The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has announced Australian Airport Association (AAA) Caroline Wilkie chief as its new CEO.
Wilkie will replace outgoing CEO Danny Broad in mid-February 2020. Broad will remain with the ARA as the association’s chairman, replacing Bob Herbert, who has announced that he will be stepping down from the ARA Board at the end of this year.
Wilkie’s appointment follows an extensive recruitment process led by the ARA’s Appointments Committee comprised of senior rail executives from the ARA Board, including Howard Collins (Sydney Trains), John Fullerton (ARTC), Anna Squire (Arup), Julian Sharp (CPB) and Michael McLellan (Knorr-Bremse) and supported by Fisher Leadership.
Broad said Ms Wilkie has proven experience in leading a member association with a transport and infrastructure focus, and also the ability to foster a strong sense of industry collaboration.
“Under her leadership, Ms Wilkie significantly increased the size and scope of the AAA, expanding its industry engagement and stakeholder management as well as its events and education programs,” Broad said.
“She led the successful Protect Regional Airports campaign, culminating in the federal government’s announcement of a $100 million regional airport fund this year, and also oversaw a long-term engagement process with CASA ahead of changes to the Manual of Standards (MOS) Part 139.”
Wilkie, who has been AAA CEO since 2010, said that sustainable, efficient and safe rail networks were essential in driving economic development, increasing productivity and shaping the development of industries across Australia.
“Rail, as the backbone of our evolving freight and passenger transport networks, adds to the social, economic and competitive fabric of both Australia and New Zealand, while addressing the challenges of increasing congestion in our cities and growing the efficiency of our supply chains,” Wilkie said.
“There is already a strong focus on safety, skills development and the implementation of new technologies within the rail industry and I’m committed to leading these agendas and developing others on behalf of our members.
“The ARA is a strong advocate for its members and is the leading voice for the rail industry in Australia and New Zealand as a result of both Bob and Danny’s extensive work over the last four years. I’m looking forward to working closely with the ARA team, the ARA Board and Mr Broad.”