Chris Mills: Former Airport boss appointed transitional CEO of Experience Gold Coast

Former airport boss Chris Mills is taking on one of the city’s most coveted business posts, less than a year after his retirement in a move that will mean billions for the Gold Coast. FULL DETAILS

FORMER Gold Coast Airport boss Chris Mills has been tapped to become the city’s new tourism and promotions supremo as planning to supercharge the city’s key economic pillars ramps up.

Mr Mills, who retired from his post heading Queensland Airports in mid-2022, will become transitional CEO of the new Experience Gold Coast entity.

Council CEO Tim Baker has appointed the experienced administrator to a six-month term beginning from March 13.

Chris Mills has been appointed Transitional CEO of Experience Gold Coast. Picture Glenn Hampson

Experience Gold Coast has been created from the merger of the HOTA, Destination Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast and Placemakers council entities after councillors voted for the move in a bid to save $6.8m.

Mr Mills’ role will be to bring together the different council entities in coming months and manage the merger.

He is excited to take up the new post and align the merger entity’s mission.

“They are already delivering amazing outcomes for the city and I think together they will be unstoppable,” he said.

Mayor Tom Tate said Mr Mills was a “natural choice”.

“Chris has experience across the relevant sectors, knows the Gold Coast and its markets intimately and has a proven track record,” he said.

The funds saved from the merger will be reinvested into tourism and the arts.

A $1.5m community arts fund will also be created.

A transitional advisory committee made up of board members from those entities has also been created under chairman Rob Borbidge.

Mr Mills takes up his new post on March 13. Picture Glenn Hampson

Among the figures who will sit on it are Mr Tate, Mr Baker, Village Roadshow boss Clark Kirby, Gold Coast Titans co-owner Rebecca Frizelle and Gold Coast Airport chief operating officer Marion Charlton.

The council now plans to install a full board of directors before Christmas who will then move to recruit a permanent CEO.

The move to consolidate the entities came after Mr Baker ordered a review by Deloitte of their operators late last year in a bid to streamline operations and reducing overlap

The CEO posts of the entities all fell vacant in late 2022, with the exception of Major Events Gold Coast which is headed by Jan McCormick.

Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan resigned and departed in late November, long-serving HOTA CEO Criena Gerke resigned in September to take up the role of group executive for strategy and impact at Circa Contemporary Circus and Study Gold Coast CEO Alfred Slogrove parted ways with the body in December.

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Originally published as Chris Mills: Former Airport boss appointed transitional CEO of Experience Gold Coast