Executive Leadership Team
The Executive Leadership Team at Baw Baw Shire Council has recently navigated the organisation through a significant restructure.
Baw Baw Shire is a peri-urban Council located approximately an hour from the Melbourne CBD in the eastern part of Victoria, with its main administration centre located in Drouin. The shire offers diversity in terms of its landscape and is named after the major geographical feature in the region, Mount Baw Baw – the highest peak in the region.
The members of the Shire’s Chief Executive Leadership Team have been nominated as High Achievers by Mayor Debbie Brown who said the team members “show true leadership and professionalism in their approach”.
Chief Executive Officer Helen Anstis has been at the helm of the team for five and a half years, leading the organisation through a major transformation as it positions itself to realise its identified growth. Supporting Anstis in the successful delivery of Council’s strategic plan is the Executive Leadership Team consisting of Liana Thompson Director Corporate and Community Services; Phil Cantillon Director Community Assets; Matthew Cripps Director Growth and Economic Development; and Jane Oakley Executive Manager Community Information and Advocacy. Collectively, the team has more years of local government experience than they care to say.
A challenging project the Executive Leadership Team has navigated through over the last 12 months has been the organisational restructure.
The team told Local Government Focus about the process, “Collectively the leadership group set about how to best prepare the organisation for the challenge of rate capping and a constrained fiscal environment.
“In detail, the team in consultation with the broader organisation explored management models, structures and service configurations. Like any major restructure, on reflection there were many things we could have done better.
“We researched successful (and the alternative) organisational restructures and considered what would work best in our environment. It was agreed that we needed to be thorough and considered in our approach but at the same time deliver the changes quickly.
“It was a difficult and emotional process, however we are proud of the outcome which has seen a streamlined organisation that is flexible and adaptable enough to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us.
“This journey has strengthened the connection between members of the Executive Leadership Team.”
Other recent challenges have included: negotiating the first Enterprise Agreement in Victoria with salary increases below three percent per annum; the rehabilitation of a legacy landfill in Trafalgar (one of their largest capital works projects); plus the commencement of the Shire’s biggest ever capital works project – the redevelopment of the Warragul Leisure Centre.
The team said, “Moving forward we are facing challenges based around significant population growth whilst maintaining service delivery in a rate capped environment.
“The Executive Leadership Team has adopted a transparent and open engagement process in a bid to ensure it remains connected with staff and the community. We don’t always get it right, however we embrace feedback and continuously search for better ways to improve our engagement approach.
“We embrace business and service delivery improvement through working with partners to ensure we maximise council plan priorities and objectives.”
The team members stress the importance of strong leadership. “At Baw Baw Shire Council we are prepared to ‘challenge the boundaries and make a difference’ in all that we do. This can sometimes be difficult and requires strong and robust relationships, and leadership.
“We are well supported by our Council and the staff who work for the Shire. It is their belief in our community, their professionalism and dedication that ensures Baw Baw Shire Council, continues to punch above its weight in the delivery of outstanding outcomes for the community.”
