Prior to forming Europacific in 1990, he was a Group Manager of the Corporate Services Division of Tricontinental Corporation Limited responsible for NSW and Queensland. He also worked for Coopers & Lybrand in their Corporate Services Division. He has been involved in a wide range of corporate advisory assignments and underwritings of both debt and equity for a number of public and private companies involved in the mining and property industries.

Mr. Paterson was a founding partner of the Latrobe Magnesium project in 2000. He was appointed a Director of Latrobe Magnesium on 23 August 2002 and its CEO in 2005.