Gunlake Group chief executive officer Phil Wallace shares his journey to the top job of one of New South Wales’ biggest independent suppliers.
Phil Wallace has embarked on a new journey as the first-ever chief executive officer of the Gunlake Group.
Prior to joining Gunlake Group, Wallace had an extensive career at Holcim Australia and New Zealand, working across several of its key divisions and over six years as its chief financial officer for Oceania. However, his journey into construction materials was not strictly linear.
Before he started in the construction materials sector, Wallace worked for two decades with Diageo Plc, which specialised in premium alcoholic beverages.
During his time there, he held key leadership roles in Diageo throughout Australia and Asia.
“I was looking for a career change,” he told Quarry. “I chose the building materials and construction sector because it was local manufacturing, local employment and building something for that is very tangible.”
“One of the things that initially surprised me about the building materials industry was the number of people who join and then stay in the industry. Once you’re in the industry for a few years, people tend to stay for a really long time, and I love that.
“It means that there is so much experience that you can leverage on as you’retrying to learn and lead people, it really sets us apart.”
After spending time searching for the right opportunity to take the next step in his career in the construction materials sector, Wallace learned the Gunlake Group was searching for its first group CEO.
Through mutual connections, Wallace realised the opportunity would be a perfect fit given the company’s desire to nurture its employees’ talent and relationships with customers.
Gunlake Quarries and Gunlake Concrete, part of the Gunlake Group, has become one of the Australian quarrying sector’s great success stories.
Gunlake Group’s roots could be traced back to 1852 in Kapunda, Australia, where the O’Neil family began quarrying in the mining town, laying the foundation of the company’s trajectory within Australia’s construction materials sector.
Gunlake Quarries and Gunlake Concrete are now among the largest concrete and quarry producers in New South Wales.
In 2007, Gunlake had one concrete plant and a dream of a quarry. Almost two decades later, Gunlake Concrete has five operational concrete plants and plans to expand further.
Gunlake Quarries, located in Marulan, NSW, supplies natural quarried materials to its local surrounding market and the greater Sydney region. The quarry is approved to supply 4.2 million tonnes annually, which is used in the concrete, asphalt, civil construction, and infrastructure industries.
The quarry produces a range of aggregates for concrete, drainage, rail ballast, road bases, bedding materials, crusher dust, and tailored materials.
As Wallace learnt more about the Gunlake business, three key factors drew him to the role.
“The fact that it is a strong family business and proudly Australian, which I love. The second thing was their innovation mindset. When I sat down with the directors, their innovation mindset was incredibly strong. The third thing is how customer-centric the whole organisation is,” he said.
“In all of the roles I’ve had, I like to project forwards and think about what we’re going to do, how we are going to do it and how I am going to play my role within the organisation.
“The directors were very refreshing, and I saw there was a lot of synergy as we spoke about what we wanted to achieve together.”
Wallace is still relatively new to the CEO role and to the Gunlake Group, but that has not stopped him from learning what makes the business tick. The early part of his tenure has involved meeting Gunlake’s various teams, sites, and departments and understanding how they function.
His appointment marks the first time Gunlake Group has had a group chief executive officer. The milestone appointment and the responsibility it holds are not lost on the experienced industry leader.
“To be entrusted with a family business that is a generational family business, I can only describe it as a privilege,” he said.
“It has been really interesting to be able to apply my industry experience in a different space, and I am loving it.
“I would like to think that when I eventually leave this role, I will have continued to build on what is an exceptionally solid foundation with great people and assets. It is early days, and we’re still defining that goal, but when I talk to people, it is about building Gunlake for the future.” •
For more information, visit gunlake.com.au
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