financial aspects of all three divisions of the Pentarch Group.
In addition to his role at Pentarch, Fraser also serves as an Independent Director of Grean Timber Technology (GTT), a strategic investment held by the Pentarch Group, where he brings his wealth of experience in finance and management to the board.
Bill has vast commercial experience across a range of industries and disciplines including the agricultural sector, where he had spent the last 30 years up to his retirement in June 2019. Bill has been a director of Pentarch Farms, Narrogin Hay and Pentarch Grains since inception in 2003 and had been involved operationally in the development of these business units finishing his time as CEO Pentarch Agricultural on retirement.
Paul has more than two decades’ experience in forestry. In 2000, Paul migrated from South Africa to Australia to join Pentarch Forestry as a Shipping Operations Manager and developed through a number of roles in the company including Chartering Manager and GM of Shipping and Marketing.
In 2008 Paul was appointed General Manager for Pentarch Forestry and in September 2016 Paul was elevated to the role of CEO of the Pentarch Forestry Division. Paul is tasked with managing all forestry related operations and reports to the Pentarch Forestry Board of Directors.
Prior to joining Pentarch in May 2023, James had a 23 year career with Incitec Pivot Limited, Australian agriculture’s largest input supplier, and a significant manufacturer of chemicals for agriculture and mining. He spent five years as the Chief Operating Officer of Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, and was Chief Executive Officer of Quantum Fertilisers, a Hong Kong based joint venture fertiliser trading company. Upon leaving IPL in 2016 he was appointed CEO of AUSVEG, the Peak Industry Body representing Australia’s horticulture growers and most recently was CEO of Wingara AG Ltd, a listed agribusiness. James is also a Director of Verdant Minerals Pty Ltd.
