Executive profiles
Reece Waldock
Chief Executive Officer
Reece has 25 years’ experience in strategic management with particular expertise in organisational reform. He held a number of senior executive roles within the Department of Commerce and Trade and Department of Transport from the early 1990s through to the end of 2000. In December 2000, following the sale of the rail freight business of the Western Australian Government Railways Commission (WAGRC), Reece acted in the position of Commissioner of Railways until the Railways Commission was extinguished on 30 June 2003.
With the creation of the PTA on 1 July 2003, Reece acted in the position of Chief Executive Officer, to which he was appointed on 17 August 2004. Prior to his career with the public sector in Western Australia, Reece held a number of senior management roles with BHP.
In May 2010 the State Government integrated WA’s three key transport agencies and Reece was appointed to head the Department of Transport, Main Roads WA (MRWA) and the Public Transport Authority (PTA).
Mark Burgess
Acting Managing Director Executive Director
Transperth System, Regional Town and School Bus Services
Mark has gained extensive logistic, transport and people management skills through 21 years in the Army and 12 years managing the Transperth system. He joined the PTA at its formation after six years with the Department of Transport and the Department for Planning and Infrastructure.
Mark is responsible for managing, coordinating and marketing the Transperth system, comprising commercial bus contractors, a commercial ferry contractor and the urban passenger rail services. He is also responsible for regional town bus services and school bus services throughout Western Australia.
His focus is on delivering quality, reliable public transport services through more than 925 transport service and service support contracts across the State.
In May 2010 Mark became Acting Managing Director of the PTA, responsible for day-to-day management of all PTA business and operations.
Pat Italiano
General Manager
Transperth Train Operations
Pat is a qualified accountant and member of CPA Australia. During his 37-year career in public transport, he has acquired considerable expertise in business and strategic management, risk management, audit and, more recently, operational experience within a fully-integrated urban passenger transit environment.
Pat is responsible for promoting and managing the delivery of urban passenger rail services to the highest of customer service standards and is committed to ensuring the successful integration and delivery of all urban passenger rail services.
Kim Stone
Acting General Manager
Network and Infrastructure
Kim joined the PTA in August 2004 after two years’ secondment from the Department for Planning and Infrastructure to direct school bus reform. He moved to N&I in October 2009. He had previously been Director of Coastal and Facilities Management in the Department of Transport for four years. Kim has experience in the State and Federal Government arenas and the private sector, including running his own management consulting business. His background is in engineering and management.
His N&I responsibilities include the management and maintenance of the PTA railway network infrastructure, including controlling access by third parties under the Railways (Access) Act 1998 and ensuring the provision of Information Technology services to support PTA’s operations.
Martin White
General Manager
Transwa
Martin joined the PTA in 2006. He was formerly General Manager of the Eastern Goldfields Transport Board (trading as TransGoldfields). Martin has 20 years’ experience in public transport, having previously worked in both the Department of Transport and the Department for Planning and Infrastructure. He is a qualified accountant and has a post-graduate qualification in management.
Martin is responsible for managing Transwa, the PTA’s regional rail and road coach network (including TransGoldfields - Kalgoorlie’s public bus service) as well as implementing the strategic elements of PTA’s corporate plan which apply to Transwa. He is also responsible for the delivery of key performance indicators in the areas of customer service, maintenance and revenue building within Transwa.
Kevin Kirk
Acting Executive Director
Finance and Contracts
Kevin has more than 35 years’ experience in public service and has held senior management roles in Main Roads WA, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure and the Department of Transport. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) degree and is a member of the National Institute of Accountants. His professional interest is in the areas of financial management, business performance and procurement.
Kevin is the PTA’s Chief Finance Officer, responsible for maintaining the PTA’s financial management and procurement systems and processes.
David Browne
Acting Executive Director
Safety and Strategic Development
David joined PTA predecessor WAGRC in December 2002 as a Policy Officer. He has a Master of Transport Studies degree (UWA) as well as qualifications in policy and management. Before joining the PTA, David spent 20 years in the aviation industry including 15 years in the RAAF where he worked in a number of areas including strategic airspace management policy and planning.
His role includes making the link between high-level policy and operations within the agency, managing a number of key projects, and driving strategic change in safety, policy development and business management.
Brian Appleby
Executive Director
People and Organisational Development
Brian brings to the organisation more than 20 years’ experience in labour relations, human resource management, workforce services issues and learning and development. After beginning his career in the private sector, Brian has undertaken a range of roles as an operative, operational manager and director in key public sector agencies and central government departments. He holds a post-graduate qualification in Industrial Relations, is a former Australian Army Reserve officer and is a Director of the Rail Skills Career Council.
Along with his responsibility for strategic people management, Brian oversees the delivery of functional human resource services for the PTA’s people. He commenced his appointment in February 2008.
Hugh Smith
Executive Director
Strategic Asset Management Development
Hugh launched his engineering career at British Steel in the United Kingdom and joined WAGRC in 1972 as an assistant engineer at the Midland Workshops, where he subsequently held senior management positions in design and production. He was appointed General Manager of the Urban Passenger Division in 1994.
In this role he was responsible for developing strategies for customer focus, reliability of services and improved OTR of trains. Following the sale of WAGR’s freight business in December 2000, Hugh was appointed General Manager, Network and Infrastructure in an organisation focussed exclusively on passenger transport and customer service
In October 2010 Hugh took on the role of Executive Director Strategic Asset Management Development responsible for the implementation of policies, strategies and actions for the effective asset management of PTA assets.
Ross Hamilton
Manager
Major Projects
Ross has worked for Westrail and the PTA for 22 years in various roles including construction, planning land rationalisation and maintenance. With the inception of the PTA he worked as the Manager Track and Civil Infrastructure and then took over the construction of the Mandurah railway through the critical commissioning phase for the commencement of services in December 2007.
Ross is responsible for the delivery of major projects for the PTA and is currently working on the Perth City Link project and the extension to the Northern Suburbs Railway from Clarkson to Butler.
Peter Martinovich
Executive Director
Infrastructure Planning and Land Services
Peter began his railway career with WAGR as a junior clerk in 1964. He graduated as an engineer in 1974 and was appointed Planning Engineer for the Northern Suburbs Railway in 1989.
He joined the Department of Transport as Manager, Transit Planning in 1995 where he set up and led the team on the South West Metropolitan Railway and Northern Suburbs Extension Master Plans.
He was appointed to Deputy Project Director of the New MetroRail Project in 2003 and took up the position of Director of Railway and Infrastructure Planning, within the Network and Infrastructure division in 2007. In 2009, Peter became Executive Director of the newly formed Infrastructure Planning and Land Services division.
Richard Barrett
Manager
Corporate Communications
Richard is an award-winning professional communicator with more than 12 years’ experience in Australia and the United Kingdom. He began his career in the private sector, and now is responsible for strategic communications, internal and external communications, crisis and issues management, media relations, event management and community relations at the PTA. He previously oversaw the communications effort for the New MetroRail project, which culminated with the opening of the Mandurah Line in December 2007.
Richard, who joined the Executive in September 2007, has a Bachelor of Arts (UWA), Bachelor of Commerce (Curtin University), and is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia.