National Transport Commission CEO Nick Dimopoulos has passed away from an illness. He was 56.
February 11, 2013
National Transport Commission (NTC) CEO Nick Dimopoulos has passed away from an illness on Friday.
The 56-year-old Dimopoulos, who joined the NTC in 2006, was surrounded by his family.
Since joining the NTC, Dimopoulos led the organisation through influential stages in its history, including overseeing the implementation of the 2009 review of the organisation.
He has also managed the NTC’s support and delivery of Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure (SCOTI) and Council of Australian Governments (COAG) reforms.
“The commissioners and staff of the NTC honour Nick’s tremendous contribution to our organisation and the Australian transport industry,” NTC spokeswoman Jane Murray says.
“Nick was a visionary, a tireless champion for transport reform and a proud family man who treasured his three children and wife Stephanie.
“We will miss Nick’s leadership, collegiality, fierce intellect and mischievous sense of humour.
“Nick’s positive influence on the NTC and the wider transport industry will be felt for years to come.”
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has expressed its condolences to the family and friends of Dimopoulos, describing him as a “brave champion of transport reform”.
“Under Nick’s leadership, the NTC developed reforms that will be vital to the future of Australian transport, including the legislation for the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator,” ATA Chairman David Simon says.
“Nick’s legacy will be safer and more efficient roads, railways and shipping. His family and friends can be proud of the work he did.
“He was not daunted by his illness. He continued to work in his demanding position even as it got worse. It was a display of bravery and grit that none of us knew who knew him will ever forget.”
Dimopoulos’s career spanned both the public and private sectors in mining, agribusiness, logistics, finance and infrastructure industries.
He held senior executive and chief executive positions within the Committee for Economic Development of Australia and Victorian Treasury and has been involved in mergers and acquisitions with BHP Billiton.
Dimopoulos has also worked on World Bank infrastructure projects in China and sat on a number of project boards which manage SCOTI and COAG-driven reforms.
He was a member of multiple professional bodies including the Australian Institute of Company Directors and in his spare time enjoyed attending family and sporting events and community service activities.
George Konstandakos will continue in the interim as Acting CEO.
In lieu of flowers, Dimopoulos’s family has requested donations to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
