Whitsunday Regional Council appoints new Chief Executive Officer

At the ordinary meeting in Proserpine today Whitsunday Regional Councillors voted to appoint Warren Bunker as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mayor Julie Hall said that Mr Bunker was appointed following a competitive recruitment process that attracted over 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,” she said.

“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.

“Previously Warren was the Group Executive Liveability and Natural Assets at Sunshine Coast Regional Council, which is one of the largest local governments in Australia.

“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.

“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, “I am excited by the opportunity to lead the Whitsunday Regional Council and assist the region to continue to prosper and optimise it’s potential, as well as highlight it’s unique character, outstanding beauty and economic drivers.”

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.”

Mr Bunker will officially commence his new role on 27th February 2023.