Organisational framework
Our governance
We are a corporate Commonwealth entity established and governed by the Air Services Act 1995. We are wholly owned by the Australian Government, and are accountable to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Our governance is also regulated by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
We are committed to meeting high standards of corporate governance which we consider essential to our long-term performance and sustainability, and to be in the best interests of our owner. Our governance practices are regularly reviewed to ensure they align to Australian legislative and regulatory requirements and contemporary better practice. A copy of our Governance Statement is available for download below.
Our Board
Our Board, as our governing body, is responsible for deciding the objectives, strategies and policies we follow, and ensuring that we perform our functions in a proper, efficient and effective manner. Our Board members (other than our Chief Executive Officer) are appointed by our Minister. Copies of our Board and Board committee charters are available for download below.
Our Board also has oversight of Australia's Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, which conducts independent administrative reviews of the management of aircraft noise-related activities by us and the Royal Australian Air Force. You can access the current ANO Charter here.
Chairman
LLB, MAICD
John Weber has been a member of Airservices Board since April 2017 and was appointed as Chairman on 3 June 2018. His current term expires on 2 June 2024.
Mr Weber served as the Australian managing partner of DLA Piper, one of the world’s largest law firms, from 2014 to 2017. He was also a member of DLA Piper’s international executive. Prior to that he was chief executive of Minter Ellison, a leading Australian law firm, for six years and a member of its executive management team for eleven years.
Mr Weber has worked extensively in the transport sector (rail and aviation), health, financial services and defence / security sectors for both industry and government.
Mr Weber is a Board member of the Western Sydney Airport Corporation, director of the AMS Group and a director of the Dimeo group.
Mr Weber is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has extensive board experience across a diverse range of organisations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors including the European Australian Business Council, the Council of the Asia Society, the ABCN Foundation, and the Horizons Foundation.
Deputy Chair
Chair of Board Safety Committee
Greg Hood was appointed Deputy Chair of the Board on 8 September 2021. He is Chair of the Board Safety Committee and a member of the Technology and Investment Committee and People, Culture and Remuneration Committee. His current term expires on 7 September 2024.
Greg has more than 41 years’ experience in the transport industry, beginning his career as an air traffic control officer with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1980. Since then, Greg has had extensive experience at senior executive and CEO levels across a number of organisations including Executive Manager Operations with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Executive General Manager Air Traffic Control with Airservices and more recently, Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
During his tenure at the ATSB, Greg was also appointed as the Chair of the International Transportation Safety Association (ITSA), a global association of safety investigation agencies, is a former board member of Safeskies Australia and past-president of the Canberra Philharmonic Society. Greg has also served as a member of the business advisory council for World Vision.
Greg currently sits as a member of the Steering Committee for Australia’s Marine National Facility (MNF). The MNF Steering Committee assists the CSIRO Board to fulfil its governance responsibilities by providing high level advice on the ongoing delivery of ocean research capabilities for the nation. He also has been, and is currently a Champion for the St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleep-out raising funds for Australia’s homeless, a judge for Canberra’s community arts Ovation Awards, and a crisis supporter for Lifeline.
In addition to holding qualifications as a glider and powered aircraft pilot, Greg is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Freeman in the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, and a Life Member of the Qantas Founders Museum.
BMath Hons, MMath, PhD, FTSE, FAICD, FAAAI
Eileen Doyle was appointed to the Board on 21 April 2021. She is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, Technology and Investment Committee and the Environment and Community Committee. Her current term expires on 20 April 2025.
Dr Doyle has had extensive experience at senior executive and CEO levels across a number of industries. She is an experienced non-executive director and is on the Board of Santos Ltd, NextDC Ltd, Swoop Analytics and DBI Infrastructure Ltd. She is a former Chairman of PWCS and Deputy Chairman of the CSIRO. She was Australia’s first Fulbright Scholar in Business and had the opportunity to study and work in New York.
She is a Foundation Fellow of The Australian Association of Angel Investors, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chair Board Environment and Community Committee
BTech, MSc, PhD, HonFIEAust, HonFIChemE FTSE, FAICD
Marlene Kanga was appointed to the Board on 4 September 2017. She is Chair of the Board Environment and Community Committee and a member of the Board Safety Committee. Her current term expires on 3 September 2024.
Dr Kanga has extensive experience in complex safety systems engineering in the oil and gas and energy industry. She is an experienced non-executive director and is on the Board of Endeavour Energy, Business Events Sydney, Standards Australia and a past member of NSW Smart Sensing Network, the boards of Innovation Science Australia, Sydney Water Corporation and Engineers Australia, where she was Chair and National President in 2013. She is a past President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations. She is a director of iOmniscient Pty Ltd which has developed artificial intelligence-based video analytic technologies.
