Byrnecut Team
Steve Coughlan
Executive Chairman, Byrnecut Group
Steve Coughlan is Executive Chairman of the Byrnecut Group, a private suite of companies headquartered in Perth, Western Australia...
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Steve Coughlan
Executive Chairman, Byrnecut Group
Steve Coughlan is Executive Chairman of the Byrnecut Group, a private suite of companies headquartered in Perth, Western Australia.
One of the original founders of Byrnecut which was established in Kalgoorlie in 1987, Steve has overseen the growth of the group, which now has annual turnover of over $3B AUD.
Steve is responsible for shaping Byrnecut’s trajectory from a regional underground contractor to a diversified global mining services group. His combination of technical mining qualifications, long-term strategic conservatism, diversification into complementary services and willingness to invest in new technology positions him as a central figure in the Australian and global underground-mining contracting sector.
Qualifications:
- Dip. Mining Engineering, RMIT (1974)
- Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Fellow (FAusIMM)
- WA First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency
- Mine Manager’s Certificate, Fiji (1986)
Pat Boniwell
Managing Director, Australia
Pat Boniwell joined Byrnecut after graduating from WASM in 1996. He has since gained extensive experience in all aspects of underground mine development...
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Pat Boniwell
Managing Director Australia
Pat Boniwell joined Byrnecut after graduating from WASM in 1996. He has since gained extensive experience in all aspects of underground mine development, production, construction and shaft sinking.
Pat’s experience covers a wide variety of underground operations across all major commodities and mining companies throughout Australia and New Zealand. Managing Director Australia since 2013, he was previously General Manager and Operations Manager at Byrnecut.
Pat draws on extensive underground mining experience and the business capability developed through his MBA to guide Byrnecut’s operations. His focus includes safety, workforce development, operational efficiency and the use of modern equipment where it delivers clear value. Pat encourages measured adoption of new technology, recognising both its opportunities and its limits, and maintains an emphasis on stable long-term performance through considered innovation and a balanced commodity exposure.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mining), WASM (1996)
- WA First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency
- Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Fellow (FAusIMM)
Greg Jackson
Managing Director, International
With over 35 years experience in the mining industry, Greg Jackson joined the Byrnecut Group as Managing Director of Byrnecut International in 2016...
Greg Jackson
Managing Director International
With over 35 years experience in the mining industry, Greg Jackson joined the Byrnecut Group as Managing Director of Byrnecut International in 2016.
Greg’s experience is diverse, spanning a broad range of mining methods open pit and underground and commodities including gold, copper, uranium, diamonds, coal, lead and zinc, with major companies, including Rio Tinto.
Greg has had direct operating experience in Australia, North America, Africa and Asia. Responsibilities have included direct management of all facets of operations, along with studies, construction, major project execution, operational readiness, and acquisitions. As testimony to his leadership qualities, he has achieved Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer level.
Peter Sullivan
Group Director, Finance & Shared Services
Peter Sullivan joined Byrnecut in 2000 and is employed as the Group Director of Finance and Shared Services. Peter has overall accountability...
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Peter Sullivan
Group Director, Finance & Shared Services
Peter Sullivan joined Byrnecut in 2000 and is employed as the Group Director of Finance and Shared Services. Peter has overall accountability for the Group’s finance, commercial and shared services.
Prior to joining Byrnecut Peter worked in public practice, for the Commonwealth Government and the Department of Defence.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Commerce
Craig Barendrecht
General Manager, Australia
Craig is the General Manager for Byrnecut's Australian operations, with over 20 years experience in underground mining...
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Craig Barendrecht
General Manager, Byrnecut Australia
Craig is the General Manager for Byrnecut's Australian operations, with over 20 years experience in underground mining. Craig has a wide range of skills and experience in mine supervision, short and long-term planning, design and scheduling and project management.
Craig joined Byrnecut in 2006 and has held various site-based roles, including Project Manager in several countries throughout Africa.
In 2012 Craig joined the corporate office, taking on a diverse portfolio including estimating, contract management, studies, and Operations Manager roles before being appointed as General Manager of Byrnecut International in 2020. In January 2023, Craig was appointed as General Manager of our Australian operations.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mining), WASM (2002)
- WA First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency
Francesco Bertagnolio
General Manager, International
Francesco Bertagnolio is the General Manager of Byrnecut International. He has over 15 years experience...
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Francesco Bertagnolio
General Manager Byrnecut
Francesco Bertagnolio is the General Manager of Byrnecut International. He has over 15 years’ experience in tunnelling construction, working on major infrastructure projects around the globe, mainly involving tunnel boring machines.
After graduating in 2002 as a civil engineer in Italy, Francesco joined an internationally renowned Italian tunnelling contractor and started his career underground. Francesco has experience in all aspects of project management, from tendering to design and operations of major tunnel boring machine projects in South America, UAE and Europe.
In 2013, he worked on a joint venture with Byrnecut for the Carrapateena tunnel boring machine (TBM) decline feasibility and tender phase, before moving to Norway in 2015 as Commercial Director and Area Manager for the Scandinavian subsidiary based in Oslo.
In 2020, Francesco joined Byrnecut as General Manager for Byrnecut's Australian operations. In January 2023, Francesco was appointed as General Manager, International.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), (2002)
- EMBA from EADA Business School in Barcelona, Spain (2009–2010)
Pryce Dale
Group General Manager, Commercial
Pryce joined Byrnecut mid 2025 as the Group General Manager Commercial with accountability across the Byrnecut Group for shared services...
