Management Team
Peter Whittall - Chief Executive
Peter Whittall brings close to 30 years experience as a coal miner and mining executive to his role as CEO. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive, he was Pike's General Manager Mines, a position he held since joining Pike in 2005. During that time he was responsible for all operational aspects of the business including mine design and development, and the essential areas of safety and environment. Peter has also been involved in the broader Pike River issues of coal marketing and capital raisings. Peter's background includes manager of underground coal mines for BHP Billiton in NSW, development of the greenfield Dendrobium mine in Illawara Coal and operation of the Tower and Appin coal mines in NSW. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) and a Masters of Business Administration.
Stephen Ellis - Underground Mine Manager
Steve was born in the UK, where he graduated as a Mining Engineer at Doncaster. He achieved his UK 1st Class Mine Manager's Certificate of competency in 1983 and worked in operational technical roles in several underground coal mines in the UK both as a contractor and in senior management roles before relocating to Australia in 2006. Steve started in Australia as Superintendent of Development, where he achieved his Ventilation Officer Certificate in 2007 and Advanced Diploma in Underground Mine Management in 2009. He has been in operational and technical roles, including Ventilation Officer at Rio Tinto's Kestrel Mine in Queensland, and achieved his Legislation Compentency to be Site Senior Executive in 2009.
Tim John - IT Manager
Tim has over 15 years experience with Information Technology having held several previous IT Manager roles plus other roles in senior management. Tim specialises in IT strategies, systems mangement and software development and is a Member of the New Zealand Computer Society.