2021-05-11 Services & Organisation Committee Meeting Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA     11 MAY 2021


                                                   ATTACHMENT 1




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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                   11 MAY 2021

                                                                                              ATTACHMENT 1

                                                                                              1 May 2021

  Mayor Clare Stewart and Councillors
  Noosa Shire Council
 9 Pelican Street
 Tewantin QLD 4566

  Dear Clare and Councillors,

 Re: - Transition to Retirement

  | would like to advise the Council that after much contemplation, that | propose to transition to retirement
 in early 2022.

  In doing so, my intention is to provide the Council with as much notice as possible to enable a smooth
 transition process for the role of CEO to occur. My intention is to retire on 2 February 2022 which coincides
 with the expiry of my current contract. This will provide Council with almost 9 months to advertise, shortlist,
 interview and select a new Chief Executive Officer and also provide time for a “CEO handover” to minimise
 any operational disruption to the organisation. There is a lot on at the moment and the more time there is
 to have a measured handover, the better for the Council in terms of continuity.

  | would like to share with the Council my reasoning for transitioning to retirement at this time.

  Firstly, | have a strong personal view that any organisation need renewal on a regular basis. This helps bring
 new ideas, new energy and fresh eyes to a Council which | think will be good for the organisation in the longer
 term. | am personally proud of what our Council has achieved since we de-amalgamated at the beginning of
 2014. It has been an incredible experience and one that | am very privileged to have been part of. | hope
 that whoever is the next CEO can take the Council to even greater levels.

 Secondly, if a Council is going to have a change at the CEO level, it’s best to happen near the midterm, not
 just before or just after an election. Changes before or after an election can be quite disruptive to a Council
 based on my experience of what has occurred at other councils across Queensland. My proposed retirement
 date will be close to the midterm for this Council and enable a new CEO to settle in with the current Council
 and be well established before the next election period starts. Having been through a number of elections,
  | know how challenging election periods can be and how important it is to go into that time with a settled
 CEO/Council relationship in place.

 And finally, | turn 60 next year. | have put my heart and soul into this organisation for many years since
 originally being appointed as Director of Corporate Services in 2001. Now coming up for 8 years as CEO, it’s
 time to slow down and smell the roses and enjoy the lifestyle that Noosa has to offer. Suffice to say that the
 role of CEO is quite an intense one and it will be good to have some time to myself. The average tenure for
 a CEO in local government across Queensland is currently less than 2 % years reflecting the somewhat
 challenging nature of the role in recent years. Not many CEO’s get to choose the time of their departure.

  | have some plans to spend time doing volunteer work to help some indigenous Councils develop their
 governance capabilities and hope that my experience will help make a difference to those Councils. | will, of
 course, get further involved in the Noosa community by having time to volunteer for local community groups.
 And finally, | may get some requests to provide support and assistance to other CEO’s across the State which
  | willbe happy to do. The role of alocal government CEO is a somewhat complex and occasionally lonely role
 and | would like to continue the work | have been doing for the last few years as LGMA State President in
 supporting other Council CEOs via mentoring.

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