Today, Scenic Rim Regional Council made a majority decision (four votes to three) not to reappoint Jon Gibbons to the role of Chief Executive Officer, on conclusion of his current Employment Agreement on 18 June 2022.
I would personally like to thank Jon for his diligent, values driven service to this Council and community since March 2018. In his time at Council, Jon has convincingly delivered on an agenda of transformational reform, while steering the organisation through the tail end of 2017 flood reconstruction works, 2019 drought and bushfire impacts and 2020-2021 COVID-19 related challenges. In doing so, Jon has demonstrated strong strategic executive leadership, developing a strong Executive Team and bringing pragmatic change to life for the region.
Apart from the diverse challenges of day-to-day oversight of Council operations, Jon has:
- implemented the organisation’s transition to zero based budgeting via a strategically staged program;
- led the modernisation of corporate strategic and operational planning;
- significantly progressed the challenging transition from a legacy culture of silo-based operations to a customer-led solution-based culture. This has seen change of systems, organisational structure and processes that position the organisation for continued improvement to service delivery across our region.
- overseen a record program of investment in asset upgrades across the region including through Vibrant and Active Towns and Villages Program, Bridge Renewal Programs and Public Play Space upgrades.
In his role as CEO, Jon has led a significant reform in the governance of Council, keeping pace with the significantly changing legislative landscape, predominantly as a result of recommendations for better practice in local government made by the Queensland Audit Office.
Throughout this time, Jon has provided strong leadership to bring clarity, improved compliance, transparency, accountability and continuous improvement.
Jon’s effectiveness in leading the organisation through this period has been verified by external assessment of Council’s performance against key metrics by the Queensland Audit Office.
Jon has been a passionate proponent of the region and will be leaving Council with these strong foundations.
The Council did not provide a reason for its decision not to re-appoint.
I wish him well in his future endeavours.
Council will make further announcements as we prepare to approach the market in the near future to recruit a new Chief Executive Officer.
Greg Christensen
Mayor- Scenic Rim Regional Council