The Hunter Joint Organisation of Councils (Hunter JO) has announced the appointment of its Chief Executive Officer, Joe James. Joe was unanimously endorsed by the Board in a meeting held in December 2018 and commenced in the position on 21 January 2019.
Joe was selected after an extensive search for candidates was carried out extending interstate and internationally.
Chair of the Hunter JO and Mayor of Cessnock Council, Cr Bob Pynsent said the calibre of candidates was extremely high and Joe was a stand out.
“Joe impressed the Board with his proven advocacy skills, his commercial focus, collaborative leadership style, and his obvious project and asset management experience,” Bob said.
“Joe demonstrated he has the energy, experience and leadership capabilities which will suit the JO both now and into the future. With Joe’s leadership, the strategic direction provided by the Mayors, the commercial focus of the General Managers and the hard-working staff of the JO, the Hunter JO is in very good hands.”
Joe has fifteen years’ experience in law and with state agencies. His most recent role was with the Port Authority of New South Wales as Executive General Manager Bays Development and as Executive General Manager, Commercial, Technical and Legal.
Past roles include General Counsel for the Sydney Ports Corporation, Legal Counsel for Arana Therapeutics Limited and as a Solicitor for Deacons and PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal.
Joe has a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales and is undertaking the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course.
Reflecting on his appointment, Joe said it was an honour to have been selected to lead the organisation and to be part of the vibrant Hunter community.
“I am thankful for the warm welcome I have received from members of the Board and I look forward to meeting all Councillors and staff of the Hunter councils and of course their communities. I am very excited about what the future will bring in working together in the interests of the region and to also work closely with State agencies to advance the interests of the Hunter region,” Joe said.
Bob thanked the former Chief Executive Officer, Roger Stephan for his leadership and dedication for more than a decade.
“Roger has been with Hunter Councils since 2008 and has been extremely successful in building on existing business and generating new business opportunities. Roger successfully led the formation of the Hunter JO as the interim Chief Executive Officer. On behalf of the Board we thank Roger for his contribution to our region and acknowledge all of his work during his tenure. We wish Roger all the best in his future endeavours.”
IMAGE | The Hunter Joint Organisation of Councils’ new CEO, Joe James.
