The promotion sets off a broader finance reshuffle, with Sandeep Deoji named interim CFO and the board expanding a seat to seat the incoming chief executive.

July 15, 2026

Coronado Elevates Finance Chief to CEO as Interim Era Ends

Coronado Global Resources has settled its leadership succession, elevating chief financial officer Barrie van der Merwe to the top job and closing out a stretch of interim management at the coal producer.

The Brisbane-based company said its board, acting on the recommendation of its compensation and nominating committee, appointed van der Merwe as chief executive effective August 1. He will also join the board as managing director, with directors lifting the board from six seats to seven to make room. His term runs through the company’s 2027 annual meeting.

Van der Merwe, 50, has run Coronado’s finances since April 2025 and steps up after a career weighted toward resource-sector finance:

• CFO of gold producer Evolution Mining
• Vice-president roles at explosives maker Orica
• CFO and executive director of platinum-group-metals miner Lonmin
• Finance chief at Debswana Diamond and senior finance roles at Anglo American Platinum, after an early career at PricewaterhouseCoopers

He is a South African–trained chartered accountant and a member of the Australian and New Zealand institute.

His appointment ends the interim tenure of Garold Spindler, who relinquishes the interim chief executive role on July 31 and stays on the board as a non-executive director. From August 1, Spindler will be paid on the same terms as the company’s other non-executive directors.

Compensation and terms

Van der Merwe’s employment sits with Curragh Queensland Mining, Coronado’s Australian operating subsidiary, rather than the Delaware parent — a structure consistent with a US-listed company whose operations and executive base are in Australia. His agreement sets an annual base salary of AU$1.2 million inclusive of statutory superannuation, and he remains eligible for the company’s senior-executive incentive plans. The contract also provides two scheduled payments of AU$350,000 each, one due in December 2026 and the other in December 2027.

Either side can end the arrangement on three months’ notice, or payment in lieu, with no notice required if the company terminates for cause. A termination without cause carries severance equal to six months of base salary, and standard Australian redundancy entitlements apply if the role is made redundant. Van der Merwe is bound by 12-month non-compete and non-solicitation covenants after departure.

Finance leadership reshuffled

With van der Merwe moving up, Sandeep Deoji, currently vice president of group financial control, will serve as interim chief financial officer from August 1. Deoji, 42, has held group finance roles at Coronado since 2019 and briefly acted as the company’s interim principal financial and accounting officer in early 2025. He also sits on the board of the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal.

Deoji’s agreement, also through Curragh, sets base pay of AU$580,000 inclusive of superannuation, with eligibility for senior-executive incentives. His notice period is eight weeks, shorter than van der Merwe’s, and his contract does not carry the six-month severance provision granted to the incoming CEO; redundancy entitlements and 12-month post-employment restrictions still apply.

The company reported no family relationships or related-party transactions involving any of the three executives.