{"id":191991,"date":"2026-07-17T18:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/?p=191991"},"modified":"2026-07-17T18:39:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:39:26","slug":"committee-for-geelong-chief-departs-abruptly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/news\/committee-for-geelong-chief-departs-abruptly\/","title":{"rendered":"Committee for Geelong chief departs abruptly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Committee for Geelong chief executive Michael Johnston has abruptly resigned, ending his tenure at the region’s peak advocacy body after almost four years.<\/p>\n

The organisation announced his departure on Friday, saying interim leadership arrangements would be confirmed as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Johnston joined Committee for Geelong in 2023 and has been at the forefront of the organisation’s advocacy on major regional projects, funding campaigns and economic development initiatives.<\/p>\n

His tenure included the delivery of the Future Geelong project, the launch of the Future Geelong Leadership Awards and the development of the Green Heart proposal for the Market Square precinct.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Johnston said it had been a privilege to lead the organisation over the past four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of the Committee’s work advocating for Geelong’s best future, a world-class city that is inclusive, progressive, smart and sustainable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Michael Johnston (far left) joined the region’s business leaders and mayors in January to call for greater investment in Avalon Airport and the surrounding employment precinct. Photo: supplied.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI wish the board, the team and the incoming leadership every success and look forward to seeing Geelong’s continued growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Committee for Geelong chair Rebecca Bartel thanked Johnston for his contribution to both the organisation and the wider Geelong region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board thanks Michael for his contribution to the organisation and to the Geelong region and wishes him every success in the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe board has met and will announce interim leadership arrangements as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe committee’s strategic priorities, programs and advocacy for the Geelong region continue, with the board overseeing operations during this transition.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Committee for Geelong chief executive Michael Johnston has abruptly resigned, ending his tenure at the region’s peak advocacy body after almost four years. The organisation announced his departure on Friday, saying interim leadership arrangements would be confirmed as soon as possible. Johnston joined Committee for Geelong in 2023 and has been at the forefront of […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":191994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"featured_section_post":"","home_featured_section_post":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-191991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCommittee for Geelong chief departs abruptly - Surf Coast Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Committee for Geelong chief executive Michael Johnston has abruptly resigned after almost four years with the organisation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/surfcoasttimes\/news\/committee-for-geelong-chief-departs-abruptly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Committee for Geelong chief departs abruptly - 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