Davies, an engineer who currently leads AECOM's infrastructure advisory business in Asia Pacific, will oversee the finalisation of the Australian infrastructure audit, which will review the country's infrastructure needs.

Infrastructure Australia chairman Mark Birrell said the audit would identify and prioritise major infrastructure projects and reforms to support Australia's growth and increase productivity.

"Mr Davies is a highly qualified engineer and infrastructure expert and has valuable experience in both the public and private sectors," Birrell said.

Before joining engineering group AECOM in 2008, where he advised the federal government on the feasibility of building a high speed rail line on the east coast, Davies was director of traffic operations with Transport for London, where he played a key role in the introduction of congestion charging.

He also spent six years with financial group Deloitte, where he was based in Tokyo for four years as a management consultant working with footwear group Nike.

Davies' appointment comes after the Abbott government last year restructured the infrastructure body, creating an independent board and a new role of CEO by amending the Infrastructure Australia Act.

Some of the government's suggested amendments were controversial, with Infrastructure Australia's former coordinator, Michael Deegan stepping down from the body in February 2014 after he lashed out against the government for eroding the body's independence.

The government subsequently backed down from some of the proposed changes, which would have given it power to exclude certain classes of projects from scrutiny and allow the Infrastructure Minister to withhold publication of project evaluations.

Davies will retire from board seats at the Committee for Sydney and Infrastructure Partnerships Australia before starting his job at Infrastructure Australia in April.