Western Sydney Airport (WSA) has appointed former Qantas International Chief Executive Officer and Lendlease Chief Financial Officer Simon Hickey as its new CEO.
Mr Hickey has over 30 years of experience working in the commercial, infrastructure and aviation industries and will now take over the reins from former CEO Graham Millett.
WSA chair Paul O’Sullivan said Mr Hickey was the right man to lead the organisation through the airport’s construction and into operation in the years to come.
“Western Sydney Airport has a very positive profile in local and overseas aviation markets, which led to a very high level of interest in the CEO role from candidates across the world,” he said.
“It’s a great outcome that we found the best person to lead one of the nation’s most significant infrastructure projects here in Australia.”
Mr Hickey said taking the reins of WSA as the project enters a critical stage of delivery will be a challenging and rewarding experience.
“Western Sydney International will mean that for the first time in Sydney, airlines and passengers will have a choice about which airport they want to use,” he said.
“Introducing choice to Sydney’s aviation market is a compelling proposition and one that will lead to stronger outcomes for passengers, airlines and air cargo operators.”
For more than a decade Mr Hickey has served on the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation Board and is currently its Deputy Chair.
“My focus will be not only on building the infrastructure, but on building the commercial proposition around passenger aviation, air cargo and our on-airport business park,” Mr Hickey said.
“This project is about so much more than terminals and runways, it’s the catalyst for jobs and investment.”
Nicola Barton
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Nicola Barton is a news journalist with the Western Weekender, primarily covering crime and politics.