Checklist for documents presented for execution
Dear Rod / Wally,
Re: Search for Operations Manager
Please find enclosed a proposal which highlights the strategy we would take to manage this important appointment and the commercials that we would work to.
About Us Harding & Drougas is built around what recruitment should be about – People. Our core beliefs are fundamental to our approach to market and we put the emphasis on providing high touch, quality service to our clients and candidates.
At Harding & Drougas you are welcomed by a company of trusted, experienced specialists who will know you and your business intimately and be able to ensure your name, be it your surname or your brand name are represented to the highest values without question or compromise.
The two Founding Directors are highly experienced search specialists with over 40 years’ experience between them in market and dedicate themselves to serving their close network of contacts better than anyone because they know what quality service is and spend their careers constantly perfecting this.
Our Understanding of the role Operations Manager With revenue exceeding $3 billion and being listed on the ASX, Boral are considered a major Heavy Industry player in the Australian market.
Proposal
PRESENTED TO:
Johanna Birgersson
Executive Manager – People, Safety & Culture
Tawake Rakai
EGM Infrastructure Asset Management
Search
Group Head of Pipeline Development
11th March 2026
2 CONFIDENTIAL
Dear Johanna & Tawake,
Re: Search for Group Head of Pipeline Development
Please find enclosed a proposal which highlights the strategy we would take to manage this important appointment and the commercials that we would work to.
About Us Harding & Drougas is built around what recruitment should be about – People. Our core beliefs are fundamental to our approach to market and we put the emphasis on providing high touch, quality service to our clients and candidates.
At Harding & Drougas you are welcomed by a company of trusted, experienced specialists who will know you and your business intimately and be able to ensure your name, be it your surname or your brand name are represented to the highest values without question or compromise.
The two Founding Directors are highly experienced search specialists with over 45 years’ experience between them in market and dedicate themselves to serving their close network of contacts better than anyone because they know what quality service is and spend their careers constantly perfecting this.
Harding & Drougas are different as you will only ever deal with 1 of the 2 founding Directors. That Director will 100% own every aspect of the Search and at no point will defer the back-end work to more junior team members.
Harding & Drougas’s placement success rate from initial Shortlist in 2024, was 94%. What this means is that it is unlikely AGIG would need to accommodate further time in the recruiting schedule due to the initial Shortlist being unsuccessful.
3 CONFIDENTIAL
Understanding of the role AGIG is at an important point in its evolution. While the business continues to benefit from the strength, stability and predictability of its regulated asset base, there is a clear strategic imperative to accelerate growth through non regulated opportunities that will strengthen future earnings and help offset the natural decline in returns from the regulated portfolio over time.
Against that backdrop, the Group Head of Pipeline Development role has been created as a critical strategic appointment within the business. Reporting directly to Tawake Rakai and sitting at a senior group level alongside other elevated leadership positions, this role is intended to strengthen AGIG’s ability to identify, assess, shape and progress complex pipeline development opportunities that support the broader growth agenda. It is a role that sits at the intersection of technical engineering capability, strategic growth, commercial judgement and executive influence.
From our understanding, this is not simply a replacement hire, nor is it a purely technical pipeline engineering position. Rather, it is a deliberate elevation of capability within the function. The existing team has strong technical depth and long-standing expertise, however there is a recognised need to reduce bottlenecks, create greater senior support across the pipeline development portfolio, and introduce additional leadership capacity that can help AGIG move with greater confidence and pace in pursuing growth opportunities.
The role will play a key part in helping AGIG expand its non-regulated footprint, particularly across opportunities connected to gas infrastructure, pipeline expansion, storage, connection assets and broader upstream and midstream development. These opportunities are often more complex, less predictable and carry a different risk profile to AGIG’s traditional regulated business. As such, this individual will need to help the business navigate technical, commercial and strategic considerations in a way that gives confidence to ELT, supports investment decisions and ultimately helps convert opportunity into commercially viable projects.
A central part of the remit will be partnering closely with the New Business Development function and broader leadership team to provide the technical and strategic support required to move projects through the early stage development lifecycle. In that sense, this is a highly influential role that will underpin AGIG’s ability to secure financial investment approval for future growth projects.
Importantly, the successful candidate will need to bring a balance of hands-on technical credibility and broader leadership maturity. AGIG requires someone with genuine pipeline engineering depth who can operate confidently in a technically demanding environment, while also bringing the strategic lens, commercial acumen and communication capability to operate effectively at a senior leadership level. This person must be able to work across technical teams, support commercial stakeholders, contribute to executive level conversations, and help shape the long-term direction of the function.
It is also clear that this role carries a succession and capability building element. Beyond immediate project support, AGIG is seeking to future proof an important part of the business by introducing a senior leader with runway, executive potential and the capacity to grow over time. The appointment will therefore not only strengthen current delivery and development capability but also help build longer term bench strength within a function that is central to AGIG’s future.
From a market perspective, we understand the most relevant talent is likely to come from pipeline, gas transmission, upstream and midstream infrastructure environments, whether from operators, owners or selected engineering consulting groups. While direct pipeline development experience will be highly valued, the broader objective will be to identify leaders who can combine technical excellence with strategic growth capability, and who are equipped to operate in a lean, high impact environment where influence, judgement and delivery matter.
Ultimately, success in this role will be defined by the individual’s ability to help AGIG progress and land meaningful growth projects, strengthen confidence in the pipeline development function, support more effective internal decision making, and build the technical and strategic capability needed to support the next phase of the organisation’s growth.
The role is based in Perth. Remuneration is expected to be circa $350,000 inclusive of superannuation, plus up to 30 per cent STI. There will also be a relocation budget for this should it be needed.