Dr Kanga is an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia, an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (UK), a Foundation Fellow of the International Science Council, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Kanga is the Engineers Australia 2018 Professional Engineer of the Year and has been listed among the Top 100 Women of Influence in Australia and the Top 100 Engineers in Australia. She is an Officer of the Order of Australia “for distinguished service to engineering, as a global leader and role model to women” .
Lawrie Turner was appointed to the Board on 3 March 2021. He is a member of the Technology and Investment Committee and Safety Committee. He is a non-executive Board member and his current term expires on 2 March 2024.
Mr Turner has held the position of Chief Information Officer in airline, retail, telecom and rail industries. He has over 20 years ’experience in the aviation industry having worked at executive levels in Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia Airlines and internationally with Sabre Corporation of the USA. Lawrie developed the strategy and then led the integration of commercial IT systems supporting the merger of Qantas and Australian Airlines, and represented Qantas in the formation of the Oneworld Alliance. As Vice President for Sabre’s Sirena-3 program in Russia, Mr Turner led the team which implemented the first multi-host airline reservations system in the country. At Virgin Australia, Lawrie held the roles of Chief
Information Officer, acting Chief Operating Officer and Group Executive Business Services.
He has carried out strategic technology-related consulting assignments for organisations including the Department of Defence’s Chief Information Officer Group and Newcrest Mining. Mr Turner is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
BA CA GAICD
Anne Brown was first appointed to the Board on 4 December 2019. She is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and a member of the People, Culture and Remuneration Committee. She is a non-executive Board member and her current term expires on 2 February 2027.
Ms Brown has substantial knowledge and practical experience of Australian and international exchange traded financial markets and related infrastructure, risk management, governance and regulatory environments. She was previously Chief Risk Officer with ASX Limited (ASX), following its merger with SFE Corporation Limited (SFE).
Ms Brown also represented ASX as an executive committee member and then Chair of CCP12, an influential global industry association involving all major international clearing houses. Prior to the ASX–SFE merger, she was a general manager with SFE and previously worked with KPMG in both Edinburgh and Sydney.
Ms Brown is a non-executive Director of AEMO Services Ltd, a member of the Markets Disciplinary Panel at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and a member of the Finance and Risk Committee of Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College Ltd. She is also a former Board member of the Clean Energy Regulator and former Chair of the Australian Life Code Compliance Committee.
Ms Brown holds a double major degree in accountancy and computer science from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
FRAeS, Meng
Nicolle Connelly was appointed to the board on 1st August 2023 for a tenure of three years. Nicolle’s career spans over 35 years in the aviation sector, covering a multitude of roles and responsibilities across Airservices Australia, Airlines and Academia. Currently, she is Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Aviation at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). Her specialisation in Air Traffic Management and Transport Safety forms a significant part of her current role.
Her previous tenure with Airservices Australia spanned 27 years, where she held numerous operational management and senior management roles, including service as a qualified operational air traffic controller.
Nicolle has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Teaching Excellence award from the Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) and she was the Female Educator of the Year at RMIT in 2022. She was the recipient of the Women in Aviation/Aerospace for outstanding contribution to the aviation or aerospace sectors in 2020.
Nicolle is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) and a Fellow of the International Federation of National Teaching (IFNTF). She has a Master of Engineering Airworthiness from RMIT.
AO, DSC
Mel Hupfeld was appointed as a member of the Air Services Australia Board in August 2023 as a non-Executive Director. He also serves on the Air Force Association Board, the Spitfire Association Advisory Council, the Swinburne Research Institute Advisory Board and is a member of the Public Service Advisory Board to provide strategic advice to government and industry clients.
Mel was born in Sydney in 1962 and grew up in Broken Hill, New South Wales, until moving to Semaphore, South Australia, with his family. He completed his final two years of High School at Le Fevre High in Port Adelaide. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force as an Academy Cadet in January 1980, graduating as a pilot with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1983.
During his Air Force career, he flew Mirage, Classic Hornet and Super Hornet fighter aircraft in several of the Air Force’s fighter squadrons and achieved over 3,500 flying hours. In 2001 Mel took command of No 75 Squadron (75SQN) and led the Squadron in operations in the Middle East on Operations BASTILLE and FALCONER as part of Australia’s contribution to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in 2003. He completed several staff appointments including in the capability development and force design areas and completed the Royal Air Force Advanced Command and Staff Course, graduating with a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King's College in London in 1998.
Mel commanded at every level within Air Force and notably, on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal, was appointed as Chief of Joint Operations in May 2018 and subsequently Chief of Air Force in July 2019. He transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in July 2022, and retired to the South Coast of New South Wales. Since then, he has assisted the Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security as a member of the Expert Advisory Board to develop a National Cyber Security Strategy. As part of his transition to civilian life he has ambition to contribute to Boards and Advisory Councils.
