A week after Kaarina Phyland stepped down as Geelong’s acting chief executive, the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) has announced her departure from the organisation.
Having served as acting chief for the past year, CoGG announced Ms Phyland would return to her position as executive director of strategy, governance and corporate.
Mayor Trent Sullivan thanked Ms Phyland for her handling of the role through a particularly difficult period for the city.
“Kaarina has led the City through extraordinary challenges, from protecting frontline jobs and supporting our many essential workers throughout COVID-19 to navigating financial pressures under one of our toughest budgets in recent years,” Mayor Trent Sullivan said.
“I thank Kaarina for her passion and strong leadership and look forward to seeing where her career takes her in (the) future.”
New chief executive Ali Wastie, who took over from Ms Phyland last Monday (August 28), praised her predecessor’s legacy.
“Kaarina initiated change that has made our organisation more strategic and working to common rhythms,” Ms Wastie said.
“The City’s Annual Business Planning Cycle, initiated in 2021, ensures that the entire organisation plans together towards common goals – no longer in silos.
“We will keep building on this so that we continue to make better and better decisions for our community, managing our resources in the best ways possible.”
