Firmus adds ex-BHP exec Mike Ferraro to board, confirms double departure
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The news: Data centre startup Firmus has appointed former Alumina and BHP executive Mike Ferraro to its board as a non-executive director.
The context: Ferraro served as CEO and managing director of Alumina, which was acquired by Alcoa last year, between 2017 and 2024. He was also chief legal counsel at BHP Billiton.
Firmus also confirmed that board members Nick Curtis and Ted Pretty will step down at the end of the month, having supported the business from R&D stage to operational scale.
The company, which was founded in Australia and now headquartered in Singapore, announced a $500 million equity raise last week to accelerate the rollout of its flagship AI infrastructure initiative Project Southgate.
It followed a $330 million equity raise in September, and a strategic alliance with Nvidia and Canberra-based developer CDC, announced in October.
What they said: "What drew me to Firmus is the calibre of the team and the scale of what's being built," Ferraro said.
"This is a company coming into its own — growing quickly, manufacturing unique technology, and solving problems that matter on a national and global level."
On the departure of Curtis and Pretty, Firmus co-CEO Tim Rosenfield said: "Nick and Ted provided highly valuable experience and perspective as directors throughout our first stages of growth. The company thanks them for this contribution and for establishing a firm foundation of good corporate governance practice."
The source: Firmus media release
