THE Australian government has made three senior appointments, all at chief executive level, in the rail sector.
Mr Nick Miller joins Inland Rail, the company overseeing the construction of a new northeast to southwest freight route between Brisbane and Melbourne. Miller joins after five years as CEO of Australian construction materials manufacturing company, Adbri.
His appointment is welcomed by federal infrastructure minister, Ms Catherine King, who says he is a well-recognised and respected leader within the Australian and New Zealand infrastructure and construction industry.
She adds: “He brings a strong mix of governance, executive management, industry capability and construction experience to the role as the former managing director and chief executive of Adbri and managing director of Fulton Hogan,” King says.
Following the appointment of Miller, Mr Robert Rust will resume his role as chair of the Inland Rail board after serving as interim CEO and executive chair since October.
Mr Wayne Johnson has been acting chief executive and managing director of infrastructure manager ARTC since August 2023 and has now been confirmed in the role. He previously led the organisation’s Hunter Valley business for nearly a decade, including most recently as group executive responsible for the commercial and operational performance of the network.
“The Australian government is committed to building strong leadership across the infrastructure sector and I’m confident these leadership appointments will enhance capability and efficiency right across the board,” King says. “Mr Johnson’s and Mr Miller’s expertise will be invaluable in guiding ARTC and Inland Rail through the coming years.”
Mr Timothy Parker has been appointed as the inaugural chief executive of HSRA. He has over 30 years’ experience of developing, procuring and delivering major infrastructure projects, including as the head of Sydney Metro since 2018. He has also worked on complex infrastructure projects in Hong Kong and Britain. Parker replaces Mr Andrew Hyles, who was acting chief executive during the initial months following HRSA starting operations on June 13 2023.
“Mr Parker has the considerable leadership and project experience in delivering complex infrastructure projects to drive the development of high-speed rail in Australia,” King says.
The Australian government has committed $A 500m to the development of a high-speed network on Australia’s east coast starting with the Sydney - Newcastle section. HSRA is tasked with advising on, planning, developing and overseeing the construction and operation of the new network.
