THE FIFTH ESTATE
Strategic Advisors
About
The Fifth Estate is a natural resources investment, advisory and advocacy firm based in Sydney. We provide Australian and international clients with expert advice on natural resources industry and supply chains including investment and commercial strategy, project leadership, policy development and government engagement.
The Fifth Estate Principals, Bill Hurditch, Craig Taylor, Ian Wiskin and Mark Allen are internationally regarded for their thought leadership around investment, growth, sustainable business practices, resource management and environmental matters.
Bill Hurditch
Principal
Bill Hurditch is a founding Principal and director of The Fifth Estate Consultancy and a non-executive director. He established The Fifth Estate in 1995 to advise the natural resources industries. Clients have included Visy, Boral, Tandou, Anglo-Shell and Forest & Wood Products Australia. Bill works principally with forestry, pulp/paper, water resources, mining and agribusiness organisations.
Bill has participated in the strategy, planning and delivery of more than 30 major projects in natural resource development, processing and manufacturing including the Port Kembla copper refinery redevelopment; and the Visy greenfield paper mill development in Tumut, NSW.
His commercial skills cover management of peak industry associations; sustainability strategy; risk and related disciplines at board level; and coordination of investment feasibility assessments. In addition to his understanding of the strategic, operational and customer-centric imperatives of these industry sectors, Bill has expertise in the government-business interface, regulatory approvals and permits, environmental management, community engagement and governance.
Craig brings extensive and practical business management, business development and investment experience to The Fifth Estate.
He has a unique understanding of the forestry, forest products and plantation industries from establishment and plantation management through to harvesting, log marketing, manufacturing, finished product markets and logistics.
Craig Taylor
Principal
Ian Wiskin has over 35 years’ of practical experience as a corporate adviser, corporate counsel and advocate representing corporations and industry groups to government, the commercial marketplace and the broader community.
He specialises in strategic corporate initiatives; policy and legislative advice; project management; direct advocacy for commercial interests to government, the community and other commercial enterprises; management of public policy impacts on commercial objectives; implementing change management and formulation of specific initiatives for sustained improvement in performance.
Ian Wiskin
Principal
Mark has deep expertise in international soft commodities trading and associated agribusiness development.
Mark’s more than 25 years of international food, agribusiness and agri-commodities experience have included core business and advisory roles in trading, supply chain management, production, processing, finance and investment.
His previous engagements have included a director of Compass Cotton BV, divisional head trader at Glencore, executive director of ECOM Trading, divisional managing director at Noble Group and executive director at Colly Cotton. He has worked in Australia, Singapore, The Netherlands and the USA.