City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali has paid tribute to outgoing chief executive Peter Harriott after announcing the appointment of a former employee in the top job.
Council has been looking for a new chief executive since it decided in July to readvertise the role.
Mr Harriott has been in the role since January 2016, and his last official day on the job will be January 4.
He’ll be replaced by Fiona Le Gassick, who moves from TasTAFE in Tasmania but formerly worked for council for almost 10 years in a range of roles at management and director levels. She’ll assume the role on January 15 next year.
“We felt that Peter’s been CEO of Greater Shepparton City Council and has been a great CEO of Greater Shepparton City Council for eight years,” Cr Sali said.
“We felt that because of the contract coming up, this was the most appropriate time if we were going to consider someone else and look at what’s out there.
“Perhaps see what could be presented to councillors about whether we can keep doing what we’re doing really well but also go to another level, and we felt that this would be the most appropriate time to test the market. See what’s out there.
“That was nothing personally, or specifically, against Peter, but we felt that because of the contract ending, this would be the most appropriate time if we were going to do that.”
Cr Sali said confidentiality conditions prevented him from saying whether Mr Harriott reapplied for the job or not.
“There was a really strong field of candidates, and that was really pleasing because there really is that element of the unknown when you go to readvertise,” Cr Sali said.
“When we did and were able to see some really strong candidates throw their hat into the ring, which was great and pleasing that there was interest in coming to be the CEO of Greater Shepparton City Council, that gives us confidence as a group of councillors.”
Cr Sali said he expected Ms Le Gassick to help take Greater Shepparton to new heights.
“We’re a region built on the back of agriculture, industry, we do advanced grade and we need to continue to do them and take them to another level,” he said.
“She (Ms Le Gassick) outlined around those types of topics where she feels that we can go to another level, and that was what excited me and clearly a majority of council, acknowledging that Peter Harriott’s obviously done a power of work in stabilising our organisation over the last eight years and set in some good foundations that can be built on.”