Northern Beaches Council’s CEO, Ray Brownlee has announced he is leaving to take up a role at a council he is already familiar with, Randwick City Council.
He leaves after five years at Northern Beaches Council to return to Randwick City Council where he was General Manager for 14 years, up until 2018.
“It was an extremely difficult decision for me, as I have had the honour to work with the most outstanding group of Directors, Executive Managers, and staff, here at Northern Beaches, who have achieved so much for the Council and their community.
“It was not a position I sought; however, a significant community campaign was undertaken by stakeholders, groups, and residents at Randwick to request I consider the position,
“I am proud of our achievements, especially in customer service, industry leadership, and our work towards becoming an employer of choice.
“Now I feel is the right time for new leadership to continue the journey.
“I want to thank the elected Council, Directors, Executive Managers and all the staff for the opportunity to work with them and realise the potential for this great organisation. I know they will all continue to achieve great things for the community,” said Mr Brownlee.
As CEO of Northern Beaches Council Mr Brownlee PSM has led the transformation of the large and complex coastal organisation, responsible for $5.25 billion in community assets and a diverse 1,800 strong workforce. He has overseen achievements in customer service, innovation, and environmental sustainability.
Mayor Michael Regan paid tribute to Mr Brownlee’s dedicated service that has seen the successfully merged Council reinvest over $29.5m in savings each year for the community and the sustained delivery of a balanced budget.
“Ray’s outstanding leadership set the Council up for success and built a great working relationship between the organisation and the elected Council,
“While we are sorry to see him go, we understand these opportunities are important to pursue and we are grateful for his leadership, direction, and commitment to our community over the past five years,
“On behalf of the Councillors, I can’t thank him enough for his investment in lifting our organisation to delivering outstanding services through the many challenging years that faced our community.
“Thanks to him, our Council led the way, focused on our customers and with the capacity to help them through floods, fires and of course the pandemic – delivering $46m in support with innovative programs like Library2U and back2business, all while maintaining our essential services and delivering over $400m in capital works,” said Mayor Regan.
Mr Brownlee PSM will continue in his role at Northern Beaches until the end of March 2023.