Sir Rod Eddington will be the next chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, after it was announced Adrian Kloeden will retire from the board of the policy and research body.
Kloeden will retire on May 2, 2019, at which point Eddington will become chair. Eddington will join the IPA’s advisory board immediately.
“It’s been a privilege to serve the membership of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, and I can think of no better person to guide the organisation, and the sector, than Sir Rod,” Kloeden said.
“Sir Rod is a long-standing friend of the sector, and I feel great confidence that he is taking over the chairmanship – particularly at a time when our industry is undergoing unprecedented growth and tremendous change to the way we plan, fund and deliver infrastructure.”
IPA chief executive Adrian Dwyer thanked Kloeden for his work as chair.
“Adrian Kloeden was instrumental to the establishment of this organisation and to its growth as an objective and evidence-based think tank, and I look forward to building on that legacy with Sir Rod,” Dwyer said.
Eddington is currently chairman of J.P. Morgan’s Asia Pacific Advisory Council, and non-executive chairman of food and beverage group Lion.
He was the chairman of Infrastructure Australia, the Federal Government’s independent infrastructure advisor, between 2008 and 2014. In 2008, he advised the Victorian Government on East-West connection options for Melbourne, and earlier this year it was announced he was advising the South Australian Government on the establishment of Infrastructure SA.
Eddington had a long career in aviation, including as the CEO of Cathay Pacific, executive chairman of Ansett, and CEO of British Airways.
He currently serves as a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council and as president of the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee. He also sits as a non-executive director on the boards of 21st Century Fox, China Light & Power Holdings, and John Swire and Sons.
“I’m honoured to be appointed as the new chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and for the opportunity to lead Australia’s most respected infrastructure policy organisation,” Eddington said.
“Adrian Kloeden leaves the organisation in excellent shape and I thank him for his tireless contribution not just to the evolution of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, but also for his dedication to the sector.”