Aurizon boss Lance Hockridge to exit

Aurizon boss Lance Hockridge is believed to be departing the logistics company, announcing to staff that he plans to step down on Thursday.

Mr Hockridge became managing director and chief executive of Aurizon, then known as QR National, in July 2010, leading the company through what was, at the time, the largest initial public offering in Australia in a decade.

His experience spans more than 30 years’ in the transport and heavy industrial sectors in Australia and the United States, working with BHP Billiton and BlueScope Steel.

In line for the role are said to be chief operating officer Mike Carter, Mike Franczak, Aurizon’s former executive vice president of operations, and also DP World Australia managing director Paul Scurrah, as initially reported on The Australian’sBusinessNow blog.

Aurizon is Australia’s largest rail freight operator, moving coal, iron ore and agricultural freight throughout Australia.

The company denied the speculation today.