Garrick Rollason, CFO | APA Group

In this first exclusive CFO interview for 2025, Hannah Tattersall talks with Garrick Rollason, CFO at APA Group around his first year in the role, his top priorities for the year ahead and the importance of a CFOs availability and approachability, plus his top advice for CFOs.    

As any executive will tell you, the first year in a role is key. For a Chief Financial Officer, the first year determines how the finance function will deliver value for an organisation in the years ahead, including strategic and financial goals, governance and performance.

A little over a year into his role as CFO of APA Group, Garrick Rollason has a lot to reflect on. “It’s been a very busy year,” he tells CFO Magazine A/NZ in November, a year since joining the listed energy infrastructure business in October 2023.

“We’ve had a bit of everything: results, AGMs, a number of debt raisings, a new acquisition,” says Rollason, who joined APA Group following seven years as chief financial officer for United Energy and Victoria Power Networks.

Bringing with him more than 20 years’ experience in energy, infrastructure and capital markets, at APA Group Rollason is responsible for a slate of operations including finance, taxation, investor relations, technology, cyber security and procurement – to name a few.

Despite his vast experience, joining a listed company with a $26 billion portfolio of gas, electricity, solar and wind assets was a new challenge. “It’s a larger business [APA Group has 2,700 staff spread around Australia] and it’s listed as well, so that’s a significant change in terms of the level of engagement with key stakeholders at the board level,” he says.

“The board is very focused on value to security holders, governance and risk, and important issues such as the climate transition plan and engagement through our reconciliation action plan. There’s a lot of governance focus and scrutiny, from the sell side analysts who look into every bit of detail across the business and rightly ask a lot of questions around strategy and performance.”

Rollason took over the CFO role from Adam Watson, who stepped up to the chief executive officer role in 2022, and the two have built a strong working relationship. “Adam’s very clear for the business on what our strategic priorities are and how we can support strategic decision-making that delivers on our growth ambitions,” says Rollason. “The support he needs from me is to ensure there’s transparency and clarity in order to deliver those outcomes. He’s a great sounding board for me and provides me with advice, but he relies on me to give him the time he needs to focus on what’s an incredibly large role in a very large and growing business.”

It’s certainly an exciting time for the organisation. As the push towards renewable energy gathers pace around the globe, APA Group is working with customers to transition away from diesel and into renewables. December 2024 saw the opening of the Port Hedland Solar and Battery Project in Western Australia, which followed the opening of Australia’s largest remote grid solar farm, Dugald River Solar Farm in Mt Isa, in March.

“There’s the opportunity to build out our gas transmission assets on the east coast of Australia to connect new gas generation through lateral pipelines, and potentially build out new gas reserves, for example, the Beetaloo Sub-basin in the Northern Territory,” Rollason says.

“We’re also working with governments, particularly across NSW and Victoria, to look at opportunities to build out electricity transmission, which will link new renewables into the east coast market.”

When Rollason began his career, working as an analyst with Arthur Andersen & Co and then a manager at Deloitte, he worked in energy infrastructure utilities and energy is an area he remains passionate about. “It was very different then,” he says. “It was built out of core infrastructure, transport infrastructure for road and rail, associated with community use or resource movement. So, it was a really different focus.

“Over a 20-year period there has been a clear evolution – we’ve moved towards supporting new transitions. It’s been a gradual move but almost an inevitable move because the amount of capital and new infrastructure that’s required to transition and hit both the interim emissions targets and also net zero by 2050, is enormous.”

Looking forward, Rollason’s priorities include growing the business, acquiring new customers in remote regions, managing the company’s cost base and expanding on opportunities in gas and electricity transmission.

“In order to deliver on that organic growth, we need the balance sheet capacity and capital will need to be allocated to the highest return projects,” he says. “My number one focus is really the strength of that balance sheet over the next five to 10 years to make sure we’ve always got the capital available to deliver on that.”

He wants to build on the existing relationships APA Group has with key stakeholders, including sell side analysts and equity, debt and hybrid investors.

In fact, relationship building is something Rollason believes strongly in. His role involves a fair bit of travel and he enjoys meeting staff and key stakeholders around the country.

He believes CFOs should meet as many people as they can across the business and open themselves up to questions.

“Make sure people feel that you’re approachable and can have a chat, even if it’s just making sure they understand a little more around how we operate as a business from a financial perspective and what’s driving some of the decision making,” he says.

Travel does mean time away from his family in Melbourne (Rollason has three children, aged 16, 14 and 10) and Rollason makes sure he prioritises time with them when he’s home. “I’ll have breakfast with the kids and be in the office in time for meetings, which kick off from 9 o’clock. On the weekends, I spend a fair bit of time at kids’ sport, which is something I really enjoy as well.”

Along with regular gym workouts prioritising family is something he recognises is beneficial for his physical and mental health. “It’s a real challenge when you’re busy and you’re traveling, but it’s important they understand and recognise that you do prioritise them,” he says of his family. “My 10 year old is always fascinated about what I’m doing every day.”

Making himself available to others is an attitude Rollason also applies at work – something that will no doubt see him thrive in his second year in the role. “For a CFO, your role isn’t just going across finance and technology, it’s making sure you’re speaking with the operational parts of the business, the other corporate parts of the business too, so that they understand what’s driving the strategy and what’s driving the decisions being made and cascaded through the business,” he says.

“Get yourself out there, listen to feedback and provide open and honest responses to questions. You will be challenged and you need to be able to talk around the challenges as well as the opportunities with your key stakeholders.”

Rollason’s Top Advice for CFOs in 2025

Time management is crucial >

“It’s really easy in a large business, when there’s a lot of people chasing your time, to get stuck in meetings all day,” he says. “It’s important to make time through the course of the day where you can sit back, plan and think about the strategy and what you need to execute. Otherwise, you’re very focused on the near term and you’re not driving your own team strategically enough.”

Do your homework >

“You have to understand the detail – and that just means doing the hard work. Going into year-end results, you actually need to set aside time to do your homework to make sure you’re really close to the detail.”

Make time for your team >

“It’s really important to gain the trust of the team around you. Be open and transparent around the information you provide to your team across the organisation. That’s making sure the executive team is really well informed and understands what’s driving your financial performance and forecast.”