New council general manager appointed

LISMORE City Council has appointed a South African-born New Zealander as new general manager following a meeting on Tuesday night.

LISMORE City Council has appointed a South African-born New Zealander as new general manager following a meeting on Tuesday night.

Gary Murphy accepted the council’s offer after being selected from 44 applicants, mainly due to his unusual combination of skills which includes an engineering background, good people management skills, a sustainability sense and experience with a number of major projects.

“I’m delighted to announce Mr Murphy has accepted council’s offer. Gary has an extensive background in local government in New Zealand and South Africa and in the private sector,”Lismore Mayor Jenny Dowell said.

“He comes to Lismore from his position as chief executive of Buller District Council in New Zealand, a position he has held since November 2003.

“Mr Murphy has a strong reputation for community development, is regional focused and has strong commercial and marketing skills with an emphasis on sustainability. His staff leadership skills are also highly regarded.

Mr Murphy is a chartered professional engineer with postgraduate qualifications in civil engineering. Mr Murphy is 44 years old and is looking forward to moving to Lismore with his wife Michelle and their school-aged daughter. The couple’s other daughter will remain in New Zealand where she is a university student.

“Michelle and I have spent the last week in and around Lismore. We are excited about making our home here and I look forward to working with the mayor, councillors and staff to take Lismore forward,” Mr Murphy said.

The current general manager, Paul O’Sullivan, will retire on June 30, 2011. Mr Murphy will commence his new role on August 1.
 

Originally published as New council general manager appointed