Chief Executive Officer
EMBA DipAv(ATS) FAICD FRAeS MSP(Adv Practitioner)
Jason Harfield was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 9 March 2016, beginning his career with Airservices as a flight data officer in Adelaide in 1989.
With more than 30 years of experience in aviation and the air traffic management industry, Jason has been a core member of the Airservices Executive Leadership Team since 2005. His executive leadership roles included leading the safety and future services functions as well as leading and transforming the air traffic control operations through the introduction of new services, advanced airport capacity and air traffic flow management capabilities, whilst reinvigorating Airservices largest operational workforce.
Prior to this, Jason held a number of operational management and senior management positions including Australia’s Head Air Traffic Controller and Australian Airspace Regulator as well as operating as a qualified operational air traffic controller.
Jason has an EMBA from Melbourne Business School (Mt Eliza) and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is also a fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Royal Aeronautical Society as well as a private pilot.
Executive committee
Members
Our executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day management of our organisation.
Chief Executive Officer
EMBA DipAv(ATS) FAICD FRAeS MSP(Adv Practitioner)
Jason Harfield was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 9 March 2016, beginning his career with Airservices as a flight data officer in Adelaide in 1989.
With more than 30 years of experience in aviation and the air traffic management industry, Jason has been a core member of the Airservices Executive Leadership Team since 2005. His executive leadership roles included leading the safety and future services functions as well as leading and transforming the air traffic control operations through the introduction of new services, advanced airport capacity and air traffic flow management capabilities, whilst reinvigorating Airservices largest operational workforce.
Prior to this, Jason held a number of operational management and senior management positions including Australia’s Head Air Traffic Controller and Australian Airspace Regulator as well as operating as a qualified operational air traffic controller.Jason has an EMBA from Melbourne Business School (Mt Eliza) and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
He is also a fellow of both the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Royal Aeronautical Society as well as a private pilot.
Chief Customer and External Relations Officer
Pete joined Airservices Australia in May 2019 as the Executive General Manager Air Navigation Services.
Prior to this, Pete worked at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) based in Geneva, Switzerland for 7 years. Pete was responsible for progressing airline interests associated with the European Union (EU) Single Market initiative; Single European Sky (SES). His role addressed institutional, regulatory and operational performance with a focus on the safety, environment, capacity and cost efficiency of air navigation services across 42 European States.
Pete has over 25 years of experience in the aviation industry starting as an air traffic controller in Sydney and Brisbane. He has held a range of leadership roles across corporate and regulatory affairs, strategy and planning, operational service delivery, major capital programs, change management and finance.
Pete has a Master of Business Administration from University of Queensland and completed the Graduate General Manager Program at the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Chief Service Delivery Officer
B.Comm/B.IT (ANU), Grad Dip Mgt (AGSM)
Michelle joined Airservices in 2005 and has been part of the Airservices Executive Leadership Team since 2007 including as Executive General Manager of Customer Service Enhancement. Her previous roles in Airservices also include Executive General Manager, Projects and Engineering; Executive General Manager, Environment; Acting Executive General Manager, Corporate and Industry Affairs and General Manager, Audit and Assurance.
Prior to working with Airservices, Michelle spent more than a decade in the professional services firms, working first with Deloitte and then with KPMG delivering audit, risk and governance services to many large organisations in a variety of industry sectors.
Michelle has a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Information Technology from the Australian National University, a Graduate Diploma in Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management, has completed the Advanced Management Program at the INSEAD business school and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chief Finance and Performance Officer
BComm FCPA
Paul Logan was appointed as Airservices Chief Financial Officer in May 2016, to provide strategic financial and commercial management of Airservices operations.
Prior to this, Paul was General Manager Accounting Services and responsible for the organisation’s pricing strategies and investment analysis. In this role, Paul directed Airservices corporate accounting and governance of group financial management. He was responsible for the taxation, treasury and insurance obligations for the organisation and the oversight of the corporate shared services functions.
With more than 26 years of experience in the air traffic management and civil aviation safety industry Paul has led a number of key change programs to establish an external customer centric focus through the establishment of service performance reporting frameworks and engagement programs. Paul was instrumental in the development and implementation of long term pricing arrangements aimed at yielding efficiency gains and providing price certainty for the aviation industry. Paul has also achieved continuous improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of internal business processes.
Paul is a Fellow of Certified Practicing Accountants (CPA) Australia.
Chief Culture and Diversity Officer
Heading up Culture and Diversity for Airservices is human resources (HR) executive Danielle Mesa. Danielle was appointed to the role of Chief Culture and Diversity Officer in October 2023. A people and performance-focused senior executive with 20-plus years of innovative leadership in the public and private sectors, Danielle brings to our organisation a wealth of international and domestic experience in people and culture leadership, business change, risk and governance, and cultural transformation.
