Council crowns King as new CEO

FOLLOWING a four-month search, City of Ballarat council appointed a new Chief Executive Officer.

The move was approved unanimously by eight of the nine councilors in attendance (Cr Amy Johnson was absent) to appoint current Hepburn Shire CEO Evan King to replace interim CEO Janet Dore as the City of Ballarat’s new head.

“This is one of the most significant things that an elected council does,” City of Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said.

“We as a council group are particularly excited about this appointment… I’m looking forward to a positive and proactive 2021.”

Having held the CEO role at the Hepburn Shire for two and a half years, prior to this position Mr King was director of corporate and community services at the Pyrenees Shire, business manager at The Salvation Army and finance manager at Mars Wrigley.

“While unfortunately it’s a bit of a loss to one of our neighbours in Hepburn, it’s certainly the City of Ballarat’s major gain here,” Cr Moloney said.

“Evan not only brought really strong local government experience to the role but also a really strong background in both the business sector and the social sector too.

“It’s quite rare that you can find someone with such integrity and calibre who brings also over a decade’s experience in local government but also that great balance of social experience as well as business experience.”

After a critical State Ombudsman report was released in May last year and the then CEO Justine Linley was ultimately sacked, the search for a new CEO for the City begun.

In June council moved to appoint Janet Dore as the interim CEO either until 30 April 2021 or until the date the council elected a new CEO.

Cr Moloney paid tribute to Ms Dore’s recent contribution to the municipality.

“I’m incredibly grateful for Janet’s work over the past several months to not only come in at such short notice but to bring ongoing professionalism to the role and undertake a restructure for us at a senior level and all in the midst of a global pandemic,” he said.

In September 2020, recruitment company McArthur was selected to assist the search for Ms Dore’s replacement and advertising began in November in a variety of newspapers and digital platforms.

Once the shortlist was finalised, interviews, reference and pre-employment medical and a national security checks were completed by Christmas Eve.

Now that the new CEO has been appointed, the upcoming Halliday Report conducted by Susan Halliday AM into the organisational issues within the City of Ballarat will be one of the first things on Mr King’s agenda.

Seconding the motion to appoint Mr King as CEO, Cr Samantha McIntosh said she strongly supported the decision.

“We’ve seen him secure significant projects grants and funding for our broader regions and we’ve seen him working together… with different municipalities surrounding us,” she said.

“We need to move forward with fresh confidence … Evan with his local experience and his broader regional knowledge and his great skills at a state and federal level set us up for the challenges we have before us.

“I absolutely support the recommendation.”

Eager to commence his role as CEO on 15 February, Mr King said he was excited by the opportunity to take on this position at the City of Ballarat.

“Having lived and worked in the region for many years, I’m honoured to take on this role,” he said.

“I look forward to working with the councillors, executive leadership team and our community to develop a robust council plan to meet the challenges and opportunities of the next four years.

“We’ll continue to balance the opportunities presented by Ballarat’s ongoing growth with the need to preserve the unique qualities that make this city a great place to live, work and invest.”