# Shane O’Connell Chief Operating Officer ## Career chronology - **July 2019–current: Austral Resources** — Chief Operating Officer. [Austral Resources Holdings Pty Ltd Annual Report 2025]() (p. 25, COO profile and July 2019 joining date); [Austral Resources Annual Report 2024]() (p. 39, KMP employment terms); [Austral Resources Prospectus, Section 10 Directors and Management]() (Section 10.2(b), July 2019 start, safety and regulatory responsibilities) - **Prior; dates not reported: Rural Earthworx** — Owner / civil earthmoving business. [Austral Resources Holdings Pty Ltd Annual Report 2025]() (p. 25, COO profile); [Austral Resources Annual Report 2024]() (p. 39, related-party note); [Austral Resources Prospectus, Section 10 Directors and Management]() (Section 10.2(b), prior earthmoving business) ## Contributions and company outcomes ### Operations during recovery and 2025 production rebound [shane_operating_recovery] 2024–2025 · issuer reported · medium materiality Austral resumed and expanded copper operations after receivership, with 8,224 tonnes of copper sales in 2025 and the largest monthly output since receivership reported during the year. His COO tenure overlaps operational recovery; filings do not isolate his personal contribution. **Attribution:** Role overlaps event; causation unproven. COO tenure overlaps the operating recovery; no source establishes sole or specific causation. **Relevance:** Relevant to executive assessment; sources do not establish personal causation. [Austral Resources Holdings Pty Ltd Annual Report 2025]() (pp. 3–4, operating review and 2025 copper production/sales); [Receivers retire; directors regain control]() (pp. 1–2, receivers retire and directors regain control) ### Operations exceeded Q4 guidance through extreme wet-season conditions [shane_weather_production] Q4 2025 / January 2026 report · documented · high materiality Industry reporting states Austral produced 2,643 tonnes of copper in Q4 2025 against 2,610 tonnes guidance; December output exceeded 910 tonnes. It records heavy rainfall, Rocklands access disruption and management’s mitigation statements. Shane O’Connell, as COO, described the operational response, making his role connection direct for the stated systems/mitigation, but the company production total remains collective. **Attribution:** Individual involvement documented. The report quotes O’Connell describing risk-management systems; it does not prove sole causation for guidance outperformance. **Relevance:** Relevant evidence of operating and wet-season risk management under his operations remit. [Austral beats Q4 copper guidance despite extreme weather]() (7 January 2026, paragraphs on output, flooding and O’Connell statements; lines 106–129) ## Governance and interests ### Related-party payments to COO-associated earthmoving business [shane_related_party] FY2023–2024 · issuer reported · medium materiality The 2024 annual report records payments to Rural Earthworx of A$851,817 in 2024 and A$1.111m in 2023. The issuer says transactions were at market rates on normal commercial terms and reports no amount outstanding. This is a related-party disclosure, not a finding of improper conduct. **Attribution:** Individual involvement documented. The annual report connects the transaction to the COO’s earthmoving business; it also states terms were at market rates. **Relevance:** Relevant to conflict management and disclosure controls. [Austral Resources Annual Report 2024]() (p. 39, related-party transactions note) ## Suitability for the current role ### Relevant experience and current remit [shane_oconnell_career_context] Career record through 2026 · analyst inference · medium materiality No formal education or professional qualifications were stated in the reviewed primary sources; the annual report describes aviation, safety and civil-construction experience. The prospectus also lists his aviation, safety, dangerous-goods, fire-management and civil-construction credentials; these are issuer-reported. **Attribution:** Responsibility not applicable. Sources provide the issuer-reported background; qualification verification and parts of chronology remain incomplete. **Relevance:** Career background is relevant to the assigned leadership remit, with evidence limits. [Austral Resources Holdings Pty Ltd Annual Report 2025]() (p. 25, COO profile and July 2019 joining date); [Austral Resources Prospectus, Section 10 Directors and Management]() (Section 10.2(b), certificates and professional experience) ## Evidence gaps - Open-source checks are not an exhaustive criminal, sanctions, litigation, regulator or credential check. - Earlier employment dates and independently verified qualifications were not established for all roles.