Meet Our Executive Team | Queensland Airports Limited

Meet Our Executive Team

Amelia Evans

Chief Executive Officer

Amelia was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Airports Limited in July 2022, and previously held the role of Chief Financial Officer.

Amelia is responsible for setting the strategic direction and leads an experienced executive team to deliver safe and exceptional airport experiences and infrastructure projects – with an ambition to expand connectivity, build an inclusive culture and deliver sustainable outcomes for all stakeholders.

Amelia has over 25 years of experience in strategy, finance, operations and transformation in Australia and globally - including the Solomon Islands, UK, USA and Caribbean. Her experience extends across multiple organisations including Ernst & Young, Qantas, British Telecom, Energex, IGA and Private equity portfolios.

Amelia has a strong commitment to creating impact, with a values-based leadership approach, and is a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Amelia is a member of Australian Institute of Company Directors and Institute of Chartered Accountants. She is currently a Pro Chancellor, Councilmember and Chair of the Infrastructure and Finance Committee for Griffith University, a Non-Executive Director of Life Flight Australia and an assessment panel member for Gold Coast Nature Based Tourism. She has previously held Non-Executive Director roles with Destination Gold Coast, National Trust Queensland, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and UNIQ You.

Marion Charlton

Chief Operating Officer

Marion has an impressive track record in business and aviation domestically and abroad. Since joining QAL, Marion has held a variety of senior roles including her current position of Chief Operating Officer, where she manages the day-to-day operations of QAL group airports. Recently, Marion oversaw the transformational Gold Coast Airport terminal expansion, which doubled Gold Coast Airport’s footprint to 30,000sqm. Marion worked at Atlanta and Sydney airports during the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and was in Glasgow during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Marion has strong ties to the community and is a past Trustee with the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation and sits on the board of Bond University.

Adam Rowe

Chief Commercial Officer

Adam joined QAL in 2017 as General Manager Business Development and Marketing, before moving into the role of Executive General Manager Business Development and Marketing in July 2018 and Chief Commercial Officer in August 2021. Adam is responsible for driving both aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue, working with airline partners and tourism bodies to grow domestic and international capacity across QAL's ports and maximising non-aeronautical revenue with precinct partners including retail, food and beverage, parking and ground transport. Adam has held a number of senior management and executive roles within the airline industry, working for Virgin Australia and Tigerair, brings almost 15 years' experience to this role.

David Hedges

Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary

David re-joined QAL in January 2019 having previously held various executive roles within the Group between 2010 and 2014. He is a generalist lawyer with extensive experience as general counsel and company secretary within Australian airports and the tourism and property sectors. David is responsible for QAL’s legal and governance functions as well as the Group’s company secretarial role. His professional experience has been gained working within major national and multinational corporations. David has also worked with Australia’s preeminent indigenous organisation, the ILC and its subsidiary, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia and was also a director of the Mutitjulu Foundation, a successful not-for-profit established to improve the lives of Uluru’s traditional owners. He is a long standing member of The Ethics Centre, a member of various legal and governance groups as well as an associate member of the Queensland Indigenous Lawyers Association.

Ben Daly

Chief Financial Officer

Ben is the Chief Financial Officer and leads an experienced team responsible for managing all aspects of financial strategy and management including Treasury, Tax, Corporate Finance, Financial Control and Performance as well as Technology, Data, Procurement and Aeronautical Pricing for QAL and the four airports it owns and operates. Ben was previously the General Manager of Finance from July 2019 to January 2023. A chartered accountant, Ben has gained experience across large organisations in the airline, utilities and infrastructure industries having held senior finance, commercial and transformational roles at Sydney Airport, Origin Energy and Qantas.

Shannon McFadden

Chief Strategy, Sustainability and People Officer

Shannon joined QAL as the Chief Strategy, Sustainability and People Officer (CSSPO) in July 2023. Shannon has extensive experience in strategy development and implementation, stakeholder engagement, business operations, and talent management. Shannon joined QAL after more than 18 years in management consulting at Bain & Company, advising companies in Australia, the US, Europe and Asia across multiple sectors, including retail, media & entertainment, consumer products, financial services, and private equity. Shannon also held key operational roles, leading the human capital functions, supporting strategy development and mobilisation, and managing the day-to-day commercial operations of Bain Australia. As QAL’s CSSPO, Shannon oversees the development and execution of the strategy, delivery of the company’s ESG agenda, communications and stakeholder engagement, and people & culture.

Brian McGuckin

Chief Property and Planning Officer

Brian has extensive experience across the Property and Development sectors and was appointed as QAL’s Chief Property and Planning Officer in March 2023. Brian oversees QAL’s experienced Property and Planning team in the delivery of major projects such as Airport Master Plans, upgrades and the planning and facilitation of ongoing development projects. Brian previously held roles at Springfield City Group and Leighton Properties, where he delivered multiple complex and sustainable building and precinct developments to a value in excess of $1.5Bn both to design development and delivery in the Commercial Office, Retail, Hotel, Hospitality, Manufacturing and Education sectors.