Bob was appointed as the Corporation's Deputy Chief Executive in 1995 before becoming CEO in December 2000. Bob retired as CEO on 1 July 2007 after over 6 and a half years in this position and 32 years with QR. In all Bob has over 16 years experience as a senior executive.
QR is a Government Owned Corporation of the State of Queensland. QR owns narrow and standard gauge track in Queensland, operates suburban and long distance passenger services and is the largest hauler of rail freight in Australia.
As CEO, Bob led QR to become a national transport corporation with $3.0b revenue, 14000 employees, assets worth about $8 b and some 9600 kilometres of both standard and narrow gauge track. Each day, the business runs about 900 trains a day, moving about a half million tonnes of freight and 150,000 passengers.
Achievements under Bob's leadership included executing a national freight strategy, building a platform for coast to coast general freight services and a formidable bulk business (coal, minerals, grain) and the following:
- Announcement in February 2006 of the $470m acquisition of ARG's above-rail freight business, expanding and diversifying QR's bulk business
- Acquisition in May 2005 of the $100m CRT freight forwarding business that has provided QR with key volumes and strategic terminal assets in Sydney and Melbourne
- Securing of more than 12%of coal tonnage in NSW's Hunter Valley
- Operation since 2004 of five container services weekly between Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane
- QR's winning of the Federal Court case which returns to QR's rightful ownership the Acacia Ridge interstate terminal. The terminal is being developed as multi-user freight facility to grow rail business for QR and other rail operators
Bob was a member since 2000 and then was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) from March 2005 to June 2007. The ARA is the voice of the rail industry in Australia and New Zealand.
Bob is a Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
Bob has a Bachelor of Business Degree form the then Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education (now Central Queensland University) and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland.
