Executive Team
The NAIF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is appointed by the Board for a period of up to five years. The CEO is supported by a dedicated team of staff and Export Finance Australia by a Service Level Agreement entered into by NAIF to provide additional support services. Chief Financial Officer and Chief Credit Officer services, among other functions, are provided by Export Finance Australia.
Chris Wade
Chief Executive Officer

Chris is an experienced senior investment management executive with extensive experience in leading and developing investment businesses across a range of sectors including infrastructure, renewable energy, property and impact investing.
Prior to joining NAIF in January 2020, Chris led and grew significant businesses in infrastructure funds management (in Asia and Australia) and in Property and Clean energy financing (as an Executive Director at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation).
Chris has held director roles with a range of infrastructure bodies including the Infrastructure Association of Queensland.
Chris is based in Cairns where NAIF is headquartered.
Jacinta Hynes
Chief Operating Officer

Based in Cairns, Jacinta joins NAIF from a senior management role at Uniting Care. A qualified accountant, Jacinta brings with her over 15 years experience across a range of commercial and government organisations.
Her career includes being the General Manager of Business and Finance for Australia’s Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board, Senior Elections Officer at the Electoral Commission of Queensland as well as finance and management roles with a number of private sector companies in property and infrastructure.
Jacinta has oversight over key operational areas including finance and budgeting, risk and compliance, IT, legal and management of the EFA shared services agreement.
Gerard Paynter
Executive Director, Stakeholder Relations & Communications

Gerard was formerly the Queensland State Manager of one of Australia’s largest government relations companies. In that role, he worked with some of Australia’s largest corporations and developed strong government relationships in Queensland and a network of relationships across Australia. Most recently, he has been a partner in a project advisory business that focused on projects where an understanding of government and stakeholder issues were critical to the project’s success.
Amanda Copping
Chief Investment Officer

Amanda is an experienced infrastructure and financial professional with nearly 25 years’ experience advising, developing and financing the infrastructure and utility sectors, including road, rail, airports, ports, schools, oil and gas, telecommunications and renewables projects. Previous roles include Executive Director at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, Royal Bank of Scotland and ABN AMRO and the founder of the infrastructure advisory firm SAC Capital Partners. Amanda was the CFO of a publicly listed infrastructure company, establishing its corporate governance, administrative and risk management regimes and has sat on the boards of multiple infrastructure companies.
Our latest news

NAIF approves $450m backing to regional WA salt and potash project
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility has agreed to provide a $450m loan to a salt and potash production facility that will create hundreds of jobs in Western Australia.

NAIF welcomes additional reforms and release of Statutory Review
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) welcomes additional reforms to its Mandate announced today by the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt.

Contractual close reached on NAIF support to CQUniversity Australia
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) is pleased to announce that a $76 million loan to support CQUniversity Australia (CQU) following the impacts of COVID-19 has reached contractual close.

Project update on Northern Territory Shiplift
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) is pleased to announce it has achieved contractual close for a $300 million loan towards Darwin’s Shiplift Project.