New Council, New General Manager, New Energy! The Mayor of West Coast Council, Councillor Phil Vickers today confirmed that Mr Dirk Dowling will be appointed as the new General Manager of the Council. In announcing Mr Dowling’s appointment, Councillor Vickers thanked Greg Winton, Interim General Manager, who has been acting in the position since late May 2014. “Greg took on the role to maintain a level of continuity for Council as the recruitment process for the General Manager position took place. On behalf of all Councillors I thank him for his efforts.” he said. Councillor Vickers said that an extensive recruitment process was undertaken to find the right candidate, with over nineteen quality applicants from all around the country applying to take on the key leadership position. “Mr Dowling was identified as the right person at the right time to help drive Council’s operations and to work closely with Councillors, staff and the community over the next 3 years. He brings a genuine wealth of experience and a very high level of expertise to what is a challenging time for the West Coast. Mr Dowling has previously worked for 6 Councils in three states of Australia in various executive management roles, successfully designing and implementing programs and structures to tackle economic development challenges and opportunities in partnership with the community. He has also worked in The Queensland State Government, the non-profit sector, the private sector and has owned and operated several businesses in the past.” “Mr Dowling holds a Bachelor of Laws and he has a deep understanding of local government operations, the tourism sector, mining sector and other key economic drivers for regional Australia.” he said. Councillor Vickers went on to say that Mr Dowling showed a real passion for balanced community growth and development, and was a clear choice for a new Council looking to take advantage of all available opportunities for the community and to push for greater diversity and sustainability into the future.” Mr Dowling said: “I’m very excited about the opportunity. The West Coast of Tasmania is such a stunning part of the world. Despite some recent economic setbacks for the region, I’m very optimistic. The area has competitive advantages that can be built on and with a strong Council truly engaged with their community, business and industry, other local governments and the other tiers of government, the future definitely looks bright. I look forward to working closely with the many stakeholders that can have a positive impact on the sustainability of the Council itself and the growth and prosperity of the region as a whole. The new General Manager will commence duties with West Coast Council on 1 December 2014. Authorised by Greg Winton, Interim General Manager Enquiries to be directed to: Mayor Phil Vickers - 0437096971
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 00:00:39 +0000