Baw Baw Shire Council has announced the appointment of two new Directors following a recent organisational restructure.
The new organisational structure came into effect on Monday 3 August and was designed to ensure Baw Baw Shire Council was appropriately structured to meet the current and future needs of our community.
The restructure saw a significant change to Council's Executive Leadership Team, with a reduction from five Directors to three Directors managing three new directorates including Infrastructure and Environment Services, Customer and Corporate Services and Community and Planning Services.
The appointments are:
• Nathan Kearsley - Director Customer and Corporate Service
• Jill Colson - Director Infrastructure and Environment Services
Recruitment for Baw Baw Shire's Director Community and Planning Services remains ongoing.
Chief Executive Officer Tilla Buden congratulated the new Directors, saying the appointments marked an important milestone for Baw Baw Shire Council.
"These appointments bring together exceptional leadership, deep expertise and a shared commitment to delivering meaningful outcomes for our people, partners and the communities we serve," Ms Buden said.
"Our new leadership team positions us to respond to emerging opportunities, strengthen collaboration across the organisation and continue delivering on our strategic vision."
Nathan Kearsley - Director Customer and Corporate Services
Nathan Kearsley joins Baw Baw Shire from Latrobe City Council, where he has held the position of General Manager Organisational Performance since October 2022. His current role on the Executive team at Latrobe City Council incorporates leadership of functions including finance, Information Technology and Corporate Strategy, People and Culture, Governance and Property Operations. Before his current role, Nathan spent six years at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, in Manager level roles in areas including Finance, Property and Commercial Services.
Before entering Local Government, Nathan spent several years in Investment Banking in Asia. A seasoned leader of diverse teams across a range of disciplines and sectors, Nathan develops teams that place the customer at the centre, creating energy and momentum to enable organisations to deliver on Council priorities. He brings a high level of commercial acumen and judgement, a broad corporate services skillset and a focus on delivering outcomes to a high standard.
Jill Colson - Director Infrastructure and Environment Services
Jill joins Baw Baw Shire from Bayside City Council, where she has held the position of Director, Environment, Recreation and Infrastructure since April 2023. Before her current role, Jill held the role of Director Corporate Services at Bayside City Council from 2018. Before joining Bayside, she was with Manningham Council for five years, overseeing People and Culture, Governance and Risk, and before that, Yarra Ranges Council.
With an extensive background in HR, Organisational Development, Strategy and Organisational Performance, Jill is a values-based leader who brings significant depth and breadth of experience across both Local Government and the private sector. She is passionate about creating and maintaining places and spaces for community wellbeing and amenity, and climate resilience, and is highly experienced in managing diverse portfolios and engaging with a broad range of stakeholders and multi-disciplinary teams to deliver optimal solutions.
