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Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) CEO John Fullerton today announced the appointment of Wayne Johnson as the new General Manager Customer Service and Operations of ARTC’s Hunter Valley business.
With over 20 years of experience at the coal-face and in operations, coal chain optimisation and infrastructure strategy, Newcastle-based Johnson was appointed following a highly competitive recruitment search.
“ARTC is in a period of growth and change and Wayne will be pivotal in helping the Hunter Valley business deliver exceptional customer, commercial and operational service,” Mr Fullerton said.
Mr Johnson will be responsible for optimising network capacity, growing effective commercial and regulatory relationships and increasing customer satisfaction.
“Wayne has extensive experience of the Hunter Valley coal chain and its inner workings both as a customer and a coal chain participant,” Mr Fullerton said.
“His background and intimate knowledge of the world’s largest export coal chain will prove enormously beneficial to ARTC but more importantly, our customers.”
Mr Johnson is currently Capacity Planning Manager at the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator (HVCCC).
Prior to HVCCC Mr Johnson was Operations Manager at Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) and has held a variety of roles with coal mines in Central Queensland and the Hunter Valley.
The announcement comes after ARTC announced the appointment of Jonathan Vandervoort as Executive General Manager of ARTC’s Hunter Valley business this month and the release of a new company structure in August.
“We are focused on continuing to strengthen our performance in the Hunter Valley and Mr Johnson’s role is pivotal to ensure we achieve that by bringing innovation and efficiency to the wider Hunter Valley coal chain,” Mr Fullerton said.
Mr Johnson will report directly to Mr Vandervoort and starts with ARTC in January.
Notes
- ARTC manages the Hunter Valley rail network which facilitates the moment of around 300 trains per day – including coal trains, passenger, bulk and general freight trains.
- Since 2007 ARTC has invested more than $1.5 billion in capital upgrades of the Hunter Valley network.
- In FY13/14 more than 163 million tonnes of coal was transported via the ARTC network.
- The Hunter Valley Coal chain is the world’s largest coal export operation.
Biography – Mr Wayne Johnson
Mr Johnson has over twenty years of experience in the coal chain across a variety of roles. He has led teams in complex environments including coal mines as well as in strategy, planning and operations with coal producers and infrastructure providers. His previous roles include production and management roles at mines in the Hunter Valley and the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland. Mr Johnson headed up operations at Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group, initially a Greenfield operation and now widely recognised as an industry leading coal export facility. Mr Johnson is currently Capacity Planning Manager at the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator where he leads a diverse team responsible for long and medium term strategic planning – a role that requires a strong understanding of the coal chain and its participants and an ability to balance various volume and capacity forecasts of both producers and infrastructure providers. Mr Johnson is currently completing a Masters of Business Administration at Newcastle University.