4 CONFIDENTIAL
Search Strategy Based on the information you conveyed to us, we recommend that a detailed Regional Search is the best methodology to recruit a Group Head of Pipeline Development.
Search, be it local, national, regional or international is a comprehensive, end-to-end process of targeted advertising, networking with current contacts, market mapping and headhunting. The advertising captures “passive” or newly active candidates whereas the headhunting/networking draws on our history in this strategy. By combining candidates from these two potential arenas, we are confident we will be able to compile a very strong short list that matches your needs exactly.
The Selection methodology will include the following steps:
» Advertising and Collating Response – We will handle the strategic placement of an appropriately worded and targeted digital advertising campaign for all positions not of a confidential nature. This can be ‘co-branded’ with your business brand to assist in candidate attraction and employer branding or ‘blind branded’ if the preference is anonymity. We then take response from all media and ensure all interested and qualified candidates are screened post application.
» Networking and Intuitive Technology – We will focus on our current networks in this and related
industries and on our CRM of strong candidates. Harding & Drougas have invested as early adopters in a new-to-market CRM that enables us to more accurately identify potential candidates and incorporates intuitive technology.
» Market Mapping Headhunting – Search is where we expect to get a large portion of candidates
and this part of the process is the most resource intensive. We will utilise our current networks as well as an extensive market mapping process to ensure we are across all the relevant competitors, aligned companies and key players within those companies. Our 40 years’ experience enable us to approach, assess, critique, attract and align a strong long and short list which we can discuss with you at key milestones throughout.
» Long List and Short List – Our extensive selection process will lead us to a ‘long list’ of candidates
from which we will then select a ‘short list’. This process can be done in consultation with yourself depending on your availability or alternatively a finalised short list can be delivered.
» Arrange Client Interviews and Debriefs – We will arrange the interviews between you and the
selected candidates at your convenience and follow up each candidate after the interview for a debrief. We will spend considerable time assessing the candidates’ interest, alignment and commitment to the process and to your company to ensure the following stages run smoothly.
» Psychological Assessment – Psychological, aptitude and personality assessments can be
organized for an additional fee. Prior to having any of the shortlisted candidates tested, we liaise with our organisational psychologists regarding any areas of concern. The information gleaned is used to formulate more accurate decisions regarding candidate, job and organisational fit.
» Reference Checking and the Offer – Appropriate reference checking will be undertaken early in
the recruitment process providing you with further intel. on selected candidates. We will also undertake the negotiation of an offer to the successful candidate, including resignation advice.
» Follow-Up – Follow-up calls with both client and candidate at the one, two, three- and six-month
marks. This is critical as any concerns can be raised and addressed before becoming an issue.
5 CONFIDENTIAL
The Harding & Drougas Team This Group Head of Pipeline Development assignment would be led by Ben Drougas; Director
Ben Drougas Director Harding & Drougas t +61 439 968 031 ben@hardingdrougas.com.au
Ben has been in recruitment since 2003 specialising in Leadership and Executive appointments across a wide variety of industries.
Ben has dealt with a large number of companies across most industries in Australia and has built strong, long-lasting relationships with senior leaders across these businesses.
Ben prides himself on his consultative style and ability to understand the exact requirements of his clients which enables him to provide a superb solution to their needs. He has an extremely strong network of candidates and contacts enabling him to successfully find the right person, every time!
After spending his career in large corporations (most recently Talent2) and in order to continue to offer the highest possible level of service, in 2017 Ben has co-founded a boutique search firm, Harding & Drougas long term friend and business partner Adam Harding. Their moto of “Do Good by Good People” is at the centre of everything they do, and enables their brand to be one of the most recognised in the Australian business landscape.
Adam Harding Director Harding & Drougas t +61 421 590 240 adam@hardingdrougas.com.au
Adam has been in Recruitment since 1997, working in London Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. During his expansive career, Adam has worked within several industry sectors including Finance, Technology, Retail, FMCG, Consumer, Not For Profit and Industrial Services / Manufacturing. One of Adams most notable employers was Talent2 where he was employed in various positions, his final one being General Manager NSW. Adam left Talent2 in 2017 after the business was sold.
Adam co-founded Harding & Drougas in 2017 with long term friend and colleague; Ben Drougas. They had the vision to build a business that focussed on more than recruitment transactions, instead putting value on long term relationships and simply doing good by good people. It was from this vision that Harding & Drougas was launched.
Adam specialises in senior leadership and executive level placements across Supply Chain, Operations and Technology. Adam prides himself on the quality of relationships he has built with a large number of Australia’s Executives, providing coaching and guidance alongside Search support.
6 CONFIDENTIAL
Fee Structures The approximate budget for the Group Head of Pipeline Development will be $350,000 inc Super. For fee calculation purposes we estimate first year compensation which includes base salary, superannuation, sign on bonuses and vehicle or vehicle allowance. The fee will be 20% of the fixed package offered and will be invoiced as follows:
Retainer (one third of estimated fee): $23,333
Shortlist (one third of estimated fee): $23,333
Final Fee due upon successful completion of the assignment with a signed contract of employment. This fee will be adjusted to align to actual salary package offered.
All prices are quoted exclusive of GST and the agreed trading terms are 14 days from date of invoice
Timing of Assignment It is expected that this assignment will take up to 4 weeks to Shortlist
Guarantee For this position Harding & Drougas will offer a 6-month guarantee.
Approval to Proceed The total approximate fee for the recruitment of the Group Head of Pipeline Development is $70,000 + GST
Please sign below to approve these Terms of Engagement and agree to the terms and conditions of Harding & Drougas (attached at the bottom of this document):
Client Name / Position:
Signature:
Date:
All other terms are in line with the Harding & Drougas terms of business signed by Johanna Birgersson on 28th January 2026.
Johanna Birgersson
12-Mar-2026