CFO Collective: September 2026

Welcome to the September 2026 edition of the

[axr] CFO Collective

Three hikes wasn't enough, apparently. On 29 September the RBA lifted the cash rate 25 basis points to 4.60%, its fourth increase this year and the highest setting since late 2011. The decision was unanimous, and the reasons will be familiar to anyone who has filled up a car lately: the Middle East conflict has widened, energy prices are well above what the Bank assumed in its August forecasts, and AI demand is pushing up global prices for technology goods. 

The jobs numbers need a second look - Unemployment ticked up to coincidentally match the cash rate at 4.6% in August, the highest since late 2021, even though employers added 39,500 roles. Taking a closer look; full-time jobs actually fell, part-time roles bridged the gap, and participation climbed to 67.1% as cost-of-living pressure pulls more people back into the market. SEEK's August Report aligns with this: job ads edged up 0.5% for the month but are still 4.5% down on a year ago, advertised salaries are growing at 4.2%, and fewer people are changing jobs. 

In the CFO market it shows up as long runways. Six of the eight ASX appointments below don't start until November or later, Forrestania's new CFO arrives in January, and Serko's outgoing CFO is working six months' notice. November is shaping up as a big month for welcome morning teas. 

The story we'd keep an eye on is one the RBA itself flagged: AI infrastructure. A Reserve Bank staff note found Australian data centre operators have raised a record $35 billion so far this year. On 9 September Nvidia and eight local partners flagged up to 2GW of AI computing capacity by 2027, which would more than double the roughly 1.6GW running today. A week later the Queensland Premier confirmed a $32 billion, 1.44GW campus near Dalby on the Western Downs, with Anthropic signed on to use it, though the project still needs council approval. The sticking point is power. AEMO expects data centre consumption to climb from about 5 TWh a year to around 34 TWh by 2035–36, 66.9GW of connection requests are sitting in the queue, and energy ministers are moving to make large facilities bring their own firmed clean energy. For finance leaders that means two things: demand for CFOs who know project finance, energy contracting and infrastructure capital, and an energy line in everyone else's budget that isn't getting cheaper. 

On that note, we’ve highlighted some key CFO movements for the month below. As always, if we've missed a move, please give us a shout. One reader did last month, and you'll find him in the list below.

ASX CFO MOVES IN

ASX Limited announced on 21 September 2026 the appointment of Keir Barnes as Chief Financial Officer. Keir joins from Dexus, where she has been Chief Financial Officer since 2021 after two years as Deputy CFO, and starts once her Dexus term wraps up after mid-December. She succeeds Andrew Tobin, who announced his retirement earlier this year and stays on until Keir arrives. The appointment is among the first made by new CEO Anthony Attia, who started on 1 September. 

DroneShield announced on 10 September 2026 the appointment of Rebecca Lowde as Chief Financial Officer, commencing 2 November 2026. Rebecca was most recently Chief Financial Officer of KKR-owned MYOB, and before that CFO and Chief People Officer at Afterpay through its acquisition by Block, with earlier CFO and CEO roles at Salmat and a stint as CFO of Bravura Solutions. She succeeds Carla Balanco, who leaves after more than eight years and will support the handover. 

Iress announced on 8 September 2026 the appointment of Neil Montford as Group Chief Financial Officer, commencing 16 November 2026. Regular readers will remember Neil stepping down at Bravura Solutions in our August edition, so that was a quick turnaround, and he reunites with Iress CEO Andrew Russell, his former boss at Bravura. Neil previously spent eleven years at Fidelity International, including as Asia-Pacific CFO. He succeeds Cameron Williamson, who stays with Iress until the end of 2026. 

Anteris Technologies announced on 7 September 2026 the appointment of Brent Moen as Chief Financial Officer, effective 12 September 2026. The Nasdaq and ASX-listed heart valve business has gone to the US medtech market for this one, with Brent previously CFO of LifeLens Technologies, Tactile Systems Technology and Entellus Medical. Outgoing CFO Matthew McDonnell, in the role since 2018 after 24 years at KPMG, moves into the newly created role of Head of Australia. 

Forrestania Resources announced on 14 September 2026 the appointment of Tom Plant as Chief Financial Officer, commencing 5 January 2027. Tom was most recently Chief Financial Officer of Australian Vanadium, where he played a key role in its $230 million merger with Technology Metals Australia, and was previously Treasurer at Iluka Resources. He joins a WA gold developer that has grown from roughly a $25 million market cap in May 2025 to around $800 million today. Quite the glow-up. 

