Airservices corporate communications manager Rob Walker is making the switch to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to lead its stakeholder engagement activities.
CASA chief executive Mark Skidmore made the announcement in an email to staff on Tuesday.
In the email, seen by Australian Aviation, Skidmore said Walker had more than 35 years experience in stakeholder engagement, communications and media relations, including managing the stakeholder engagement and communications team at Airservices.
“The stakeholder engagement group needs an experienced leader and I am pleased to announce the appointment of someone with broad experience in both communications and aviation. Rob Walker is to be our new stakeholder engagement group manager,” Skidmore said in the email.
“I know Rob has a passion for aviation and already has strong relationships with a wide range of aviation groups, organisations and individuals.”
The stakeholder engagement group, whose role was to ensure the regulator’s communications with the aviation and broader community was consistent and that information was delivered effectively, was one of three main groups established as part of an organisational overhaul CASA announced in November in an effort to improve service delivery.
Skidmore said having a better level of interaction with the aviation community at all levels was a key priority in his rebuilding of CASA and one of the key themes in the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review.
“We all know that over some years our relationship with some sections of the aviation community deteriorated, leading to mistrust and frustration,” Skidmore said.
“From my first day in my job I have seen rebuilding and strengthening relationships with all sectors of the aviation community as critical. It is one of the core aims of the Renewing CASA program.”
The other two groups were an aviation group to manage and deliver all collaboration and interaction with the aviation community including entry control, surveillance, regulatory services, standards setting, regulatory development and regulatory implementation, as well as a sustainability group that provided internal and external support functions.
The role of acting stakeholder engagement group manager has been held by Cheryl Allman since the end of 2015. Skidmore said Allman was a valued member of the CASA management team and would be “placed in an appropriate position as the structural changes we are making are finalised”.
