Travis Auld is a busy man. Days out from the Australian Grand Prix, the new CEO is leading a small group of media outlets through the hospitality options at Albert Park, stopping to greet suppliers and batting away phone calls.

The former AFL executive stepped into the role in 2023 and has quietly taken ownership of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), responsible for the Formula 1 grand prix in Melbourne and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

Auld has been on a media blitz, with profiles in The Age and The Herald Sun documenting his ambitions for the Australian Grand Prix to take on Silverstone as the biggest F1 event in the world.

Key to his plans would be a new entry on the Queens Road side of the circuit, linking with the new Anzac Station metro stop expected to open in 2025.

His media blitz, with the Age profile on Friday followed by a Monday exclusive in the Sun, has not quelled the interest of the media, with Auld heard negotiating his way out of a follow up as he takes fellow reporters around the circuit.

He has discussed his disappointment at missing out on position of CEO at the AFL, looked over from his post as general manager of finance, clubs and broadcast in favour of fellow long-serving executive Andrew Dillon.

Who would want to be a CEO in the current economic climate, with Woolworths boss Brad Banducci out the door following a trainwreck interview with the ABC's Four Corners and facing inquiries from the ACCC and the Senate.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce too was one of the most disliked figures in Australia, a figurehead for the ire directed at airlines and the travel industry after the COVID-19 pandemic and a steep decline in the brand's customer service.

Dillon, the new AFL boss, fits the same mould as rugby league czar Peter V'Landys, giving the appearance of a sporting fanatic plucked from the stands and obsessive about his sport.

Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Travis Auld looks on during a 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix Preview at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. *(Josh Chadwick/AGPC/Getty Images)*

On the same day as Auld appeared polished and untouchable in Melbourne, preparing to welcome the motorsport world’s elite, Dillon was in Devonport, greeting a shabby room of diehard supporters as the AFL announced the details of the new team planned for Tasmania.

Despite his disappointment, the AGPC role is no small fry in comparison, leading two world-class international events.

Auld is now in the company of other organising CEOs like Bahrain's Sheikh Salman Bin Isa Al Khalifa.

"The middle east has Sheikhs, Victoria has AFL executives, it's the same thing right?" I ask.

Auld laughs, before adding, "well they've been doing it a long time, and they generally have the money to fix their problems."

It's a quirk that despite the 'Australian' title, the AGPC is a Victorian government body.

During contract renegotiations for the grand prix, former CEO Andrew Westacott was regularly forced to brush off the constant suggestions that New South Wales may poach the golden goose, a competitive bidder despite the all-encompassing "Australian" name of the Melbourne host body.

NSW did come close to snatching the event, with former minister for major events Stuart Ayres taking F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali on a helicopter tour of Penrith, promising Monaco on the Nepean.

It was, clearly, unsuccessful, with the Penrith Lakes site now just a few hundred metres of beach opened with great fanfare but little amenity for the sweltering residents of western Sydney earlier this summer, and Albert Park holding the rights to the grand prix until 2035.

Australian Grand Prix CEO, Travis Auld speaks to media during a Tour of Facilities at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. *(Morgan Hancock/AGPC/Getty Images)*

Auld, sharp, polished and appearing more from the no-nonsense administrator class of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and outgoing AFL boss Gillon McLachlan than sporting czar or NSW coalition MP, is definitely emerging as the person you would want to fight your battles.

He won't admit it on record, but the 2024 grand prix will set another admission record after reaching 440,000 over the four days in 2023.

It's testing the limits of the Albert Park precinct, he says, with the need to open a new entrance and rethink the fan experience without changing the heart of the event.

Like the fan numbers, he won't specifically admit to his emotions on the eve of his first grand prix but agrees they contain a mix of anticipation and trepidation.

"Whether it's your first or your tenth Grand Prix, when you have a big event like this, a big global event, the opportunity to put Australia and Melbourne specifically on a global stage; it's pretty normal to feel those nerves and a healthy level of anxiety," he says.

