Board Members

Martin Monro has been an independent Non-Executive Director of the Company since September 2021 and became Chair on 4 October 2023. He was formerly the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Watpac Limited from August 2012 until his retirement in an executive capacity in June 2019. Martin has more than 30 years’ experience in the Australian and International construction sectors, with a proven track record in prudent financial management, safety leadership and successful expansion into new markets. Martin remains a Non-Executive Director of Watpac Limited. Martin is also a Non-Executive Director of Fleetwood Limited and Service Stream Limited where he Chairs the Risk Committee and Remuneration Committee respectively.

Martin has formal qualifications in Psychology and Human Resources Management, is a graduate of the Accelerated Development Program at the London Business School, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Building.

John Lorente joined Big River in February 2018 and was appointed Managing Director & CEO on the 1st of March, 2023. Prior to joining Big River, John worked for GWA Group Ltd (a leading supplier of building fixtures and fittings) for 12 years where he had various roles senior management roles within both the Heating & Cooling, and Kitchens & Bathroom divisions which included roles in both Australia and the USA. Prior to his time at GWA Group Ltd, John worked for several years in the coatings and construction markets, including roles with Mirotone, Polycure and Corian.

John holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney, a Masters of Business Administration from Macquarie Graduate School of Management and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Martin Kaplan has been a Non-Executive Director of the Company since November 2015 and a director of the Operating Company and Big River Group Holdings Pty Ltd since February 2016. Martin is currently an Investment Director of Anacacia Capital Pty Ltd, the management company of the Major Shareholder Anacacia. Martin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Cape Town and previously qualified as a Chartered Accountant (South Africa & Canada).

Alexander (Sandy) Beard is an experienced investor and executive with more than 25 years’ experience as a director of public and private companies. He is the Chairman of Hancock & Gore (ASX: HNG) and the former Managing Director of CVC Limited (ASX: CVC), where from 2000 to 2019 he oversaw annual shareholder returns in excess of 15% per annum. Sandy has deep expertise in working with ASX-listed companies, principally in driving performance and optimisation of shareholder value. He is also Chair of H&G High Conviction Limited, FOS Capital (ASX: FOS), and Anagenics (ASX: AN1).

Brad Soller is a highly experienced executive having held various CFO positions with public companies in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Most recently Brad was Group CFO of Metcash, a position he held for six years, and prior to that served as the CFO of David Jones and as Group CFO of Lendlease. Prior to moving to Australia, Brad held a number of senior financial positions in the United Kingdom including that of Chief Financial Officer at BAA McArthur Glen Limited and Director of Finance at UK listed electrical retailer, Thorn plc.

Brad is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting and a Master of Commerce.

Sacha Leagh-Murray is a senior Australian business leader with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, digital transformation, and executive leadership within the manufacturing, building products, and FMCG sectors. She has extensive expertise in the Australian building products market and has held key roles in category management, sales, and marketing. Most recently, she served as Executive General Manager of Laminex Australia and was on the boards of Wespine Industries and Hexion Australia. Sacha notably repositioned Laminex as a design-led innovator, enhancing relationships with architects and driving product innovation and market growth. Since joining Laminex in 2017, she has led significant initiatives, including launching the Laminex ecommerce platform and the relaunch of the Laminex Colour Collection.

Sacha holds a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology and has completed executive education programs in digital transformation and operational excellence through institutions including IMD and MIT.