Gold Coast City Council: Massive city hall leadership restructure planned
The head of the Gold Coast business lobby is backing a radical plan to restructure four city marketing bodies under one single CEO, saying it’s “an apt time to make the leap of faith”.
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The head of the Gold Coast business lobby is backing a radical plan to restructure four city marketing bodies under one single CEO, saying it’s “an apt time to make the leap of faith”.
Council CEO Tim Baker has proposed the move in a major restructure of council-owned entities – tourism marketing body Destination Gold Coast, foreign student body Study Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast and cultural entity Home of the Arts (HOTA), the Bulletin revealed this week.
The restructure is aimed at streamlining operations and reducing overlap. Under one CEO, the four entities’ existing CEO roles would be scrapped and have roles “akin” to general managers instead, a source has revealed.
Former Queensland Airports boss Chris Mills was approached by the Bulletin for his thoughts on the plan - and if he would put his hat in the ring for the CEO but declined to comment.
The idea, similar to that of Auckland Council in New Zealand, was first pitched more than four years ago and is understood to be the option favoured by city leaders.
A report by Deloitte detailing possible options is due in late February.
Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce boss Martin Hall said the time was right to reform the council entities.
“I think the city is ready for it and it seems like an apt time to make the leap of faith and do it,” he said.
“Right now it seems like everyone is trying to pull essentially in the same direction but they are all slightly off.
“The time is right and this would allow for a greater focus in the future.”
The CEO posts of the four council entities are all vacant, with the exception of Major Events Gold Coast which is headed by Jan McCormick.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan resigned and departed in late November and long-serving HOTA CEO Criena Gerke resigned in September to take up the role of group executive for strategy and impact at Circa Contemporary Circus.
No recruitment drives have begun for the three vacant posts, nor have job ads been placed.
If councillors vote to restructure the entities, a new board would first need to be assembled.
Its membership would likely be drawn from the existing four boards.
A nationwide search for the CEO would be launched on a similar scale to the one which saw Mr Baker recruited from Tasmania in early 2021.
“If (we) go for this, the recruiters will be looking for someone of statute who is highly experienced with a background in marketing who understand tourism particularly,” a council insider told the Bulletin.
Mr Baker recently went to Auckland with Mayor Tom Tate and is understood to have had taken a close look at his New Zealand counterpart’s organisational structure.
Former Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan, who currently serves as chairman of Events Management Queensland which runs Gold Coast Marathon, said any prospective restructure was a critical decision for the council going forward.
“It is a decision which must provide a good outcome,” he said.
“They need to ensure that if they choose to create this CEO role that they get someone who has exposure and experience to all areas of the business.”
Revealed: Powerful Coast CEO roles face scrap heap
THE CEO roles of the Gold Coast’s four events, arts and promotional entities will be scrapped in favour of a single tsar under a radical plan being considered by city leaders.
Council CEO Tim Baker’s major restructure of council-owned entities – tourism marketing body Destination Gold Coast, foreign student body Study Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast and cultural entity Home of the Arts (HOTA) - is to streamline operations and reduce overlap.
The review is to go before councillors in late February.
With CEO posts in three of the four organisations all vacant, The Bulletin understands he is looking at a more substantial revamp which would see each entity come under a single CEO and board.
A city hall source told the Bulletin the restructure would be similar to one by the Auckland council in New Zealand
“This is prime time for Tim to bring to councillors the idea of a single entity which would have a gun CEO over the top, while the existing posts would become akin to general managers,” the source said.
“Multiple models are being looked at but this is the preferred one. Naturally council would go to the market to find someone of the right stature for the post.”
Mr Baker recently went to Auckland with Mayor Tom Tate and is understood to have had taken a close look at his New Zealand counterpart’s organisational structure.
The leadership of the four council entities has undergone a dramatic change in the past six weeks, with three of the four CEOs all departing.
Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan resigned and departed in late November to take up the post of Tourism and Events Queensland CEO in the new year. The entity forecast there would be no recruitment drive until the new year.
Long-serving HOTA CEO Criena Gerke resigned in September, finishing earlier this month to take up the role of group executive for strategy and impact at Circa Contemporary Circus.
The sole CEO remaining in the role is Major Events Gold Coast boss Jan McCormack. It has come under criticism by some for “failing” in its primary goal to consistently deliver big-ticket attractions and events.
It was instrumental in bringing the Pacific Airshow – among the world’s biggest - next year - but it took flack for events doubling up on busy weekends, including the GC500 and Groundwater Country Music Festival at the same time as Halloween.
But Ms McCormack insisted it had been “remarkably successful” given its founding in mid-2020 amid Covid-19 and the amalgamation of Surfers Paradise Alliance, Connecting Southern Gold Coast and Broadbeach Alliance.
No recruitment drives have been begun for the three vacant posts, nor have job ads been placed.
A council spokeswoman said the CEO posts were a matter for each entity’s boards.
“A report is expected to be presented to Council in the first quarter of 2023,” she said.
Multiple councillors have expressed concerns about the scale of any prospective restructuring.
“It would be an uphill battle to argue for a radical change given Destination Gold Coast particularly has proven its chops,” one councillor said.
“This is a great opportunity to ensure all entities are pulling in the same direction, there is less duplication and more coherence.
“We need to ensure we are all aligned with the same goal.”
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