Ms Hayley Richards is the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations. She is a senior executive having worked in both private and public sectors in the UK, Singapore and Australia. Ms Richards has previously held senior leadership roles within the Northern Territory Government and is often found at the nexus of public policy and commercial reality.

Ms Richards rejoins the NT Government after several years with Ernst and Young where she led the firm’s Northern Territory practice. She has qualifications in Commerce and Economics, and she is the proud mother of two small Territorians having made the Northern Territory home, 15 years ago. In January 2026, Ms Richards was appointed to the inaugural advisory board for Tourism and Events NT.