With the completion of the sale of S. Kidman & Co, new principal owner and Chairman, Mrs. Gina Rinehart, made her first visit to the Kidman Adelaide head office.
A warm welcome by management staff was followed by an executive briefing, meeting of all staff and morning tea where Mrs. Rinehart was presented with a Kidman branding iron. The visit concluded in the afternoon with Mrs. Rinehart and her executives attending the annual Kidman staff Christmas party.
Mrs Gina Rinehart, Executive Chairman, Hancock Prospecting Group: “It’s exciting to be at the Kidman Adelaide head office, the headquarters of such an iconic company. It’s been 18 months of uncertainty for the staff and I hope they are pleased they now have more certainty and a majority owner who values the Kidman legacy. And one who is proud of the fact that Sir Sidney and my grandfather, James Nicholas, were long term friends and business partners. I look forward to working with the team in Adelaide and the managers on the stations to understand their ideas to build the Kidman business and continually improve our quality and competitiveness. I’m especially looking forward, weather permitting, to my first visit to the Kidman stations, in January.”
Garry Korte, CEO, Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd: “Mrs Rinehart brings a new dimension to Kidman with not only an increase in Australian ownership, but also her desire to invest in the future. We now have an opportunity to build the leading cattle business in Australia. Her executives are very excited by the challenges and opportunity ahead.”
Tad Watroba, Executive Director, Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd: “The Hancock board has been and is supportive of the Kidman purchase, and appreciates that the growth and diversity of the joint Kidman and Hancock herds will provide critical mass guaranteeing both supply and quality to underpin valuable export brands. As an Australian company, we are also pleased that our investment has been welcomed, indeed our investment means that Kidman will now have greater Australian ownership than it did prior to its sale.”
Greg Campbell, Managing Director, S. Kidman & Co: “It’s been almost 100 years since Mrs. Rinehart’s family, her grandfather, James Nicholas, and Sidney Kidman owned businesses together. I, like the rest of the staff have been looking forward to meeting and welcoming Mrs. Rinehart, another iconic Australian, on her very first visit to the Kidman Adelaide office.”
