Mineral Resources non-executive director and former Test cricketer Justin Langer quits battling miner’s board

Former Test cricketer Justin Langer has joined the exodus from Chris Ellison’s Mineral Resources’ board, becoming the fourth director to quit the embattled miner since April.

Mr Langer resigned with immediate effect as a non-executive director on Wednesday, citing the workload associated with his overseas coaching commitments.

He was a recent addition to MinRes’ new ethics and governance committee, helping fill the holes created by the sudden and unexplained exits of all three of the committee’s members over two weeks in April.

The committee was set up early this year to hasten governance improvements at MinRes, which has been rocked by several scandals around Mr Ellison, its founder and chief executive.

Mr Langer’s appointment as a director in late-2022 - the $180,000-plus role took effect in January 2023 - raised eyebrows, given his lack of experience in mining or ASX companies.

He was believed to be ‘a captain’s pick’ by Mr Ellison, with MinRes trumpeting at the time how his leadership credentials could help build a successful culture at the company as it worked to become an employer of choice in mining.

Mr Langer, who is currently in Britain as head coach of the London Spirit in the month-long The Hundred cricket tournament in Britain, said on Wednesday he was “not in a position to continue to give the time and focus that I believe MinRes deserves”.

“I thank Chris Ellison and the board for their understanding of my position,” he said in a company statement.

As well as the UK coaching role, Mr Langer coaches the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League, commentates on cricket for the Seven Network, is a columnist for The West Australian and a board member with the bottom-of-the-table West Coast Eagles.

Mr Ellison praised Mr Langer’s “passion and willingness to share his experience” at MinRes, adding that he “had brought insights that will continue to shape the way we think about our people”.

“He made it a priority to visit many of our sites across WA, meeting frontline employees and hearing firsthand what matters most,” he said.

MinRes last month appointed former Origin Energy chief financial officer Lawrie Tremaine and one-time Macmahon Holdings managing director Ross Carroll to fill the vacancies on the board.

However, Mr Langer’s departure is a further unsettling moment for the group, which had been hoping new chair Malcolm Bundey, who replaced James McClements on July 1, would stabilise the company.

Mr Ellison agreed in November to step down within 12-18 months from the group he founded after revelations he was involved in historic tax evasion on co-owned offshore companies and used MinRes for personal benefit via a series of related party transactions.

The scandals seriously damaged his and MinRes’ reputations, contributed to a hefty plunge in the company’s share price and attracted the scrutiny of the corporate regulator.

Despite the furore, MinRes for the first time last month suggested Mr Ellison could retain the reins beyond his promised retirement date of mid-2026.

Mr Bundey told introductory meetings with investors and proxy advisers that Mr Ellison’s planned exit was being “reviewed” and will now be determined by the best interests of shareholders.