The State Government has approved the appointment of three new members on the Western Power Board, Colin Beckett, Greg Martin and Peter Iancov.

Energy Minister Mike Nahan said Colin Beckett had been appointed to replace the outgoing chairperson, Alan Mulgrew, and Greg Martin would replace John Cahill, the former deputy chairperson.

Colin Beckett has held senior executive positions at major oil companies including Chevron Australia, Mobil Australia and BP in the United Kingdom, and is currently the chancellor of Curtin University, chairman of Perth Airport Pty Ltd and member of the Scitech board.

“Mr Beckett has a proven track record as a leader in the oil and gas industry, including being the general manger responsible for the development of the Gorgon LNG and domestic gas project on Barrow Island,” Dr Nahan said.

“He brings a diversity of knowledge and extensive experience with large scale operations, which will be a tremendous asset to Western Power.

“Mr Martin has more than 30 years of experience in energy, utilities, resources, financial services and private equity companies both in Australia and overseas, and is well placed to assist in his role of strategically guiding Western Power.

“He is currently chair of Iluka Resources, the Sydney Desalination Plant Pty Ltd and ProStar Capital.”

Peter Iancov is a professional engineer with more than 24 years commercial and technical experience in the energy industry (including electricity transmission and distribution) and the mining and defence sectors.

“I am confident the new board members will build on Western Power’s past achievements, not just in the form of cost efficiencies but through innovative ways to adapt to the changing electricity market,” the Minister said.

Dr Nahan said former Western Power chairman Alan Mulgrew’s tenure on the board would end on Friday, May 8, 2015, after almost three years of service.

“I sincerely thank Mr Mulgrew for steering the organisation through its significant transformation from a network driven operator to a customer focused enterprise,” he said.

       Fact File

• Western Power is a State Government-owned corporation committed to providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity to more than one million customers across a network area of 255,064km2
• For more information, visit http://www.westernpower.com.au