A new Chief Executive Officer has been appointed at Hobart Airport, who will commence in the role in March 2021.
Norris Carter has been appointed after a four-year tenure as CEO of North Queensland Airports Group, which operates the Cairns and Mackay airports, where he oversaw a $55 million transformation of the Cairns Airport domestic terminal.
Prior to this Mr Carter held senior management roles at Auckland International Airport and Qantas.
Hobart Airport Chairman, Richard England, said the appointment of Mr Carter comes at a vital time for air travel throughout the world, as the sector rebuilds in the post COVID-19 period.
“This is a key appointment for the airport and I look forward to working closely with Norris when he moves to Hobart and takes up his role in March,” Mr England said.
Mr Carter has two decades of experience in the airline industry. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Adelaide before completing an MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management.
After working as a Systems Engineer for IBM and a Consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, Mr Carter joined Qantas in 2000 where he held leadership roles in Loyalty, and international network planning and revenue management.
In 2014 Mr Carter moved to Auckland Airport as General Manager Aeronautical Commercial, growing international passenger numbers through the airport.
Mr Carter said he was excited by the challenge of rebuilding air-travel to and from Tasmania following COVID-19.
“While COVID has caused uncertainty in the airline industry, I’m excited by the challenge of implementing new ideas and innovations to see Hobart Airport rebound, building on the great work of the existing management team,” Mr Carter said.
“As the main gateway to one of the most enviable tourism destinations in Australia, Hobart Airport plays a vital role in the Tasmanian community and I’m committed to seeing this grow even further.
“Prior to the pandemic, Hobart Airport was experiencing excellent passenger growth rates and I look forward to working with the team to regain this momentum as the industry rebuilds, focussing on delivering a product which both delights our customers and offers excellent returns for our owners and business partners.”
Mr England paid tribute to Acting Chief Executive Officer, Matt Cocker, who has been in charge of the airport since the departure of the former CEO in March 2020 and will continue in this capacity until Mr Carter starts in March 2021. Mr Cocker will then continue in his role as Chief Operating Officer.
