With a population of more than 67,000 people, the City of Greater Shepparton is one of the larger local government areas by population in regional Victoria, and it’s about to get a chief executive who has never run a council.
Fiona Le Gassick is joining Greater Shepparton from TasTAFE in Tasmania but can draw on a decade of experience previously working for northern Victoria’s largest city in various roles at management and director levels under outgoing chief executive Peter Harriott.
Ms Le Gassick said she would be drawing on that experience when she took up the role on January 15, as well as the knowledge gained from a varied career so far, saying the mixed CV outweighed not having previously held a council chief executive position.
“These days, I think we have an understanding that people’s careers aren’t necessarily linear,” she said.
“I think that very much, people get appointed based on their skills and their experience and as you alluded to, I think the breadth and diverse experience that I have actually does position me well for the role at Greater Shepparton.
“I understand the significance of the role, and I think that I come in with my eyes wide open after being away for two years, but I think that my diverse experience will position me well in terms of overseeing a whole range of portfolios, and I think that will be helpful in terms of providing some leadership within the organisation.”
Ms Le Gassick was born in Melbourne and grew up in Mildura but took her first significant professional steps in Shepparton.
That journey included working with the Department of Human Services in foster care, child protection, youth work and program development.
A range of projects followed with Berry Street before joining GOTAFE in business development, marketing and short course development. The newly created role of manager of marketing and community services got her to Greater Shepparton City Council for the next 10 years, and a boat ride across Bass Strait to work for TasTAFE as director of future students and industry was the final stop before making her return to the Goulburn Valley.
In her first interview since being appointed in the role, Ms Le Gassick told The News she also had a strong background in local government.
“Local government is extremely complex, and I think that we all acknowledge that, and even though I haven’t been a CEO of a local government or local council, I have spent 10 years within local government and even at a management and a director level, I truly appreciate the level or the complexities of local government,” she said.
Ms Le Gassick said she would be building on the sound foundations laid by her predecessor Peter Harriott, who will finish in the role on January 4 after eight years, and the current councillors.
“We need to acknowledge Peter Harriott and his leadership that he has provided with Greater Shepparton over the last several years,” she said.
“I think he’s put the organisation in a really strong position in terms of effective management and strong governance, and I think that a lot of that is in place, and that actually gives me the opportunity to be able to look at the vision and the aspiration for the organisation and for the community, and doing that in partnership with the councillors, the staff and the community.”
Upon announcing her appointment, Mayor Shane Sali described Ms Le Gassick as capable of taking Greater Shepparton to “the next level of economic growth and opportunity”.
When asked what that means beyond the traditional roads, rates and rubbish, she said it would involve defining a collective aspiration for the community.
“I have an idea about what that might look like, but again, that’s just my vision,” she said.
“I think, obviously, it’s really important to work collectively with the councillors and the staff and the community to make sure that the vision is right and that everyone has input into that and has ownership over it as well.”
Like many in the region, Ms Le Gassick said she found the recent Federal Government withdrawal of funding from the proposed Shepparton bypass disheartening but not the end of the fight, and the city’s housing crisis was a “very high priority”.
It all guarantees a busy agenda from day one.
“People at council are so committed to the community and the cause, and I’m just really keen to have an understanding around the sense of the organisation at the moment and having a real focus on and investment in the people as well,” she said.
“Knowing that we are very fortunate to have a really cohesive council at this point in time is part of what really is energising me about taking on the CEO role.”