Carter Holt Harvey also confirmed that the company has engaged consultancy AMCG, set up by four ex-Amcor employees.

Carter Holt Harvey chief operating officer, Rhys Jones, says Carter Holt Harvey was approached by AMCG, and the company was engaged to do work for CHH after they had left Amcor.

“AMCG has considerable experience in the corrugated box business in Australia – a market of considerable strategic importance to Carter Holt Harvey but one where we are currently a small player. We were interested in the strategic and operational expertise AMCG could bring to our business. We were not, and are not interested in any information regarding the individual’s former employer. Furthermore, our work with AMCG was only in very early stages”, says Jones.

CHH’s engagement of AMCG commenced on November 1, 2004, more than three weeks before Amcor’s announcement of possible breaches of competition law.

When Amcor recovered documents from AMCG offices on November 11 they inadvertently took information belonging to Carter Holt Harvey. CHH has repeatedly sought to have this information returned, and has made legal representations to Amcor to this effect.

“We want to be clear about the extent and nature of our involvement in this matter. We are associated only because of our decision to engage AMCG. When we engaged this consultancy we were completely unaware of the issues brewing with their former employer. While we see no reason to change our current arrangement with AMCG, we will continue to review the relationship in light of recent developments”, says Jones.

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