- Former Crown Perth chair and HBF chief executive to chair The Perth Mint
- John Van Der Wielen succeeds Sam Walsh in role
- Appointment heralds new era for Gold Corporation under strengthened legislation
Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael today announced the appointment of John Van Der Wielen as the new non-executive chair of Gold Corporation, the operator of The Perth Mint.
Mr Van Der Wielen will assume the role on 1 January 2026 for an initial two-year term.
He succeeds Sam Walsh, who has left Gold Corporation after nearly seven years of service.
Mr Van Der Wielen joins Gold Corporation following a distinguished career of more than 30 years across business, health insurance, banking and wealth management which included the international markets of London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Luxembourg.
Notably he previously served as HBF chief executive for more than five years and Crown Perth chair for more than three years.
He is also the current chair of ASX-listed regenerative medicine company Orthocell and chairs the WA Government's Future Health Research and Innovation Fund.
Mr Van Der Wielen's appointment is timely as Gold Corporation enters a new era under new legislation aimed at standardising and strengthening governance and oversight.
The Gold Corporation Amendment Bill 2025 will bring Gold Corporation in line with other Government Trading Enterprises by updating and standardising its strategic planning, financial management and corporate governance practices.
As stated by Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael:
"I congratulate Mr Van Der Wielen on his appointment and look forward to working with him as Gold Corporation enters a new era under strengthened legislation aimed at improving governance and oversight.
"Mr Van Der Wielen brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the role, including important knowledge and capabilities in corporate governance and anti-money laundering.
"He chaired Crown Perth post the Royal Commission into the groupand managed the full remediation and successful re-issue of its casino licence working with the independent monitor appointed by the WA Government.
"I would also like to thank Sam Walsh for his dedicated and professional service on the board of the Gold Corporation over nearly seven years.
"Sam led the organisation through some challenging times and was instrumental in overseeing The Perth Mint's Anti-Money Laundering Remediation Program, whichaddressed systems and processes to fix historical non-compliance issues."