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Pryce Dale
Group General Manager, Commercial
Pryce joined Byrnecut mid 2025 as the Group General Manager Commercial with accountability across the Byrnecut Group for shared services including Legal, Commercial, Governance, Compliance, Marketing and Communications and People and Culture. He brings over 25 years of experience as a lawyer, having worked in both private practice and in-house in Australia and the United Kingdom.
Throughout his career, Pryce has held senior positions as a Legal Manager, General Counsel and Company Secretary for both listed and private entities. Pryce has managed commercial and procurement functions and successfully led diverse teams, advised boards, been responsible for governance, compliance and training as well as negotiated high-value, complex contracts across mining projects, mining services, transport, renewables, infrastructure, energy, resources and manufacturing sectors. His experience spans Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and China.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Economics and Laws, Charles Darwin University (1999)
Susannah Haines
Group Senior Legal Counsel
Susannah is the Senior Legal Counsel for the Byrnecut Group and brings more than 15 years of legal and governance experience across a range of industry sectors...
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Susannah Haines
Group Senior Legal Counsel
Susannah is the Senior Legal Counsel for the Byrnecut Group and brings more than 15 years of legal and governance experience across a range of industry sectors, in predominantly in-house counsel positions. Her career includes leadership positions as General Counsel and Company Secretary at Capricorn Society Ltd and Senior Legal Counsel at WesTrac, as well as Legal Counsel roles at Capricorn Society and MCC Mining.
Susannah has a strong track record in legal matter management, overseeing corporate services sectors and company secretarial leadership. Her experience includes handling legal matters across financial services, commercial contracts, intellectual property, information technology, procurement, mining and mining equipment contracts, employee relations and corporate governance. Susannah’s experience in leading small teams with critical business functions producing high impact work has fostered her passion for enhancing ways of working to balance legal, regulatory and operational considerations in the most efficient way possible.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
- Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance and Risk Management
- Australian Institute of Company Directors, Graduate
Ryan O'Sullivan
Group General Manager, Finance
Ryan leads Finance and shared services across the Byrnecut Group. He brings more than 15 years of mining industry experience spanning...
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Ryan O'Sullivan
Group General Manager, Finance
Ryan leads Finance and shared services across the Byrnecut Group. He brings more than 15 years of mining industry experience spanning financial, commercial and business improvement.
Ryan has worked across gold, copper and coal operations in both underground and open-pit environments across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Canada. Before joining Byrnecut in mid-2024, Ryan held senior positions at Newmont/Newcrest Mining, Anglo American, Transfield Services/Broadspectrum and Deloitte.
Ryan is responsible for delivering services across the Byrnecut Group including Finance, Procurement, Purchasing, Logistics, Accounts, Payroll, Travel, Information Technology (IT) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
Nicole La Galia
Group Manager, People & Culture
Nicole La Galia is a senior global people leader with extensive experience delivering complex organisational, culture and workforce...
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Nicole La Galia
Group Manager, People & Culture
Nicole La Galia is a senior global people leader with extensive experience delivering complex organisational, culture and workforce transformation across APAC, the Americas, Africa and Europe. Specialising in the global resources sector, Nicole has led multi-region teams, created global mobility programs, established bespoke ER/IR strategies for remote and local operations, implemented people governance and operational frameworks, and delivered full people lifecycle operating models.
Nicole brings more than 25 years experience of people leadership capability, driving culture, enhancing the people experience and embedding high-performance, diverse and inclusive teams.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Commerce, Murdoch University
- Australian Institute of Management Fellow
- Certificate in Business Mandarin, SCCIOB
- Certificate in Business Analytics/People Analytics and Managing Social and Human Capital, Wharton Business School
Dave Kilkenny
General Manager, Raising Australia & Projects
Dave Kilkenny is General Manager of Raising Australia, a specialist raise-drilling contractor within the Byrnecut Group...
Dave Kilkenny
General Manager, Raising Australia & Projects
Dave Kilkenny is General Manager of Raising Australia, a specialist raise-drilling contractor within the Byrnecut Group.
Dave joined Byrnecut in 2000 and has extensive experience in all aspects of underground mining, raise drilling and project management.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mining Engineering) (Honours), WASM (2000)
- Master of Engineering (Mechanical), ECU
- Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Fellow CP (FAusIMM)
- Engineers Australia Member (Mechanical)
Michelle McAullay
General Manager, BOAB
Michelle was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Her Aboriginal heritage is the Yamitji Nanda people...
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Michelle McAullay
General Manager BOAB
Michelle was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Her Aboriginal heritage is the Yamitji Nanda people, whose lands are located along the Midwest/Gascoyne region of Western Australia. Extending from Geraldton and Kalbarri through to Shark Bay, Michelle has family connections in all of these regions.
Michelle has extensive experience within the Indigenous community. As General Manager of BOAB (Building Opportunities for Aboriginal Business), she has maintained her focus on improving quality of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since 2015. As a strong role model, Michelle has implemented comprehensive and successful Indigenous employment programs while also promoting the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.
Michelle has worked at management level in the building and construction, banking law and finance industries. She also has experience with both Commonwealth and local government.