Skilled Group Appoints Chief Executive Officer

SKILLED Group Appoints Chief Executive Officer

The Chairman of SKILLED Group, Mr Ken Loughnan AO, announced today the appointment of Mr Michael (Mick) McMahon as Chief Executive Officer of SKILLED Group.

The SKILLED Board appointed Mr McMahon after conducting an extensive search for a candidate with the appropriate skills and experience in successfully growing businesses and improving profitability.

Mr McMahon has had a long and successful career both in Australia and overseas. He was Chief Operating Officer Coles from 2007 to 2009, successfully leading the team of over 100,000 employees through the ownership change to Wesfarmers, stabilising the business and beginning the process of improving performance under Wesfarmers control. Mr McMahon was also Managing Director of Coles Express from 2005 to 2009 where he successfully integrated the acquired Shell businesses, repositioned the convenience store proposition to meet changing customer needs, delivering five consecutive years of strong sales, margin and EBIT growth.

Prior to joining the Coles Group in 2005, Mr McMahon held senior roles with Shell International based in London as: Vice President of Retail Marketing for Shell's global retail business operating across 105 countries; Director of Shell UK Oil Products where he turned around the business delivering strong sales and profitability growth in a very competitive environment; and General Manager of Marketing, Strategy and Portfolio for Shell Europe Oil Products. In his 19 year career with Shell Mick also gained extensive experience in Australia across national retail, marketing, supply chain and strategy roles.

Mr Loughnan said that the Board was pleased to appoint a candidate who had the combination of strong personal attributes and highly relevant experience needed to do the job. "Mick has an outstanding record of successfully growing businesses and driving profitability. He is a well regarded executive known for his business acumen and strategic thinking ability."

"This appointment is an important step in positioning the company for the next phase of its growth. I am very confident that Mick will successfully lead the company in delivering increased returns for shareholders and realising the potential for future growth," Mr Loughnan said.

Mr McMahon said "I am delighted to be joining a business with the potential of SKILLED and I look forward to building on the strengths of the business to provide a great service to our customers and improve value for our shareholders".

Mr McMahon is currently a Senior Advisor with TPG Capital engaging on current and potential investments in the energy, retail, and industrial sectors both in Australia and overseas.

Mr McMahon will take up his role at SKILLED on Monday, 15 November 2010, as soon as he has concluded his obligations with TPG Capital.

Resignation of Mr Greg Hargrave

As announced in April 2010, Mr Greg Hargrave will resign as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of SKILLED following the commencement of the new Chief Executive Officer.

"Greg has been part of the SKILLED business over the past ten years. His leadership, passion and commitment to SKILLED have been inspiring. On behalf of the Board, management and all your colleagues at SKILLED, we thank you," Mr Loughnan said.

Reflecting on his time at SKILLED, Mr Hargrave said, "I am very proud of my family's involvement in SKILLED, from my father's founding of the company 46 years ago to my own contribution to more than three-fold growth in the company over the past ten years. This certainly would not have been possible without the support of the Board, my management team and all SKILLED staff.

"As the outgoing CEO, I believe that we have a solid platform and the right people in place. I am extremely confident that under Mick's leadership, SKILLED has a strong and positive future. As a shareholder, I know that there is great value in my shareholding going forward."

It is planned that we will have access to Mr Hargrave's knowledge and expertise for at least the next twelve months. The terms of this arrangement will be announced as soon as they are finalised.

For further information please contact:
Delphine Cassidy
Group General Manager Investor Relations
+61 38646 6465 or +61 419 163 467

About SKILLED Group
SKILLED Group Limited is Australia and New Zealand's leading provider of labour hire and workforce services. SKILLED Group has over 160 offices across Australasia with annualised revenues around A$1.9 billion. SKILLED partners with clients to improve their workforce efficiency and increase their productivity levels and provides staffing services to the industrial, healthcare and contact service centre sectors. SKILLED is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: SKE) and has approximately 6,200 shareholders, predominantly in Australia.

SOURCE: SKILLED Group