2023 FinPro Conference

Simon Kuestenmacher is a social demographer and an international influencer in data science. His mapping and unique way of looking at data has gathered an international following, his views are regularly sought out by the media and he writes a regular column about demographic trends and urban development for The Australian. Simon is also an engaging speaker on demographic trends, consumer insights and cultural change in Australia. From social media to agribusiness, city planning and beyond, Simon’s evidence based opinion is invaluable for business, education, government and community groups.

Bradley has had a long and distinguished career in both the public and private sectors, spanning two decades across multiple states.

He started his career at KPMG in 2003, in Sydney’s West. As a Graduate Accountant, Bradley worked on financial reviews and audits for a number of high profile clients.

After completing his CA requirements, he made the move South, starting at the City of Greater Bendigo in 2008. After six years in various financial roles, Bradley made the move to Mount Alexander Shire Council where he held a number of senior level roles, including Acting Director Corporate Services and Executive Manager Business Performance.

For the past three and a half years Bradley has called Hepburn Shire Council home, commencing in the diverse role of Director Community and Corporate before being appointed as Chief Executive Officer in May 2021, having previously been acting in that role since the start of 2021.

Bradley holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from La Trobe University and has a Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting. He also completed an MBA in 2018, and undertook the LGPro Emerging Leaders Program in 2017.

Bradley has been a member of the FinPro Executive Committee since 2016, and the President since 2019.

Rob is driven by a desire to help shape communities for a better future. Trained as an economist, he has a unique fifteen-year background in economics, demographics, statistics and strategic planning with a focus on understanding how economic forces influences local government areas across Australia.

At .id, Rob leads the economic team to provide Local Government with high-quality analysis and information tools, including specialised consulting services and tailored information products such as economy.id.

By working at the intersection of place and economic analysis, Rob offers insights that help local government develop strategies with confidence and make informed investment decisions.

Melissa Baker has an outstanding record in building financial capability across organisations.
With over 11 years of experience as a senior leader, Melissa uses her extensive financial management experience and collaboration techniques to drive and deliver strategies.
Currently the Manager of Financial Strategy at South Gippsland Shire Council, Melissa is committed to achieving strong outcomes for the organisation and delivering best value for the community.
These behaviours have underpinned her career in financial management and contribute to her passion for public service.
Melissa has been responsible for the financial management in Melbourne Metro, Interface and Regional Councils as well as large public organisations such as Museums Victoria which encompasses Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, the Royal Exhibition Building, IMAX and the Immigration Museum. She prides herself on being an “accountant with a plus” so she is approachable, down to earth and invests in strong business partnerships.

Navec is the chief financial officer at Knox City Council and has over two decades of experience across both the public and private sectors and has worked across all levels of government.

Navec thrives working in challenging and complex organisations where she utilises her experience to improve long-term organisation strategies through working with people to improve planning, governance and stakeholder engagement whilst ensuring financial sustainability.

Wei Chen is the Chief Financial Officer at Yarra City Council and also an Executive member of FinPro. She prefers to be called Chen, just to confuse HR and IT, but accidently confused a lot more people than intended.

She started her accounting career at Department of Finance in the Australian Government. Although she really enjoyed working on the high profile federal budget, she found the budget discussions in the council chamber much more entertaining.
 
Chen left Wyndham City Council after spending 12 years of boring suburban life and moved to Richmond to be close to the city action when she thought COVID had ended. She was sadly mistaken and promptly got locked down in a small unit. With nothing else better to do, she guided the councillors at Yarra City Council through the journey of understanding financial sustainability and led council’s most important revenue generating project, the separation of waste charges, through Yarra’s interesting political landscape.

Even though she is now much more interested in strategies and stakeholder engagement, she still uses Excel to organise her entertainment calendar.

Fiona Rae is the Manager Finance at Golden Plains Shire and also an Executive member of FinPro.  Fiona has 30 years’ experience in senior accounting roles in the Water Sector and Local Government specialising in financial strategy, financial compliance and reporting.  Having worked in fast-paced industries,

Fiona is proficient with compliance and regulation requirements and implementation of strategies that support long-term business goals within industry constraints. 

