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Moving On After 10 Years At The TopGippsland Water’s Acting Chair, Pam Keating, today announced the resignation at the end of the year of its long serving Managing Director, John Mitchell.
By Gippsland Water - 5th September 2007 - Back to News After 10 years as the organisation’s CEO and more recently its Managing Director, Mr Mitchell is leaving to take up opportunities in the private sector.
Ms Keating said that the Gippsland Water Board appreciated the hard work and many achievements of Mr Mitchell over the past decade.
"We have been very fortunate to have such a competent leader to take us through a period of substantial change and development," Ms Keating said.
"It was a great advantage for Gippsland Water and the Gippsland community that John is a ‘local’ and is very experienced in working in Gippsland."
Prior to his appointment to Gippsland Water in 1997, Mr Mitchell had a long and distinguished career in local government in the region as CEO of Traralgon City, CEO of Baw Baw Shire during the local government restructuring, and then as CEO of Latrobe Shire Council.
"I regret John’s decision to move on but I fully understand his desire to pursue private commercial opportunities that are available to him," she said.
"His departure at the end of the year will allow time for finding his replacement and an orderly hand-over.
"The Gippsland Water Factory, perhaps John’s most important project, is proceeding very well and will always be a legacy of his energy and foresight," she said.
"With issues like climate change and water shortages facing the region the Gippsland Water Factory will provide a lasting community benefit and set the standard in Victoria for industrial water reuse."
Ms Keating listed Mr Mitchell’s achievements in pursuing environmental best practice which include:
- Establishment of the Gippsland Integrated Natural Resources Forum, a new and more effective model for collaborative local decision making on natural resources and environmental issues.
- Development of the Australian Sustainable Industry Research Centre, a collaboration with Monash University and the Cooperative Research Centre on Waste Management, developing new technologies to help industry achieve sustainable operations.
- Appointment of a Technical Review Panel of eminent and highly qualified people to help Gippsland Water plan strategically and achieve outstanding results in natural resource and risk management.
- Development of the Soil and Organic Recycling Facility, with good community endorsement, a vital facility to support Gippsland’s progress.
- Initiation of the Gippsland Water Factory, widely recognised as a highly innovative solution to a range of environmental and water supply challenges.
Mr Mitchell said that he was particularly proud of helping build a strong and inclusive culture in Gippsland Water and winning the 2004 Victorian Workplace Excellence Award against competition from public and private companies with 100 to 250 employees.
"Whilst that was a great thrill for me personally, I was more pleased for our wonderfully dedicated staff as this award was public recognition for their outstanding achievements," Mr Mitchell said.
"It had been an absolute privilege to lead such a wonderful group of dedicated staff at Gippsland Water, and in this regard I include both former and present employees. I have also enjoyed immensely working with local community and interest groups," he said.
"I would like to think that the efforts by Gippsland Water over the past 10 years have met customer expectations, and that our major project initiatives will help make Gippsland more sustainable and a better place to live," concluded Mr Mitchell.
Ms Keating said that John’s 10 year anniversary on 1 September would be a cause for celebration.
She said that the Gippsland Water Board would proceed with the task of finding a replacement before John Mitchell left the company on December 31 2007.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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