Steve Coughlan

Steve Coughlan joined Western Mining Corporation in 1974 after graduating from RMIT. He held a range of jobs with WMC over 12 years, before taking a job in Fiji at the Vatukoula mine.

Mr Coughlan returned to Kalgoorlie in 1987 to join consulting group Frank Lubbock & Associates.

In August 1987, he co-founded Byrnecut Mining, with backing from Mr Lubbock along with John O’Byrne and Clive Annear. After the 1987 stock market crash, the business was under financial pressure. He convinced Claudio Thyssen, a member of Germany’s famous Thyssen family, to invest. Thyssen Schachtbau currently holds a 70% stake while Mr Coughlan holds 21% and fellow director Bill Blake has a 9% stake.

In August 2021, at the annual Diggers & Dealers conference in Kalgoorlie, Mr Coughlan won the GJ Stokes Memorial Award which recognises his success in building Byrnecut into a global industry leader.