Board
of Directors

Stephen Cantwell joined the TasRail Board in January 2017 and was appointed Chair in January 2020. With almost 40 years of experience in a broad range of strategic, functional, and customer-facing roles within multi-billion dollar national and international businesses, Stephen has extensive experience backed by strong commercial acumen. In addition to his TasRail role, he sits on the boards of Port of Brisbane P/L, Queensland Rail, Lindsay Australia, and Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group.

Throughout his executive career, Stephen worked in a range of C-suite and CEO roles with the pre-privatised Queensland Rail and the publicly listed Bradken Ltd. At Bradken, Stephen was responsible for differentiated consumable and capital products supplied to global markets in the resources, freight rail and power generation sectors.  His role encompassed responsibility for manufacturing facilities worldwide, distributing through an extensive network of sales and service centres in Australasia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, China, India, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

In a career spanning 33 years with Queensland Rail, Stephen worked through every organisational level to build strong national and international business credentials in the transport and logistics sector. He continues to work with a range of global corporations and governments to advise in the areas of transport, logistics and infrastructure.

Stephen holds a Business Degree from the University of Southern Queensland, majoring in Operations Research and Information Systems, a Graduate Diploma in Transport Management, and a Master of Business Degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics, a Fellow of the Centre for Integrated Engineering Management, and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Anita Robertson joined the TasRail Board in December 2021.  She is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Secretary with more than 25 years’ experience in finance and governance.  

Anita is currently the Business Manager of St Virgil’s College Hobart, Director of General Practice Training Tasmania, and an independent Panel Member of the Risk & Audit Committee for the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.  Previously she was the Chief Financial Officer of RACT and Chief Financial Officer/Company Secretary of Metro Tasmania and has held senior finance roles with Deloitte and PwC.  

Anita is a past Tasmanian Regional Councillor for the Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand (CAANZ), past member of its Tasmanian Corporate Advisory Panel, and a past Tasmanian State Councillor for the Governance Institute of Australia. She is a former Non-Executive Director of Lady Gowrie Tasmania and past Chair of its Finance Sub Committee. Anita is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand, and Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Michael was appointed to the TasRail Board in November 2022. He has wide ranging rail experience spanning 34 years across a variety of engineering, commercial, operational and leadership roles with Queensland Rail. This experience was followed by 12 years as a specialist rail consultant undertaking multiple interstate and international assignments for government and private sector clients. 

During his last 17 years with Queensland rail Michael held general management and executive management positions and led best practice achievements in safety and operations and also achieved significant improvement in commercial outcomes. 

Michael holds a degree in engineering and post-graduate management qualifications, including a Master of Business Administration. He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He is also a member of the Institution of Engineers Australia.

Michael’s previous board experience consists of chair of a company trustee for a family self-managed superannuation fund, director of RT Health, chair and director of Transport Health, chair and director of Railways Credit Union (now called Move Bank), director of Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal Pty Ltd, WICET Services, WICET Holdings, the Heritage Train Company, the TransLink advisory board, the Queensland Tourism Industry Council board and the UITP ANZ board (International Public Transport Association).

Ian Vanderbeek is an accomplished senior executive and non-executive director with over four decades of international experience spanning the transport, logistics, and agriculture sectors.  He has held leadership roles as Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, and Independent Director across a range of organisations in Australia, the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.  His global perspective is underpinned by extensive board experience across government, listed, and privately held companies.

A strategic thinker and experienced change leader, Ian brings strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, consistently delivering results in complex and regulated environments.  He is known for his ability to drive performance against demanding service delivery targets, while fostering high-performing, diverse teams. Ian is recognised for his collaborative leadership style, advanced communication skills, and his willingness to challenge conventional thinking to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Most recently, Ian served as President of Airline Operations for U.S. based Southern Airways Express. He now consults to organisations across several sectors and serves as a Non-Executive Director of several government and private boards.  Ian holds a Bachelor of Business and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Eliza Anning joined the TasRail Board in November 2025. She is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience in commercial law, governance, infrastructure, and strategic transformation. She has led major restructures, divestments, sustainability strategy development and operational turnarounds across the logistics and supply chain sectors, including in her role as Chief Transformation Officer and General Counsel at LINX Cargo Care Group.

With a foundation in commercial and corporate law, Eliza brings a unique blend of legal precision and strategic insight to boardrooms and executive teams. She has advised on major infrastructure projects, joint ventures, and regulatory matters, including safety and industrial relations matters.

Eliza currently serves as Director of Schouten Advisory Pty Ltd, where she provides strategic and legal advisory services to national clients, and is a former director of the Australian Logistics Counsel.

A graduate of the University of Tasmania and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, Eliza is committed to transparent governance, inclusive leadership, and creating long-term public and private-sector value.

Matthew Groom was appointed to the TasRail Board in November 2025. He is an experienced commercial lawyer with a diverse professional background spanning more than 25 years. He spent a decade practicing corporate and commercial law with top-tier firms MinterEllison and Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer), in both Melbourne and London. He later served as General Counsel for an international joint venture undertaking renewable energy development in Australia, China and India. Matthew has also held senior public sector roles in Tasmania and nationally, including having previously served as a Cabinet Minister in the Tasmanian Government and as a Senior Member of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal. 

Matthew holds an Arts/Law degree from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne. He is admitted to practice in the Supreme Courts of Tasmania and Victoria, as well as the Federal Court of Australia and the High Court of Australia.