Airservices Australia names Jason Harfield CEO

Airservices Australia ends seven-month hunt for a new boss, appointing acting CEO Jason Harfield to the role.

New Airservices Australia chief executive Jason Harfield

The government-owned national air traffic control organisation Airservices Australia has ended a seven-month hunt for a new chief executive and appointed acting CEO Jason Harfield to the role.

The appointment comes despite ongoing controversy surrounding the government-body and its dealings with an obscure Canberra-based organisation with international military links called the International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM).

Mr Harfield, who started with Airservices 26 years ago as an air traffic controller, was appointed acting chief executive after the resignation last July of former RAAF officer Margaret Staib.

Mr Harfield has lobbied internally to take the top job and has been considered a favourite despite Airservices hiring executive headhunting firm Spencer Stuart to conduct a global search for a new chief.

“The board reviewed an extensive field of candidates and concluded that Mr Harfield offered the right blend of experience, skill and drive to lead the organisation,” said Airservices Australia Chair, Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston.

The appointment comes despite bipartisan requests — from Liberal senator Bill Heffernan and Labor senator Glenn Sterle — to ensure no new chief executive was appointed at Airservices before the findings of the investigation into dealings over the organisation’s controversial $1.5 billion OneSky air traffic control project were known.

OneSKY will integrate the nation’s civilian and military air traffic control systems.

As revealed by The Australian, the Australian National Audit Office late last year launched an inquiry into contracts awarded by Airservices to consultants associated with the mysterious Canberra-based ICCPM.

Last year members of the Senate rural and regional affairs and transport legislation committee grilled Mr Harfield and other Airservices executives, claiming the arrangements with ICCPM were conflicted.

ANAO is assessing whether these claims — which revolve around negotiations for the award of a major contract for the OneSKY project — are true or not.

The ANAO is due hand down its report in the autumn session of parliament.