"So it is my first one that probably only adds to that, but I'm very fortunate that I've got a team who have done it for quite some time, we've got a group of partners who have executed the event for quite some time."

"So that gives me a little level of comfort."

The staff and partners are obviously key to the new boss, who out of the eye of the cameras and waiting for the next stop on the tour, introduces the chefs from the Marriott Bonvoy Lounge to some of his media executives.

He's taken out of the room by another member of his team, with a deep discussion and gesturing towards the paddock entrance indicating more details of last-minute finessing.

Australian Grand Prix CEO, Travis Auld, at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. *(Morgan Hancock/AGPC/Getty Images)*

"In saying that there's a whole range of things that we're trying to do different and hopefully we'll get better than we've done before," he says of tweaks around the edges for 2024, like moving paddock areas to better accommodate the FIA Formula 2 field and taking the risk to dedicate some of the popular Melbourne Walk fan area to a hospitality offering from The Esplanade Hotel.

"So the pressure is around executing and get that last 3% right."

While Victoria has a new premier and Auld steps in for Westacott, the longest serving CEO of the AGPC after 12 years in the position, the question is: do the new demands signal fresh ambition from the new boss?

"No, this is the continuation of the journey, it's not the start of a new one," says Auld.

"Andrew Westacott and the team did an incredible job before I started in the momentum that we've got now."

"It's just taking a really, really good event and making it even better is the challenge."

"And, we've got a whole lot of people who would like to come but at the moment we don't have enough capacity."

"So, we've probably been a little conservative in terms of ticket sales just to make sure that we don't impact what is known to be a really premium event."

AGPC board member Mark Webber took Auld to Friday at the Italian Grand Prix, with the new CEO visiting Barcelona for MotoGP before heading to Las Vegas to get the full Formula 1 experience.

He says it was important for him to see what F1, who own and operate the new Vegas race, saw as important when establishing the fan experience.

While the Dutch have their 'Orange Army' and other circuits have their own special quirks, Auld says his role in developing the grand prix is less about taking from international events and more enhancing the areas that make the Australian grand prix special.

"Making sure that the offering is broad enough to reflect what has been a pretty dramatic change in the demographic of people who are coming to this event," he says.

"More families, a young demographic, lot more females, things that we're all very proud of."

"We've got to make sure we continue to evolve the experience so that each of those people that come along with the for the first time, enjoy it and want to come back."

The cost to host the event after the bidding war with NSW is expected to lead the AGPC to its first $100 million loss.

“We saw when the contract came up that other states, and in particular one other state pitched and pitched hard for it, and you can see why with those sorts of returns," he told the Age, saying the event is expected to return around $270 million in economic benefit to the state.

“It’s our job to make sure the next time we have this conversation that F1, FIA and the state of Victoria are all aligned in terms of extending beyond 2037.”

Motorsport Australia and the AGPC were key figures in organising the new Vietnam Grand Prix, which was to be held at a new circuit in the heart of Hanoi before cancellation due to the pandemic.

Auld is in agreement that the AGPC could be a more active participant should the sport seek to return to Vietnam or other local areas in the future.

"I think that we've got capability in this organisation to run really big, successful global events."

"So, if we can turn that capability towards helping others who are trying to do the same thing, and in doing so, grow our revenue base, then we will do that."

"First and foremost, our priority is to get this event right, to get the MotoGP in Phillip Island right, but if there's capacity left over after that, to explore other ways to grow our revenue base, we'll do it."

On the eve of the Bahrain grand prix, CEO Al Khalifa appeared at a media dinner, relaxed and understated in a black tracksuit with the grand prix now out of his hands and running full steam ahead.

"If things go right, he's the boss," he said, pointing to his chief operating officer.

"I'm only the boss when things go wrong."

It's a test the new Australian boss is yet to face, ready to take his event to new heights, but about to be truly tested for the first time.