Weekly column from Council Courier e-newsletter by CEO Greg Hallam on Friday, 23 September 2016.
Finding someone to step into the enormous shoes of our General Manager, Advocacy Greg Hoffman PSM was always going to be a tall order.
But this week I can announce a successor with impressive credentials, a strong diverse professional background and, most importantly, an in-depth knowledge of the Queensland local government scene.
Welcome back, Sarah Buckler!
Many of our members will already know Sarah but for those who don’t, here’s a quick rundown that doesn’t do justice to her skills, experience and academic record.
She grew up in Cairns then attended James Cook University in Townsville. She has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Economics (with first-class honours, I should add).
As I said, she worked for the LGAQ about 15 years ago as Manager of Economic and Public Policy. She’s lived and worked in Bundaberg, Mackay and Toowoomba in executive council roles and consulted with the AEC Group.
For the past 10 years, Sarah has been at the heart of Queensland Government operations in senior roles including Assistant Director General and, most recently, Deputy Director General of Strategic Policy and Intergovernmental Relations in the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
She was the unanimous choice for the four-person interview selection panel who helped our recruitment agency assess more than 40 high-quality applications and interview the shortlisted candidates.
It’s worth noting that three of the top five were women, a reflection of our strong diversity policy.
Sarah starts on 7 November.
It’ll be a time of mixed emotions here at the LGAQ – we’ll celebrate the return of a civic prodigy in Sarah and mourn the departure of a local government legend in Hoffy (though he will no doubt be somewhere in the frame as a consultant).
In addition to preparing for Sarah’s return, we’re also gearing up for our Annual Conference on the Gold Coast.
As I say in my video message in this edition of Council Courier, the conference is our window to the world.
It’s where we get together, debate the important issues, swap stories, share our knowledge and network.
There will be a lot of new faces at this year’s event, which we’ve themed “New World Order”, and we look forward to helping them become more informed and connected civic leaders.