Northern Beaches Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Ferguson, achieved a major career milestone in February celebrating 40 years in Local Government.
Much of Mark’s career had been spent in senior executive positions at Dubbo, Coffs Harbour and Pittwater Councils prior to joining Northern Beaches Council, and included stints as General Manager at both Pittwater and Coffs Harbour.
He began his career at Dubbo Council as a Certificates Clerk and Cashier. Being straight out of school he was easily impressed by the fact that Council provided a phone and a desk!
Mark has had extensive involvement in organisational change, including the delivery of infrastructure and services and developing strategy and policy outcomes on a diverse range of professional fronts.
However, it is his leadership at Northern Beaches Council that has involved Mark in the largest and most complex council merger in NSW history.
Northern Beaches Council, created from the merged Manly, Pittwater and Warringah Councils has seen Mark put a high focus on enhancing the Northern Beaches’ natural environment as well as reframing the identity of the organisation.
“The overarching objective is to improve ‘liveability’ in this rapidly growing part of Sydney, from the major residential developments proposed for Ingleside, to the new community hub in Frenchs Forest and revitalising Dee Why, to Manly Beach which attracts millions of tourists each year,” Mr Ferguson said.
“The newly formed Northern Beaches Council is a stronger voice with the State Government, whether advocating for better pubic transport, providing consistent planning that people can trust, managing the opportunities that come from being one of the most loved tourist destinations in Australia and otherwise providing tangible outcomes for our community.”
Mark is widely recognised as having an outstanding record of managing through sound strategic leadership and by creating trust with key stakeholders, always with a clear focus on transformational change and customer service.
Key to his success has been developing and supporting highly functioning teams of talented staff and ensuring Council is connected to the community it serves.
Day-to-day, this entails being attuned to community aspirations, preparing operational plans for Council endorsement, and providing a seamless, fully integrated Council operation to provide services to residents, business and visitors, alike.