Brisbane 1 August 2013. Former Queensland Rail chairman Glen Dawe has been endorsed as CEO of the organisation.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said Mr Dawe had demonstrated a drive to see Queensland Rail improve their performance and standard of service across Queensland, over the past year

“We’ve already seen on-time running reach a decade high, after falling to a three year low in the final months under Labor,” Mr Emerson said.

“Glen is one of Australia’s most experienced rail executives and I look forward to working with him to deliver an even higher standard of service for Queenslanders.”

Mr Dawe was chairman of Queensland Rail between July 2012 and June 2013, when he resigned to apply for the CEO’s position.

He was appointed from a shortlist of four candidates selected from a field of more than 70 applicants, which included strong international interest.

“Mr Dawe was appointed at the direction of the government, which overturned the board’s preferences for international candidates requiring a 457 visa,” Mr Emerson said.

“We feel it is fitting that a person with local knowledge and a history with Queensland Rail is the best person to lead one of the largest organisations in Queensland.”

Mr Emerson thanked Acting CEO Jim Benstead who has filled the role since late 2011.

The government will shortly begin the process to appoint a Chair of the Queensland Rail board.

Glen Dawe Bio

Glen Dawe was appointed as Chair of Queensland Rail in July 2012.

Prior to that Mr Dawe had extensive experience in the rail industry, most recently his roles included being National Manager Rail Transport, Manildra Group and General Manager Rail Infrastructure Corporation NSW.

He has also held a number of positions over 24 years in the former QR Limited, including Group General Manager (GGM) for Coal and Mainline Freight, GGM Metropolitan and Regional Services and GGM for Citytrain.