Workbench International has appointed Natalie Feehan as Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 October 2026. Natalie will lead the company's next phase of growth following The Riverside Company's investment in Workbench in May 2026. She joins from SEEK and succeeds Workbench's founder Clive Gardner, who remains Chief Executive Officer until she starts. Clive will then join the board as a Non-Executive Director.

Founded in Auckland in 1984, Workbench is a cloud-based operations and job-costing platform for project-based contractors. Most of its customers are civil and infrastructure contractors, with trade contractors, engineering firms and builders making up most of the rest. It now serves approximately 400 customers across Australia and New Zealand.

Clive Gardner, who has spent more than four decades building the business, will work alongside Natalie through the handover and stay closely involved on the board. Support and implementation arrangements for existing customers continue as they are. The company's focus is continued investment in the platform while maintaining its excellent customer service record.

"Riverside has invested in a strong product offering with excellent financial performance, and we see significant growth ahead," said David Murray, Chairman. "Clive and the team built that business, and I’m delighted that Natalie is joining us to lead the next phase of growth."

Natalie brings two decades of commercial and customer leadership in Australian technology businesses, including eight years at REA Group and six at MYOB, one of the accounting systems Workbench is integrated with. From 2021 to 2023 she was Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at EstimateOne, the platform builders and subcontractors use to find and win work, which put her alongside Workbench's customers. EstimateOne operates at the tender stage, where contractors decide what to price and what to decline. Workbench operates across delivery, where the margin established at tender is either protected or eroded.

"What drew me to the role is the opportunity to lead a business where the product delivers incredible value to its customers," said Natalie Feehan. "Contractors are working with rising costs and more complex projects - the numbers they price and commit against have to be right and visible through the entire delivery phase. Customers depend on Workbench every day. My job is to keep investing in the product and in the people behind it to lead the business through this next phase of growth."

Clive Gardner said: "What mattered most to me was who would look after our customers and our people next. Natalie has worked alongside builders and subcontractors, so she already understands the pressure our customers work under. As I transition to a Non-Executive Director role, I will continue to guide the company strategy, and I’m looking forward to working closely with Natalie on the next phase of growth."

Natalie Feehan commences on 1 October 2026.