Having worked across industries including defence, construction and infrastructure, energy and transport and logistics, Danielle has a proven record of successfully navigating organisational complexity in highly regulated sectors. Our new Culture and Diversity leader has an Advanced MBA (digital strategy) and a Master of Management in operations and logistics.
Chief Technology Enablement Officer
Mark has had a wide and varied career in the ICT industry over the last 25 years with experience in both the private and public sectors. His career has extended across a number of market sectors including Transport, Education and Manufacturing and has covered significant roles in technology strategy and transformation, infrastructure and operations, enterprise architecture, strategic sourcing, organisational change management, program management, and applications development.
Mark joined Airservices in 2016 as the Service Design and Delivery Manager, with accountabilities for the delivery of sustainable 24×7 operations of both mission critical and corporate ICT environments including infrastructure operations, telecommunication and network services, business systems, airways regulated systems, air traffic management regulated systems, technology testing and the delivery of ICT projects.
Prior to joining Airservices Mark spent 10 years with The Queensland government in a number of key roles including critical systems development and project management, ICT operations, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Chief Information Officer (CIO).
Chief Operating Officer
Vivienne King was appointed as Airservices Australia's Chief Operating Officer in August 2023. Having worked across the transport, education and infrastructure sectors in Australia and internationally, Vivienne King brings a wealth of senior management and operational leadership experience to Airservices.
Prior to her role as Chief Operating Officer with Airservices, Vivienne served as the CEO of a consortium, where she worked closely with Pacific Partners on major infrastructure Public-Private Partnership projects. She also has held the position of CEO for Box Hill Institute in Victoria and KDR Gold Coast, managing the operation and maintenance of the Gold Coast Light Rail.
Vivienne's international experience includes her tenure as President of the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company in North America. She also fulfilled the role of Group General Manager, Strategic & Service Development for RailCorp in Sydney, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the investment strategy, future design of rail networks and a substantial capital works program.
Throughout her career Vivienne has demonstrated a strong commitment to public policy, education, and transportation. She’s also served as a board member for several well-regarded organisations.
Chief Strategy Execution Officer
Christian joined Airservices Australia in June 2022 as the Chief Strategy Execution Officer. Christian is an entrepreneurial senior executive with consistent success in establishing, building, growing and improving the performance of businesses, both as a senior advisor and as a business leader. His expertise spans corporate innovation, re-invention and growth, business strategy and execution, major transformation as well as corporate service and operational management along with extensive people leadership. His key strengths include creating the strategic vision, strategic partner to board members and executive, delivering business value through a strong results focus, and care for people, their development and culture.
Christian’s roles have included Senior and Executive positions across industries and businesses with roles covering operational responsibilities, strategic and transformation programs, expansion via joint venture as well as large pre & post M&A and integration. Christian’s most recent executive roles have been leading organization wide transformation and integration agendas for organizations with revenues of $1.6bn and assets of $20bn.
His roles have been in major Australian and global organisations including Westpac, SUNCORP, Queensland Health, UnitingCare Qld, BRIGHTsuper and EY, where he led major complex transformation and merger integration projects focusing on delivering results within tight timeframes.
Christian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Queensland.
Director of Safety, Security and Environment Assurance
Mark Scanlan was appointed as the Director Safety, Security, and Environment Assurance at Airservices Australia in January 2023. With over 25 years of experience spanning corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors, Mark brings committed leadership, diverse expertise, and a pragmatic approach to creating value.
In his current role, Mark is responsible for ensuring the strategic direction and assurance of safety, security, and environmental performance across Airservices Australia.
Mark's diverse experience has been gained through his contributions in his roles at Sunwater, Origin Energy, QGC Shell, and Qantas. Mark has had a strong operational career, serving as a paramedic in metropolitan and remote areas, both on the road, marine and aeromedical capacities.
Beyond his professional endeavours, Mark started his career as a soldier and remains dedicated to supporting veterans' charities such as Veteran Trails and Diggers Rest. Mark has also undertaken various engagements with the Australian and International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) including the 2001 Tsunami in Banda Aceh, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and various emergencies in the Pacific region and domestically.
Mark holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Queensland and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
**This section will be updated in line with repoint changes currently underway.
Downloads
Corporate governance documents
Board-Charter
Governance Statement
Board Technology and Investment Committee Charter
Board People, Culture and Remuneration Committee Charter
Board Safety Committee Charter
Board Audit and Risk Committee Charter
Work with us
Airservices is at the forefront of Australian aviation. We are uniquely connected to all parts of the industry and offer exciting and innovative work across a range of operational and corporate roles.
Career paths on offer at Airservices include
Air Traffic Control, Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting, information technology, corporate support and more.