Roberts firms as new APPEA boss
Queensland’s competition tsar has emerged as frontrunner to lead the country’s peak oil and gas lobby, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association.
Industry sources say Malcolm Roberts is in pole position to take on the Canberra-based role as APPEA chief executive.
An announcement could come as early as today, ahead of next week’s APPEA conference in Melbourne.
Dr Roberts, who served as chief-of-staff to Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane during the Howard Government, is two years into a three-year term as chairman of the Queensland Competition Authority. He is also a past chief executive of the Energy Networks Association.
An appointment would end a five-month search by APPEA for a successor to David Byers, who quit to join BHP Billiton.
Paul Fennelly has been acting chief executive since Mr Byers’ exit and is thought to have been on a short list of candidates. Others are thought to have included Federal Department of Industry resources division boss Bruce Wilson and Clean Energy Finance Corp chief operating officer Meg McDonald.
