Whitsunday Regional Councillors have voted to appoint Warren Bunker as the Council’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Mayor, Julie Hall said Mr Bunker (pictured) was appointed following a recruitment process that attracted 66 high quality applications from across Australia.
“Warren is a well-respected individual with over 30 years’ experience in private practice and Queensland local government on the Sunshine Coast and North Queensland,” Mayor Hall said.
“Warren’s knowledge combined with a demonstrated track-record in the business of local government placed him as the ideal candidate to lead our region forward.
“We wanted someone with strong leadership, management, and advocacy skills to lead the organisation and Warren passionately believes in empowering teams and staff to achieve common goals.
“Importantly, we have a shared desire to build on our community engagement and strengthen our partnerships with our varied stakeholders.”
Mr Bunker was previously Group Executive Liveability and Natural Assets at Sunshine Coast Regional Council.
“In this role he was responsible for leading the environmental sustainability agenda, managing growth and managing the capital works program. He was responsible for implementing the new Maroochydore CBD and overseeing streetscaping programs for the historic towns,” the Mayor said.
“Along with my team of Councillors, I look forward to working with Warren to deliver open and transparent local government for the Whitsunday Region and most importantly deliver positive results for our community.”
Mr Bunker said he was excited by the opportunity to lead the Whitsunday Regional Council.
Mayor Hall paid tribute to outgoing CEO, Rod Ferguson and acknowledged his outstanding work in leading the organisation since May 2020.
“We are grateful to Rod for his leadership and commitment to the organisation over the past few years, particularly during the challenging circumstances we faced during the COVID-10 pandemic. We wish him all the best in his retirement,” she said.
Mr Bunker will officially commence his new role on 27 February 2023.