Richard Stevenson appointed CEO of Ports North
Ports North’s new boss says he plans to make his organisation the “key enabler” of Cairns becoming a gateway to the Pacific.
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Ports North’s new boss says he plans to make his organisation the “key enabler” to Cairns establishing partnerships with the Pacific.
Richard Stevenson will take on the role as CEO from August 14 and replaces Chris Boland who led Ports North from 2009 to 2023.
“My vision for Ports North is for us to be positioned as an enabler, we are assisting and providing opportunities for everyone — from the mums and dads who want to start a new business through to the international players who want to bring product through Cairns,” Mr Stevenson said.
Key to his vision is the development of the Marine precinct and the associated Common User Facility.
“The Cairns Marine Precinct is the engine house of capability and capacity we have there, I don’t think a lot of people understand that potential unless they take a drive down Tingira St,” Mr Stevenson said.
“The CUF is a game changing project for Cairns and it needs to be delivered appropriately as the right piece of infrastructure that Cairns needs now and into the future.
“The scale of the project is enormous.
“I think people would love to see bulldozers in there tomorrow, but there is certainly a significant amount of work that needs to be done to make sure the design is appropriate and affordable.”
Mr Stevenson said with the development of the CUF comes an opportunity to help the region become a gateway to the Pacific.
The new Common User Facility at the precinct will include a 5000-tonne ship-lift, enabling ships up to 120-metres long to be repaired and maintained on handstand areas.
Funding for the project was announced in October 2022 with initial construction activities set to begin later this year.
“Our yards are very good at exploring those markets, we need to enable them,” he said.
“The yards can provide a product that will be the best in the region and we can enable a capacity for them to expand their piece of the Pacific pie.”
Mr Stevenson, who grew up in Mena Creek and went to school in Innisfail, also spent two decades in the navy and worked in Abu Dhabi before returning to the Far North.
“We returned back into Australia in 2012 and came back to Cairns and here we are,” he said.
“I began with Ports North as their security manager (and) have been very fortunate that there have been a number opportunities (to) have been able to progress through the ranks in Ports North.
“I have a good understanding of the business, I’ve worked down on the coal face and have worked up into the CEO role.”
Mr Stevenson said he was keen to continue the legacy of Ports North helping to drive development in the region.
“For us it is not just Cairns, we play a major role in the development of the entire region,” he said.
“Ports North’s role is to facilitate this regional development.”
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Originally published as Richard Stevenson appointed CEO of Ports North
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