The City of Melbourne has appointed a Chief Digital Officer, the first such position in Victorian local government.
CEO Ben Rimmer today announced that Michelle Fitzgerald would take up the role, heading up the City of Melbourne’s newly formed Smart City Office.
“Michelle comes to us with an outstanding work history in digital strategy both in Australia and internationally,” Mr Rimmer said.
“In her roles with PwC, she has led teams on projects helping some of Australia’s largest companies to develop and refine their strategies for the future. Now Michelle will do the same for the City of Melbourne.
“Technological change is affecting the way we live, work and do business in our city and we must harness this change to take full advantage.”
The Chief Digital Officer will lead the City of Melbourne’s Smart City Office, bringing thinking and action in four key areas: ensuring Melbourne is a preferred location for start-ups and entrepreneurs in technology and biosciences; building on Melbourne’s world-leading reputation as a centre for knowledge, research and higher education; driving the transformation of City of Melbourne services to embrace customer focus, digital, agile development, and open data; leading a decisive shift in Melbourne’s infrastructure management towards a “smart city” model, getting more out of the city’s infrastructure because it talks to the internet.
Mr Rimmer, who led digital transformation for Australian Government service delivery before joining the City Of Melbourne, said the challenges and opportunities created by digital disruption should be embraced by all levels of government.
“It is vital that we get this right if we are to maintain our liveability and our economic prosperity.”