Nathan joined City of Greater Bendigo in 2017 as Manager Financial Strategy. He is responsible for the portfolios of finance operations, rates and valuations, project management and strategic asset management in a progressive regional centre. Nathan has chaired the FinPro Central / Northern Victorian Regional councils’ group over the last few years.
Nathan started at PriceWaterhouseCoopers a long time ago in Melbourne, before moving to the Health and NGP sectors.
Immediately prior to joining Local Government in Bendigo, he spent 3 years setting up the National Disability Insurance Agency in Geelong and 7 years in Alice Springs as Finance Manager of Central Land Council.
He is interested in continuing to learn and challenge the role of local government, including how to ensure financial sustainability is improved – particularly in our 48 regional and rural council areas.

Kate has developed a specialised practice in the area of governance for local government. She has extensive experience providing strategic advice to Victorian councils on the entire range of governance and regulatory matters and represents clients in proceedings before VCAT and the Victorian Supreme Court.

She specialises in administrative law, governance and enforcement and provides regular advice to Victorian council clients relating to their statutory powers, functions and duties and the operation of legislation affecting their activities. This includes advising frequently on the operation of the Local Government Act 1989, Local Government Act 2020, Road Management Act 2004 and the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014.

Kate’s lengthy experience acting for councils means that she is especially familiar with, and has a deep understanding of, the mechanisms of local government and the unique needs of Victorian councils.

Ashay is a dedicated professional who has devoted the past 25 years to the advancement of long-term asset management strategies. His expertise spans across investment models and lifecycle strategies tailored for government entities at various levels-federal, state, and local. What sets him apart is his profound grasp of strategic asset management, a concept he introduced to Australia’s government sector over two decades ago.

A true visionary, Ashay’s journey led him to co-found APIGAM in 2003, the Asia Pacific Institute of Good Asset Management. This innovative institution, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, emerged as a collaboration between Ashay and Dr. Penny Burns through the United Nations Development Programme. APIGAM has significantly contributed to the evolution of asset management practices across the Asia Pacific region.

Additionally, Ashay played a pivotal role in co-founding Assetic in 2006, Australia’s pioneering strategic asset management platform for government agencies. This groundbreaking initiative further solidified his status in this field, as Assetic revolutionized how government entities approach asset management. Assetic enabled government agencies worldwide to shift from reactive to proactive asset management, in most cases unlocking millions in hidden value.

Currently, Ashay stands as an international advisor to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). This prestigious association, known for its acronym, GFOA, plays a vital role in shaping the landscape of government financial management. Within this role, Ashay is deeply involved in the development of best practice policies and guidelines that encompass strategic asset planning, financial budgeting, long-term asset management, and climate analysis within the government sector.

Ashay’s unwavering passion lies in enhancing the capacity and capability of government entities. His vision extends beyond immediate horizons, aiming to empower governments to undertake 25, 30, and even SO-year analyses of their long-term infrastructure management. Through his tireless efforts, Ashay continues to make invaluable contributions to the field, leaving an indelible mark on strategic asset management within the government sector.

David Semmens is the Manager Infrastructure Services Planning at Wyndham City, where he leads Strategic Asset Management and the Enterprise Project Management Office.

With over 15 years of experience in Local government, David has worked in various areas including community service delivery, sport and recreation, facilities management and open space maintenance.

Wyndham City is home to the fastest growing population of any local government in Australia, and David is committed to ensuring that the city’s infrastructure and services keep pace with this growth.

David is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has expertise in service and asset planning for local government infrastructure. He is passionate about making the best decisions possible today, in order to avoid burdening future generations.

David’s unique blend of direct service delivery and passion for sustainability make him a valuable contributor to asset and project management.

Simon Waller is one of Australia’s pre-eminent futurists. After completing Master’s level training in futures thinking, Simon worked as a corporate futurist for Rio Tinto in his home state of WA. Since leaving corporate life and moving to Victoria in 2010, Simon has supported dozens of organisations, delivered hundreds of keynotes, and spoken to thousands of business leaders about how futures thinking techniques can help them find better answers to their biggest and most pressing challenges. Over the last decade, Simon has worked with local councils throughout Victoria, as well as other government-related organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Simon has also written a number of books, the latest of which, “The Scenario Planning Guide: How scenario planning can be used to align thinking, stimulate ideas, and overcome the inertia of uncertainty,” was released earlier this year.

Mike is a senior executive with more than 20 years of experience in the public and not-for-profit sectors. He brings deep expertise in corporate strategy and governance, strategic policy, legislation, and partnerships and engagement.

Mike was appointed as the Executive Director, Local Government Victoria in August 2022. He has worked closely with the local government sector over most of his career and is well known to our stakeholders and partners in regional Victoria through his recent roles in Rural and Regional Victoria. This includes recently working with local governments and Regional Partnerships on regional economic development strategies, and economic recovery programs to address COVID-19, and fire and flood affected areas.

