Get to know Greater Shepparton’s new CEO
Q. Where are you from and how did you find your way to Shepparton?
I was born in Melbourne. We left there when I was in primary school and headed to Coffs Harbour for 12 months. My parents took a detour to Mildura planning to return to Melbourne, however they decided to settle in Mildura with dad opening his own business, so I enjoyed growing up on the beautiful Murray River. Unfortunately, at the time of attending university the only real option was to leave and head south so I ended up at La Trobe University in Bendigo. Post university, we decided to look for work in Shepparton.
Now, close to 30 years later, Shepparton is still home with a couple short stints elsewhere. We chose to make a life here in Shepparton, including raising our children. Despite not having any connections in the area, we have been extremely fortunate to have wonderful friends that became our family.
Q. As the new CEO, what is your vision for Greater Shepparton?
Being part of creating the future of Greater Shepparton has been an absolute passion and driver of my work for many years. When the opportunity came to move to Tasmania, I was torn as I felt that I had unfinished business in this space. This feeling was the primary motivation for my application for the CEO position.
I certainly have my ideas, but as we know the vision needs to be owned by us all and we all have a role to play if we are to see it come to fruition. I am passionate about open and transparent communication, about listening and engaging in robust and respectful discussions, so that we can all contribute to the growth and success of Greater Shepparton and all the communities which make this such a wonderful place to live.
I am currently having many conversations with members of our community, Councillors and staff, as I need to understand the things people love about Greater Shepparton, what they want to retain, the challenges and issues they want to address and solve, and new aspects they would like to see become part of the fabric of our community. This is the time we come together to look for opportunities that will best position Greater Shepparton now and into the future.
I will have more to share about this in the future as I continue to formulate ideas and concepts. However, we continue to have a strong sense of who we are and what we need to build on and leverage from our past and recent successes, and our ability to demonstrate incredible resilience in the face of adversity to determine and drive our future needs and aspirations.
Greater Shepparton is leading the way as we continually strive to be a vibrant, culturally rich, creative, green and leading regional city and I look forward to working with our community in developing our roadmap. One that may be unconventional as we show Australia just how strategically important Greater Shepparton is to the prosperity of our nation.
Q. What are some personal or professional achievements you are most proud of?
Being the parent of two lovely children is without a doubt my most important and proud achievement. As they are now adults, I can truly appreciate how they continue to challenge and ground me.
From a professional perspective, I think my reputation for being bold and brave, for always looking for opportunities to think differently and to view things through an alternative lense, is something I am most proud of. This approach focuses me to be results-driven and sets a very high standard I expect for myself (and others) in terms of deliverables and paying respect to the privilege I have been given as the CEO of Greater Shepparton.
Those who know me best and have worked alongside me over the years know the level of commitment and energy I bring to every interaction, with an aspiration of creating a place where people want to live, study, work, do business, play, volunteer and try something new.
Q. What is your favourite thing about Greater Shepparton?
Without question, it is the people! The sense of community here is rare, and time and time again we have come together during times of adversity and celebration. This isn’t necessarily the same experience in other communities.
Q. What is your favourite food?
As a vegetarian, I do like a good Thai or Indian curry.
Q. What football team do you barrack for, or what other sports or hobbies are you passionate about?
I am a retired triathlete, but I do still get out on the bike and the occasional shuffle. We definitely missed the flat roads when we were in Tassie.
Laughing, chatting and spending time with the kids and friends is what we love the most, and I enjoy the challenge of taking on the role of travel agent when we are travelling and exploring.
Being a friend of the Executive Director of the Tasmanian AFL Team, we have recently purchased a membership. So, I need to say ‘go the Tassie Devils!’ That is my bet for the name of the team, but all will be revealed on 18 March.
