Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Geoff Kettle is pleased to announce the appointment of Warwick Bennett as the General Manager of Goulburn Mulwaree Council for the next five years.
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Mr Bennett comes to Goulburn with a wealth of experience in local government administration.
Most recently, he has been the General Manager of Mid-Western Regional Council, a medium-sized council based in Mudgee and including the towns of Rylstone, Kandos and Gulgong. The region has a population of 24,000 and the Council has a staff of 340 and a turnover in excess of $100 million.
During Mr Bennett’s time at Mid-Western Regional Council, he has overseen large capital projects including a $12.5 million sports stadium, $25 million sewer scheme, $4.5million library and a $3.5 million commercial premise.
Mid-Western Council won the 2013 Bluett Award, one of the most prestigious awards in local government. This council also won the Federal Government Excellence in Local Government Award in 2012. Such awards are testimony to his excellent leadership skills.
He has also managed flood damage repairs to the value of $10 million and been responsible for the marketing and promotion of major sporting events for Mudgee including the Trans-Tasman Touch Football Tests, the Parramatta Eels and the Country vs City NRL games.
Prior to his time at Mid-Western Council, Mr Bennett had been in private enterprise in New Zealand. He was Chief Executive on Timpak Industries, a timber packaging business based in Hamilton, NZ with over 250 staff and an annual turnover of $52 million.
He was also the Chief Executive of Waikato District Council from 1993 to 2004. This is the fourth largest council in New Zealand, covering 25,000 square km, with one of the largest road networks in the country. Here, Mr Bennett led a team of 160 people and managed an annual operating budget of $57 million.
He started out as an accountant for Strathallan County Council and has a Diploma in Corporate Management from Auckland University.
Mr Bennett said he was keen to become part of the Goulburn Mulwaree community.
“I am excited by this opportunity given to me by the Council and I am looking forward very much to becoming part of the Goulburn Mulwaree community and contributing successfully to making the area an even greater place to live,” Mr Bennett said.
Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Geoff Kettle welcomed Mr Bennett to Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
“The recruitment process saw applications from a strong field of candidates and Mr Bennett’s experience and strong track record saw him as the successful candidate and I look forward to working with Warwick to continue to prosper GMC’s credentials as a leading regional centre,” Cr Kettle said.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing General Manager Chris Berry for his dedication to the job over the past five years and during the years he served prior to that as Planning Manager, going back to 2002. Goulburn Mulwaree has a bright future ahead of it and I thank Mr Berry for all of his hard work during his time at the helm of the Council.”
Mr Bennett will take up his appointment from June 16. Council will consider the appointment of an Acting General Manager at an Extraordinary Council Meeting to be held this afternoon at 5pm in Council Chambers.
