Jason Waters has been appointed the new CEO of Perth Airport in Australia.
Waters will commence his new role later in 2023 once he has served his period of notice with his current employer. In the interim, Kate Holsgrove will continue to serve as acting CEO.
Waters will join Perth Airport after building a leadership track record in CEO roles with the Perth Mint, Synergy and Verve Australia. Rob Cole, chair of Perth Airport, stated that Waters has the experience to lead Perth Airport through its next wave of growth. This will include delivering Perth’s new runway and the consolidation of all flights into the Airport Central precinct. Waters will not only oversee Perth Airport’s aviation business but also its ground transport and parking, retail and food and beverage tenancies, as well as its property business with almost 500 leases across its 2,105 hectare estate.
Cole said, “Jason is a respected leader in Western Australia who is known for his strategic focus and his ability to deliver outcomes in highly challenging business environments. He is known for working calmly and methodically through the most complex situations while never losing sight of the outcomes he sets for his organization. It’s great that we’ve found such a highly credentialled leader who was born and raised in Western Australia and who is passionate about our state and our people. He is a values-driven leader with a strong commitment to people and culture and an ability to bring people together to deliver outcomes.
“Perth Airport is a multi-faceted business. Jason will bring his own strategic and business insights to this complex role along with a commitment to work with our airline partners and other stakeholders to help grow aviation in Western Australia. The board highly values and appreciates Kate’s service in this role which has ensured our business continued to move forward and made the decisions we needed to make while awaiting the conclusion of this process. We also greatly appreciate the work of the whole Perth Airport team in continuing to serve the community and moving our business forward while this recruitment process has been under way.”
Waters said, “From a distance, I’ve watched as Perth Airport continued to serve Western Australia through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rebound of aviation and tourism in Western Australia has been driven in no small part by the work of the Perth Airport team. There are clearly some big projects that the airport needs to deliver to ensure future growth of our resources sector and our state’s economy. This is going to be both an exciting and challenging opportunity for the Perth Airport team. I’m looking forward to getting to know the team, and the wide array of other people involved in our business, and ensuring we work together to unlock the full potential value of the airport for all stakeholders.”
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