Delivering an Executive Search to Drive Cultural Renewal and Governance Reform for a Victorian Local Government
The Brief
David Baber, Senior Partner was engaged by a Victorian local government to appoint a Chief Executive Officer tasked with leading cultural renewal, strengthening governance, and restoring community trust following a period of organisational disruption. The Council required a values-driven leader with proven experience in complex service delivery environments, strong financial acumen, and the ability to inspire confidence among Councillors, staff, and the community.
The CEO role was pivotal in implementing recommendations from a recent governance review, rebuilding organisational culture, and delivering excellence in customer service and community engagement. The successful candidate needed to demonstrate strategic vision, resilience, and a collaborative leadership style aligned with the Council’s aspiration to become a high-performing, community-focused organisation.
The Process
Future Leadership™ undertook a rigorous national search process tailored to the council’s governance and cultural reform priorities. The assignment began with a comprehensive briefing and strategy development session involving Councillors, the Independent Chair of the CEO Employment Matters Committee, and the State-appointed Municipal Monitor. This engagement clarified success factors and the ideal candidate profile, ensuring alignment with the council’s strategic objectives. The search phase leveraged Future Leadership’s extensive networks, proprietary database, and targeted advertising across LinkedIn, SEEK, LG Directory, and the Future Leadership platform. This approach attracted high-calibre candidates from local government and adjacent sectors with relevant leadership experience. Candidates were assessed against a detailed success profile incorporating capabilities such as governance and compliance, culture and engagement, financial stewardship, and stakeholder relations. The evaluation process included in-depth interviews, leadership capability analysis, and thorough referencing. Shortlisted candidates progressed to panel interviews with the Selection Committee, where they demonstrated strategic vision, cultural leadership, and the ability to deliver governance reform.
Future Leadership Capability Framework
Governance and Compliance
Establishes, champions and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems. Identifies and evaluates risks, develops strategies to mitigate risk.
Culture and Engagement
Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment.
Commercial Acumen
Provides a deep understanding of relevant industry, marketplace and business drivers as applicable to the organisation. Leverages the application of commercial tools and frameworks to manage opportunities, conflicts and trade-offs.
Stakeholder Relations
Establishes rapport with stakeholders, builds and sustains trusted and collaborative relationships. Identifies and draws on relevant and diverse perspectives and integrates them to support productive interactions.
Communication and Influence
Articulates messages with clarity and impact to build understanding, inspire action, persuade others and enable information exchange. Considers the audience and draws on different styles to create impact.
Critical Thinking
Gathers and examines different data points, testing for assumptions and gaps in logic; reframes problems and presents well-reasoned insights considering diverse perspectives. Analyses, interprets and objectively evaluates information enabling judgements.
The Outcome
The appointed Chief Executive Officer brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across multiple local government organisations in Australia. Most recently serving as CEO of a major metropolitan council, this leader successfully delivered cultural and financial transformation, returning the organisation to surplus after years of deficits and improving engagement scores significantly. Previous roles include Deputy CEO and Director of Governance at a large growth council and Chief Financial Officer at a capital city council, providing deep expertise in governance, financial stewardship, and organisational performance. Holding Fellow status with CPA Australia and a Graduate qualification from the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the appointee combines commercial acumen with a strong community focus. Their background positions them to lead cultural renewal, embed governance excellence, and strengthen stakeholder relationships in alignment with the council’s strategic priorities.
