Infrastructure Australia’s Chief Executive, Romilly Madew, will be leaving in July to take up the role of Chief Executive of Engineers Australia.
Infrastructure Australia Chair, Col Murray, said,”Romilly has been an outstanding Chief Executive for Infrastructure Australia and we will miss her leadership, collaborative approach and skills.”
“Her impact on Australia’s infrastructure assessment and policy has been positive and sustained, reflecting her passion for the sector and her strong, trusted relationships with stakeholders across government at all levels, industry and the community.
“Under her leadership, Infrastructure Australia has strengthened the Infrastructure Priority List and refreshed Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework, broadening the Assessment Criteria to allow for more holistic reviews of a proposal’s potential benefits, in addition to those that can be monetised through traditional cost-benefit analysis.
“During her time as CEO, Romilly oversaw the publication of the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit, 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan and provided support to the Australian Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all highly regarded pieces of work to drive economic growth, maintain and enhance our standard of living, and improve the resilience and sustainability of nationally significant infrastructure.
“Romilly has also led a range of new initiatives for Infrastructure Australia, including our Infrastructure Market Capacity program, Regional Strengths and Infrastructure Gaps and Delivering Outcomes research and implementation of our first Reconciliation Action Plan.
“On behalf of the Board and staff, I want to thank Romilly for her dedication and incredible service to Infrastructure Australia, and wish her every success in her new role.”
Ms Madew said, “I am extremely proud that I have been able to lead Infrastructure Australia over the past three and a half years with all that we have accomplished, and I am looking forward to seeing a new CEO appointed to take Infrastructure Australia even further.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with Federal and state and territory government officials to drive transformation across the infrastructure sector and appreciated their willingness to authentically collaborate.
“I am also extremely grateful to the Board for their guidance during my time at Infrastructure Australia and proud to be part of the Infrastructure Australia team, where culture, values and collaboration have become part of our way of working.”
Ms Madew will leave Infrastructure Australia at the end of July 2022. Details regarding the recruitment of a new CEO and any acting arrangements will be announced in due course.
Ms Madew’s appointment as the new Chief Executive Officer of Engineers Australia, follows the retirement of Dr Bronwyn Evans in May.
Engineers Australia National President, Dr Nick Fleming, said Ms Madew was chosen due to her leadership experience in the built environment. Before her current role, she was Chief Executive Officer of Green Building Council of Australia for 13 years.
“Romilly comes to us as a globally recognised CEO and advocate for change in the property and construction sector,” Dr Fleming said.
“Her visionary leadership style will enhance and build on our strong legacy of advancing society through great engineering, sound strategy and investment.”
Ms Madew said that she was looking forward to serving a member-based organisation dedicated to the sustainability world.
“Over the last two decades I have worked closely with Engineers Australia and have always recognised the engineering profession as the nation’s problem-solvers,” Ms Madew said.
“Engineers Australia’s vision and focus align with the values I’ve pursued throughout my career: to listen to a wide range of voices, to engage with members to gain consensus, to build strong teams and partnerships, and to achieve on-the-ground real-world impact.”
Engineers Australia COO, Michael Luddeni, will act as CEO until Ms Madew commences on 1 August 2022.
Ms Madew has an impressive resume, including being a member of Placemaking NSW Advisory Committee and Independent chair of the Currawong State Park Advisory Board (NSW).
Previously, Ms Madew served on the expert advisory panel for the CSIRO report on climate and disaster resilience and was a commissioner for the Northern Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission.
Ms Madew has held board positions with the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council and Sydney Olympic Park Authority.
Ms Madew has sat on numerous federal government panels, including the Cities Reference Group, National Sustainability Council, Climate Futures Independent Expert Group, and the National Urban Policy Forum. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and Technology and an honorary fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia, as well as a life fellow GBCA.
