Wayde Chiesa is set to take on the role of chief executive officer at Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland (RDA) following the retirement of Glenys Schuntner.

Ms Schuntner announced her retirement in May after 11 years at the helm, with achievements including the successful Inland Queensland Roads Action Project (IQ-RAP).

“It has been an absolute honour to work for RDA,” she said. “I thank the current and former committee members, staff and our partners and stakeholders in economic development for their support and spirit of collaboration to advance our great region. It has been a great team effort.

“I look forward to my retirement, my on-going volunteer role as Chair of the JCU Townsville Fire and spending more time with my family and friends and hopefully travelling too”.

Mr Chiesa joins RDA after previously working at Townsville Enterprise as director – regional development and investment.

He has more than 20 years’ experience as a finance and business professional working for organisations including Townsville City Council, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BHP Billiton and Incitec Pivot.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining the organisation,” Mr Chiesa said.

“This region has amazing strengths that we can look to capitalise on to not only ensure our existing industries are strong, but we create new ones that secure the future for our next generation.

“I look forward to working with the RDA Committee and staff as we work towards seizing these opportunities and attracting investment into our region. And I’m excited to get out to all 15 local government areas and meeting the people that make this region tick.”

Ms Schuntner is due to retire on August 6 after a hand-over period.