New chief ready to bring ‘strategic planning’ to Shire

The Shire of Denmark’s new chief executive Bill Parker sat down with theAlbany Advertiser to talk about returning to local government after a year working as a property valuer in Albany.

Mr Parker started out in local government with the City of Albany as a project administration officer in 2002. He went on to be the Shire of Jerramungup’s chief executive from 2008 to 2015. Mr Parker lives in Albany with his wife and three sons and is excited to start the new role in late August.

What motivated your return to local government?

I just love Denmark and always have. It’s just one of those places that you go to and just feel good — it’s got a really nice vibe to it. I enjoy the diversity of the community, it’s such a beautiful place naturally. I think if it had been any other local government I might not have applied but it filled me with a renewed enthusiasm for local government and I thought it was a great opportunity to get back into it.

Will you move from Albany to Denmark?

It will have to be a wait and see on that front. We have only shifted the kids 14 months ago so they have just settled into new schools and have new networks of friends so we just have to tread carefully... and see how it goes.

What did you learn from your experience as Shire of Jerramungup chief executive?

The number one thing I learned is that to be a successful local government you need a really strong and robust strategic framework and underpinning that framework needs to be an exceptional group of staff. Only at that stage do you find yourself in a position to achieve some really good strategic outcomes.

What skills will you bring to your new role?

I think the strategic planning and integration are the two big things I can bring to the table and what I think council were looking for the most. Apart for that, the interpersonal skills and ability to build strong teams that can achieve good outcomes.

What do you anticipate some of your challenges might be?

The council is very keen to basically review their community strategic plan, corporate business plan, long-range financial plan and a whole suite of corporate documents, so it’s probably the best place you can start when you come in as a new CEO. I think the biggest challenge will be getting those things in place and then aligning yourself internally from structural perspective so you can achieve all the objectives that the community want to achieve. That’s what we will be doing for the first 12 to 18 months so it should be exciting times.

What are you most looking forward to?

I’m most looking forward to meeting the staff… the council and getting to know the community. That’s where you get most of your satisfaction out of being a CEO — seeing people grow within teams and develop along the journey.

The last 12 months have been tumultuous for the Shire and council. As the new chief executive, is one of your goals to establish some stability and steer away from past disruptions?

I’ve never been one that tends to look too far back. I see this almost as an opportunity for a new way forward. It’s essentially a new council. I’ve been really impressed by their approach and the skills they bring to the table. I know there are very capable and competent staff members... I have worked with a number of them previously at the City of Albany. I think with potentially setting a new strategic direction, it can’t help but be positive. The Shire has got so much to offer in terms of its natural resources (and) its beauty, that it can’t help but be a bright future.