Mornington Peninsula Shire Chief Operating Officer Alison Leighton will start work as Baw Baw Shire CEO on 21 August.
Ms Leighton’s public appointment tonight comes almost six months after the announcement former CEO Helen Anstis would take a position with Service Victoria.
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Community assets director Phil Cantillon has served as interim CEO since 9 February.
In a Baw Baw Shire media release, Ms Leighton described herself as “a collaborative leader.”
“I will seek to empower the Baw Baw Shire team to deliver outstanding service to the community in all areas of the municipality,” she said.
“I have a very strong community service ethic and strive to create maximum value from ratepayer funds. My focus will be on creating value for [the] council to redirect back to the community in the form of service improvements and the delivery of priority projects.
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“Baw Baw Shire Council is a unique municipality with a strong agricultural heritage, extraordinary natural assets, productive landscapes and many vibrant towns and villages. Given the projected population growth, increasing community expectations and the need to make the absolute best use of the ratepayer dollar, the shire is at a pivotal point in its history.”
Baw Baw mayor Joe Gauci was quoted in the same release saying Ms Leighton has “over 15 years of progressive leadership experience in infrastructure, planning, operations, program and service delivery and business transformation.”
“The calibre of applicants was outstanding across the board, however Ms Leighton’s broad experience in local government and authentic, contemporary approach to leadership made her a clear choice for the role.
“In addition to Ms Leighton’s local government experience, she is a qualified engineer, an alumni of Harvard Business School, an MBA graduate and a member of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (Victoria) Board, bringing a breadth of accolades and working knowledge to the role.
“We are confident that Ms Leighton will do an outstanding job navigating the organisation efficiently and effectively through significant growth while ensuring delivery of Council’s plans and visions.”
Cr Gauci also thanked Mr Cantillon for his tenure as interim CEO.
Ms Anstis became CEO in 2010 and was instrumental in the council’s challenged restructure and administrative move to Drouin in 2015. You can find out more about the CEO position by clicking here.
