# List of administrative heads of Christmas Island

This is a list of the administrative heads of Christmas Island since 1 October 1958, when it became an external territory of the Commonwealth of Australia.
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
| Christmas Island Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia |||||||
| 1 | Donald Evan Nickels | Official Representative of Christmas Island | 1 October 1958 (1958-10-01) | 30 September 1960 (1960-09-30) | 1 year, 365 days | |
| 2 | John William Stokes | Official Representative of Christmas Island | 1 October 1960 (1960-10-01) | 12 June 1966 (1966-06-12) | 5 years, 254 days | |
| 3 | Charles Ivens Buffett | Official Representative of Christmas Island | 13 June 1966 (1966-06-13) | 30 April 1968 (1968-04-30) | 1 year, 322 days | |
| 4 | Leslie Dudley King | Administrator of Christmas Island | 1 May 1968 (1968-05-01) | 30 April 1970 (1970-04-30) | 1 year, 364 days | |
| 5 | John Sampson White | Administrator of Christmas Island | 1 May 1970 (1970-05-01) | 14 March 1973 (1973-03-14) | 2 years, 317 days | |
| 6 | Francis Scott "Frank" Evatt | Administrator of Christmas Island | 15 March 1973 (1973-03-15) | 14 March 1974 (1974-03-14) | 364 days | |
| 7 | Charles Harry Webb | Administrator of Christmas Island | 15 March 1974 (1974-03-15) | 8 October 1975 (1975-10-08) | 1 year, 207 days | |
| 8 | William Worth | Administrator of Christmas Island | 1 November 1975 (1975-11-01) | 31 October 1977 (1977-10-31) | 1 year, 364 days | |
| 9 | Francis Charles Boyle | Administrator of Christmas Island | 1 November 1977 (1977-11-01) | 4 May 1980 (1980-05-04) | 2 years, 185 days | |
| 10 | Rendle McNeilage Holten | Administrator of Christmas Island | 19 May 1980 (1980-05-19) | 25 May 1982 (1982-05-25) | 2 years, 6 days | |
| 11 | William Yates | Administrator of Christmas Island | 26 May 1982 (1982-05-26) | 9 August 1983 (1983-08-09) | 1 year, 75 days | |
| 12 | Thomas Ferguson "Tom" Paterson | Administrator of Christmas Island | 10 August 1983 (1983-08-10) | 15 April 1986 (1986-04-15) | 2 years, 248 days | |
| − | C. Stephens | Acting Administrator of Christmas Island | 15 April 1986 (1986-04-15) | 3 August 1986 (1986-08-03) | 110 days | |
| 13 | Don Taylor | Administrator of Christmas Island | 4 August 1986 (1986-08-04) | 24 February 1990 (1990-02-24) | 3 years, 204 days | |
| 14 | William Albany "Bill" McKenzie | Administrator of Christmas Island | 25 February 1990 (1990-02-25) | 2 May 1991 (1991-05-02) | 1 year, 66 days | |
| − | A. Mitchell | Acting Administrator of Christmas Island | 2 May 1991 (1991-05-02) | 4 July 1991 (1991-07-04) | 63 days | |
| − | P. Gifford | Acting Administrator of Christmas Island | 5 July 1991 (1991-07-05) | 9 March 1992 (1992-03-09) | 248 days | |
| 15 | Michael John Grimes | Administrator of Christmas Island | 10 March 1992 (1992-03-10) | 9 March 1994 (1994-03-09) | 1 year, 364 days | |
| − | Peter Woods | Acting Administrator of Christmas Island | 10 March 1994 (1994-03-10) | 30 June 1994 (1994-06-30) | 112 days | |
| 16 | Danny Ambrose Gillespie | Administrator of Christmas Island | 1 July 1994 (1994-07-01) | 30 June 1996 (1996-06-30) | 1 year, 365 days | |
| Part of Australian Indian Ocean Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia |||||||
| − | Merrilyn Ann Chilvers | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean Territories | 1 July 1996 (1996-07-01) | 24 April 1997 (1997-04-24) | 297 days | |
| − | Graham Nicholls | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean Territories | 25 April 1997 (1997-04-25) | 30 September 1997 (1997-09-30) | 158 days | 1st Term |
| 17 | Ron G. Harvey | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean Territories | 1 October 1997 (1997-10-01) | 30 October 1998 (1998-10-30) | 1 year, 29 days | |
| (−) | Graham Nicholls | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesActing Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 1 November 1998 (1998-11-01) | 3 February 1999 (1999-02-03) | 94 days | 2nd Term |
| 18 | William "Bill" Leonard Taylor | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 4 February 1999 (1999-02-04) | 30 July 2003 (2003-07-30) | 4 years, 176 days | |
| − | Ray Stone | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesActing Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 31 July 2003 (2003-07-31) | 1 November 2003 (2003-11-01) | 93 days | |
| 19 | Evan Williams | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 1 November 2003 (2003-11-01) | 31 October 2005 (2005-10-31) | 2 years, 92 days | |
| 20 | Neil Lucas | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 30 January 2006 (2006-01-30) | 22 February 2008 (2008-02-22) | 2 years, 23 days | |
| − | Julian Yates | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesActing Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 22 February 2008 (2008-02-22) | 28 February 2008 (2008-02-28) | 6 days | |
| − | Sheryl Klaffer | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesActing Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 28 February 2009 (2009-02-28) | 2009 (2009) | 0 years | |
| − | Stephen Clay | Acting Administrator of Christmas IslandActing Administrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesActing Administrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 2009 (2009) | 5 October 2009 (2009-10-05) | 0 years | |
| 21 | Brian James Lacy | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 5 October 2009 (2009-10-05) | 29 September 2012 (2012-09-29) | 2 years, 360 days | |
| 22 | Jon Stanhope | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 5 October 2012 (2012-10-05) | 6 October 2014 (2014-10-06) | 2 years, 1 day | |
| 23 | Barry Haase | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 6 October 2014 (2014-10-06) | 5 October 2017 (2017-10-05) | 2 years, 364 days | |
| 24 | Natasha Griggs | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 5 October 2017 (2017-10-05) | 22 October 2022 (2022-10-22) | 5 years, 17 days | |
| 24 | Farzian Zainal | Administrator of Christmas IslandAdministrator of Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAdministrator of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands | 26 May 2023 (2023-05-26) | Incumbent | 1 year, 161 days |