Safety, Standards & Regulation, Workforce, Certification & Training

Hood praised following his ATSB retirement

Greg Hood is retiring from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) after a five-year term in which he drove a number of key changes.

GREG Hood has been praised for his leadership, professionalism, guidance and compassion, following his retirement as chief executive of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau Commission (ATSB).

His five-year term came to an end on 30 June.

Hood retires from the Bureau at the completion of his five-year term, in which time he drove an innovation and transformation agenda at the ATSB, which saw the introduction of “world-leading” practices like a multi-modal teams approach to investigations, new recruitment practices, a tertiary partnership with RMIT University, and new technologies to support investigations such as remotely piloted aircraft and 3D modelling. All have helped to further establish the ATSB as a global leader in transport safety investigation.

During his tenure Hood, with the other members of the ATSB Commission, approved more than 530 aviation, rail and maritime investigation reports for public release to improve transport safety for all Australians.

In addition, under Hood’s leadership, the ATSB developed a strategic property plan that included the establishment of a Melbourne office and increases in staffing in the agency’s Brisbane and Perth offices, and introduced a replacement program for all enterprise IT systems, including the procurement of a new investigation information management system.

Hood also served a two-year term as chair of the International Transportation Safety Association (ITSA), the network of the heads of 18 independent transport safety investigation authorities, at a time when the world was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and when safe and efficient transport networks were needed like never before.

He also oversaw a partnership agreement with the Defence Flight Safety Bureau (DFSB) to align accident investigator skillsets and to participate in each other’s investigation activities, and further strengthened the ATSB’s close working relationships with New South Wales’ Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) and Victoria’s Chief Investigator, Transport Safety (CITS).

In a statement, the Commission thanked Greg Hood for his service, and wished him “the very best for his well-earned retirement”.

ATSB chief operating officer Colin McNamara will act as chief commissioner and chief executive pending the appointment of Hood’s successor.