The latest senior public sector appointments from across the country.
Senior Executive Service
Band 1
Wendie Boyd has been named assistant secretary at the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
At the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Daniel McCracken-Hewson has been appointed as a general manager, while Helen Anness (bottom-right corner) has been appointed as deputy general counsel.
Do you know a senior public servant who has recently taken on a new role? Email sjenkins@themandarin.com.au to let us know.
ASIC
Joseph Longo has been appointed as full-time chair and Sarah Court as full-time deputy chair to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, for a five-year period starting on June 1.
They replace deputy chair Daniel Crennan and chair James Shipton, who have both resigned following revelations regarding taxpayer-subsidised rent.
Longo is currently a senior advisor at Herbert Smith Freehills. He has previously worked as general counsel for Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong for 17 years, national director of enforcement at ASIC, and was a partner at Parker & Parker (now Herbert Smith Freehills).
Court is currently commissioner of the ACCC. Prior to that, she was a senior executive lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor. ACCC chair Rod Sims has congratulated Court on the appointment.
“This is a well-deserved reflection of the experience, expertise, and wisdom Sarah brings to the table,” he said.
“ASIC’s gain is very much our loss. Sarah was first appointed as an ACCC commissioner in May 2008 and reappointed for an impressive third term in 2018. In her 13 years at the ACCC, Sarah has made an incredibly significant contribution to the agency and its work.”
Congratulating the appointees, Shipton said Longo’s experience would “serve ASIC well in the vital work it does in supporting the financial system and economy, especially as Australia recovers from the downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Read more: James Shipton resignation in ‘best interests’ of ASIC, Frydenberg says
Airservices Australia
Anthony Kitzelmann has been appointed as chief information security officer at Airservices Australia.
He most recently held the role at the Australian Digital Health Agency. Prior to that, he has worked for Lockheed Martin, CrimTrac, and the Department of Defence.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Kitzelmann said his final week at the ADHA was “a mixture of bitter and sweet experiences as I said farewell to my awesome team”.
“I am looking forward to the challenges ahead, as I work with my new colleagues to build a world class cyber program supporting the business,” he said.
NSW council inquiry
The NSW government has appointed Roslyn McCulloch as commissioner of an inquiry into Central Coast Council.
McCulloch has three decades of experience in local government and planning law, and in 2019 conducted the inquiry into Balranald Shire Council. She will investigate Central Coast Council’s financial management and ability to serve the local community.
Local government minister Shelley Hancock said the performance of the council has been of “great concern” to the community.
“On behalf of all Central Coast ratepayers, I want to see council performing in the best interest of the community and this public inquiry will help get to the bottom of the issues which have impacted its performance, resulting in my suspension of councillors and appointment of an interim administrator,” she said.
Council was first suspended in October last year with interim administrator Dick Persson appointed to provide independent governance to address “widespread financial, reputational and organisational issues”. He was joined by former local government general manager Rik Hart to oversee the council’s operational recovery.
Hart will now take on the role of interim administrator in May, following Persson’s decision to step down.
Hart has nearly two decades of experience as a local government general manager at councils including the City of Parramatta, Inner West Council and Warringah Council and of course Central Coast Council.
As a result of the inquiry, the local government election scheduled for the Central Coast in September will be postponed until late 2022.
Geoscape Australia
Former Olympian Dean Capobianco has been appointed CEO of Geoscape Australia, a self-funded geospatial data company owned by Australian governments.
He is currently a non-executive director of Provider Choice, and a senior adviser to Karlsgate Inc.
Geoscape chair Lynne Robinson noted that Capobianco has successfully built, scaled and transformed businesses in Australia and the Asia Pacific region
“Dean’s capabilities and leadership style are a very close match to what we were seeking in our new CEO. He is immensely positive and energetic, with a real knack for bringing out the best in people. We know he’ll have a big impact on the business,” she said.
In his new role, Capobianco will drive business growth at Geoscape to realise the company’s vision to be the de facto standard for national-scale location data in Australia.
“The geospatial industry continues to evolve with the constant search for new data sources, tools and solutions, and I’m excited to lead Geoscape into its next phase of growth and innovation,” he said.
“Helping governments, industries and organisations make critical decisions, transform their businesses and deliver improved products and services is important for the future of all Australians.”
