New Australia Post Chairman and Board Reappointment
The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, and the Minister for Finance and Administration, Senator Nick Minchin, today welcomed the appointment of Mr David Mortimer, AO, as Chair of the Board of the Australian Postal Corporation and the reappointment of Mark Birrell as a Board member.
“Mr Mortimer has made a significant contribution to the Board of Australia Post since he was appointed to the position of Deputy Chair in 2001,” Senator Coonan said.
“I welcome his appointment to the position of Chair and look forward to working with him in the future.”
“Mr Mortimer has had a distinguished career in banking, finance and the transport industries, both in Australia and the United States,” Senator Minchin said.
“Mr Mortimer’s leadership and business acumen will be of great benefit and I am sure he will make a valuable contribution to Australia Post.”
In November 1996, Mr Mortimer was appointed by the Federal Government to conduct a review of business programs which resulted in the ‘Mortimer Report’. He is a former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of TNT Asia Pacific Region and Chairman of the Defence Procurement Advisory Board.
In 2005, Mr Mortimer was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to business and commerce through innovative and visionary leadership, as an adviser to government, and to the community.
The appointment will be for a period of three years from 12 September 2006.
Senator Coonan and Senator Minchin congratulated Mr Mortimer on this important appointment. Australia Post is one of Australia’s primary business organisations and plays a key role in Australian life.
The former Chair of the Board, Ms Linda Nicholls, announced her retirement earlier this year. Ms Nicholls has made an outstanding contribution to the Board of Australia Post throughout the 18 years she has served as Commissioner, Director and Chairman, a position she has held since 1997.
The Ministers thanked Ms Nicholls for her outstanding contribution to the Corporation.
The Ministers also announced today that Mr Birrell has been reappointed to the Australia Post Board for a period of three years.
“Mr Birrell has been a strong and active member of the Board of Australia Post for the past three years and I welcome his re-appointment and his continuing commitment to the activities of the Board,” Senator Coonan said.
Mr Birrell has had a distinguished career in the Australian public sector at the State level, and in the private sector as a solicitor and consultant.
He was elected to the Victorian Parliament in 1983 and served as Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and in the Shadow Ministry, and from 1992 until 1999 held ministerial positions in the Victorian State Government.