Mike was previously acting as the Executive Director at Animal Welfare Victoria and Agriculture Regulatory Policy in the former Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions (DJPR). His previous roles include executive positions in regional development, water, catchment management, sustainability, transition economy and green jobs, and as CEO of Trust for Nature. He has delivered a variety of flagship initiatives for government and has led large policy and delivery portfolios.

Danny is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Monash City Council and is an Executive member and Past President of FinPro. In his various Local Government roles, he has played an integral part in presenting responsible fiscal management and has prepared many budgets based on sound long-term financial policy.

Graeme Emonson was appointed to the Panel of Administrators at Moira Shire Council in June 2023. He has been appointed to this role is until late 2028.

Prior to this, Graeme was Deputy Secretary, Corporate Services at the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. In this role, he was responsible for the delivery of people and culture, finance, strategy, performance, legal and governance services, information services and digital and customer communications, including the department’s customer contact centre.

Graeme was previously the Executive Director Local Government Victoria, a role he held since joining DELWP in February 2016. Prior to joining state government, Graeme was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Knox City Council for 14 years, having also previously served as CEO of Wangaratta Rural City Council and Southern Grampians Shire Council.

Graeme is also the Independent Chair of Melbourne City Council’s CEO Employment Matters Committee, and Independent Member of the Municipal Association of Victoria’s CEO Employment and Remuneration Committee.

Graeme has a strong interest in leadership, organisational effectiveness and governance. He has a PhD in Leadership, a Master of Business (Public Sector Management) and a Bachelor of Business.

He is a Victorian Fellow and Board Member of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria), member of the International City and County Managers’ Association, a Fellow of Local Government Professionals (LGPro) and has been awarded a Public Service Medal for his exemplary leadership with the local government sector in Victoria.

Lucy Roffey is an executive leader, with financial and corporate skills combined with public, private and community expertise. She has demonstrated success in bringing strategy, leadership and transformation to organisations.

She is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand recently receiving recognition for 25 years in the profession and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Her current roles and appointments include CEO of Central Goldfields Shire Council, Chair of Coliban Water and Public Sector Panel Member for the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to working in Local Government, Lucy was a senior executive at the Australian Centre of the Moving Image, and worked in senior finance roles in the film industry in Australia and the UK.

Her move to the Local Government sector in 2009 in a small rural setting was inspired by her experience of living in a close knit community in Canada, her love of the outdoors and the opportunities for her family to grow up in the country.

Lucy Roffey commenced as Central Goldfields Shire Chief Executive Officer on Monday 5 March 2018.

Noelene Duff is a recognised leader with decades of experience with the governance and management of large and complex organizations.

Noelene is currently Chair of the Panel of Administrators for the City of Casey, a growth council in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs, appointed by the Minister for Local Government following the dismissal of the Council for alleged corruption.
Prior to this, she was Chief Executive Officer of the City of Whitehorse, a city central to the management of Melbourne’s suburban population growth.

As an executive and board member of state, national and international bodies, she has developed a sophisticated understanding of long term strategic planning, the key fundamentals of governance, fiduciary responsibility, audit, regulation and compliance, risk management and digital strategy required in high performing organisations that value and display good governance.

As well as her commitment to the City of Casey, Noelene is currently a Sessional Member on Planning Panels Victoria and a member of the Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee.

In recognition of her enduring leadership in the local government sector and for the promotion of women, she was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2020 Australia Day Honours. She has also been recognized by the Victorian Planning and Environmental Law Association (VPELA) in 2019 with the Paul Jerome Award for outstanding public service.

Kelly joined the MAV in July 2023 following successful stints as CEO at the City of Hobart and Wyndham City Council.

Kelly’s background includes city shaping, organisational transformation, service reform and, as a respected sector-leading CEO, is experienced in intergovernmental influencing at state, national and international levels.

A Senior Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne School of Government, Kelly is also a member of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) State Advisory Council

Rachael led the Australian expedition to Davis Station, Antarctica – the second female to lead a team at the Station and the youngest ever leader.

She managed a team of 18 people through the long, dark, Antarctic winter and through trial and error built a resilient and highly successful team based on the foundation that ‘respect trumps harmony’.

Since returning Rachael has completed her MBA, written 2 best-selling books, Leading on the Edge and Respect Trumps Harmony, and has presented at over 2000 events around the world.