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Tell us a bit about yourself/your background

I started my career in accounting before making the transition into local government where I felt like I could make a real impact. I’ve worked at City of South Perth, City of Swan and Town of Bassendean, as well as in State Government and the private sector which all set me in good stead for my current role as CEO of City of Subiaco.

I have a real passion for learning and have a number of qualifications under my belt, including an MBA, a Master’s degree in HR and another in leadership. I think study helps open your eyes to what you don’t know!

What was it that attracted you to the role of CEO?

I observed that the City was going through a bit of a rough trot and thought, perhaps a little arrogantly, that my skill set was exactly what they may need. This year will be 125 years for the City and it is obvious, given how beautiful our four suburbs are, that a lot of brilliant decisions had been well implemented over the years. I saw the green shoots of business rebounding and particularly Subi’s café and dining culture looking to surpass its previous glory days, and I wanted to be part of that. Let’s face it, it is just the best place on earth to work.

Can you give us a quick snapshot of your city and community?

It’s a very exciting time for the City! Subiaco is undergoing a real resurgence, with some major developments and projects underway or coming that mean we’ll soon be welcoming new residents and visitors to our neighbourhood.

The City is always working hard to attract new business and increase business confidence, and we’re seeing a lot of new retailers, businesses, restaurants and bars setting up shop which is bringing more vibrancy to our streets.

Our community is really supporting this momentum and keen to see this ‘new’ fit in with our heritage which is one thing that really makes our City unique and special.

I’m excited to have this opportunity to work at the City of Subiaco at such a pivotal time.

What do you hope to achieve in your role and what has been the biggest learning so far?

The greatest buzz I get is seeing people stretch themselves to achieve wonderful things for our community. Be that with elected members making the best decisions and staff then implementing those decisions really well. I did a lot of due diligence before applying for the role, but I underestimated the human impact that can occur when an organisation goes through challenges that are highly visible to the public. We are all here for similar reasons, to make a different for our communities and I think sometimes that can get lost in our conversations, so the best thing is to just keep listening and talking.

Tell us about something great your city is working on and how it is delivering for your community?

We have so many exciting things coming up — 2022 is going to be a big year for Subiaco!

One project which we’re currently working on is Subi POP (public open places) which will completely transform some key plazas in our town centre – Postal Walk, Forrest Walk and the newly named Station Walk (above Subiaco train station).

Our community told us they wanted more places to sit and connect, and more vibrancy and activation in our town centre and this project will deliver on all these fronts and give us new places to hold events and activations for all.

Our Elected Members have expressed an interest in expanding this approach to other places so this is only just the beginning of a rejuvenated City of Subiaco.