The announcement comes in light of Franczak's impending departure
Australian rail freight operator Aurizon has announced the appointment of Michael Carter as the acting head of operations until his predecessor Mike Franczak’s departure in March 2016.
Effective January 1, Carter will take on the role of acting executive vice president of operations as Franczak assists him with the transition.
Carter has 25 years of experience in the rail industry, inlcuding working as an advisor to the London Underground during its restructure.
Carter is a former director of the Rail Industry Safety Standards Board, the Australian Logistics Council, the Australasian Rail Association, and a former member of the Union of International Railways Executive Council.
Thanking Franczak for his work, Aurizon CEO Lance Hockridge says “his experience has been invaluable in helping the team achieve many of the performance targets we set our company in recent years.”
“We have set very clear targets to the market in terms of cost outs and performance improvements,” Hockridge says.
“I will also be working closely with the teams to ensure a seamless transition and help our highly experienced and capable leadership team in Operations deliver on our targets and our next phase of reform and growth.”
Franczak joined the company in 2013 having worked for several years with Canada’s second largest railroad, Canadian Pacific.