Unlocking Potential - Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

Message Stick new provider
of Teleconferencing
The most recent contract in
our Billion Opportunities
program was signed in mid
April with the Aboriginal
owned and operated
telecommunication
provider Message Stick,
who will provide Fortescue’s
teleconferencing service on
all sites.
So far $580 million has been awarded
via 35 contracts and sub-contracts
with Aboriginal owned businesses
that range from small familybased
to large community-based
organisations. The three year service
agreement was established following
a trial period, when Fortescue’s CIO
Vito Forte was satisfied the service
was beneficial to Fortescue.
“We’re really pleased to award this
telecommunications contract to
an Aboriginal owned and operated
company. They’ve shown they are a
solid choice throughout the recent
trial period.
“This teleconferencing option
supports our rapidly expanding
operations ability to collaborate with
their partners. The Message Stick
options means that you can dial
into a conference call with external
parties from any location, providing
you have been provided with an
account from IT,” said Vito.
Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest
and Message Stick CEO Michael
McLeod met in Sydney to sign the
formal agreement.
South Hedland VTEC graduates
to join the Cloudbreak team
A VTEC graduation was held at
the Pilbara Institute Pundulmurra
Campus in South Hedland on
Monday, 2 April for a class of 12
trainees who had recently completed
VTEC’s six week pre-employment
training program.
To become fully qualified Mobile
Plant Operators with a Certificate II
in Surface Extraction, the graduates
will undertake two weeks of further
training in Perth with Aus-Com
Training Services, before mobilising
to Cloudbreak where they will join
the Operations team.
Director Operations Jamie
Frankcombe welcomed the
graduates to the Fortescue family
and encouraged them to embrace
the new skills they’ve learned and
the great opportunities the skills will
bring to them.
Also present at the graduation
were members of Fortescue’s
Aboriginal Employment Review
Steering Committee, an initiative
designed to enable pathways to
employment for Aboriginal people.
Message Stick CEO Michael McLeod with
Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest
“Signing a contract with Andrew
Forrest was a rare treat as he is such a
staunch supporter of the movement
towards Indigenous economic
independence,” said Michael McLeod.
Fortescue staff can contact the
IT Service Desk to request a
teleconference account number
then use this from any telephone
or mobile device to connect with
external parties.
Committee Chairman Kevin McLean
congratulated the graduates
and also as General Manager
Cloudbreak, welcomed the group,
who are mostly local to Hedland and
traditional owners of the area, to the
Cloudbreak team.
Fortescue’s VTEC team would like
to thank the Pilbara Institute for
their partnership and support
in delivering the six week preemployment
training program.
The VTEC graduates with members of the Fortescue team
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