Silver Mines announced on 31 August 2026 the appointment of David Morgan as Chief Financial Officer, commencing 9 November 2026. This one landed late on the last day of August, just as our August edition went out, so consider this the catch-up. David was most recently an Operating Executive at Pacific Road Capital, after roles at KPMG, Glencore (Xstrata), Sibelco and Greenstone Gold Mines. He joins as the company moves its Bowdens Silver Project near Mudgee towards development. 

Central Petroleum announced on 23 September 2026 the appointment of Andrew Mooney as Chief Financial Officer, commencing 16 November 2026. Andrew is a Chartered Accountant with more than 25 years' experience, 17 of them in resources, including CFO roles at ASX-listed Bowen Coking Coal and EQ Resources. He succeeds Damian Galvin, who retires after more than seven years as CFO of the Northern Territory's largest onshore gas producer, and whose earlier career included CFO of coal seam gas pioneer QGC. 

Adore Beauty confirmed on 7 September 2026 the permanent appointment of Kylie Archer as Chief Financial Officer. Kylie had been interim CFO since 28 July, following the resignation of Marcus Crowe, and presented the FY26 results in August. She was previously Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary at Nick Scali, with earlier senior finance roles at Roberts Co, Winning Group and Seafolly. Congratulations to Kylie on making it official. 

WiseTech Global announced on 1 September 2026 the appointment of Jeff Howard as Chief Financial Officer. Jeff is back in a finance seat after two years as Managing Director and CEO of Seven West Media, where he stepped up in 2024 after four years as its CFO. Before that he spent seven years as CFO of APN News & Media, later HT&E. 

ASX CFO MOVES OUT

Tyro Payments announced on 28 September 2026 the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Emma Burke. Emma joined in October 2024 from Stockland, where she was Deputy CFO, after earlier senior finance roles at Coca-Cola Amatil and British American Tobacco. She also held the fort as acting CEO for five weeks over the 2025–26 summer, between Jon Davey's departure and Nigel Lee's arrival. 

Fleetwood announced in the final days of September the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Cate Chandler, who leaves for an external opportunity and will stay on through a transition period while the search for a successor runs. Cate became CFO in February 2024, bringing more than 25 years in financial control and commercial finance across Inghams, Brambles, Mantra and Star City. Fleetwood builds modular accommodation and supplies RV parts across Australia and New Zealand.

Serko announced on 25 September 2026 that Chief Financial Officer Shane Sampson will step down after more than five years, working an extended six-month notice period through to March 2027 to see out the FY27 reporting cycle. Shane joined the NZX and ASX-listed travel and expense software business in October 2021 from Pushpay, where he was Chief Financial Officer. The search for a successor is underway. 

INTERESTING MOVES OUTSIDE THE ASX

Larry Law has joined Bernardi Group as Chief Financial Officer. Larry spent almost ten years at Trail Appliances in Vancouver, a privately held Western Canadian appliance retailer and wholesaler, as Director of Finance from 2016 and CFO from 2020, where his remit also took in People & Culture and a run of acquisition and integration work. 

Janet Lu has joined The Omnia Collective as Group Finance Director. Janet spent six years at ManpowerGroup Australia, starting as Group Financial Controller and finishing as Finance Director, a role she held from late 2024. 

Chris McDonnell has joined HMC Private Credit as Chief Financial Officer. Chris moves across from DigiCo Infrastructure REIT, where he was Financial Director, after earlier roles as Group Finance Director at Aurrum Group and Financial Controller Australia at GenesisCare. 

Iain Bartram has joined SecureCo as Chief Financial Officer. Iain was CFO of ASX-listed FirstWave Cloud Technology for five years to late 2025, and has since been Interim CFO at Altura Learning and a fractional CFO at Silva Global. 

James McMorron has stepped in as Interim Chief Financial Officer at Nutrano Produce Group. James comes off a year in an interim CFO support role at Fantastic Furniture, with earlier interim work at academyEX and KordaMentha. 

Natalie Kern has joined JFK Automation as Chief Financial Officer. Natalie was previously VP Global Controlling at Software AG, where she had also been Finance Director for Japan. 

If you're looking to build your career or your team, reach out. 

Thanks, 

Dave Goldbach & Kunal Gupta 

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