Council exploring options by advertising CEO’s role

By Murray Silby

Jul 6, 2023

**Exploring options:** Greater Shepparton City Council chief executive Peter Harriott and Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali. Council has resolved to advertise the CEO’s role.

City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali says he expects council’s current chief executive, Peter Harriott, to reapply for the role if he wishes to do so.

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Councillors resolved during an additional council meeting on Tuesday, July 4 to advertise the chief executive’s position.

Mr Harriott’s contract concludes on January 3 next year and Cr Sali said council was obliged to decide whether to re-advertise the role, and has decided it will.

“It’s not something that had to be done, it is something that council has decided to do,” he said.

“Within six months of the CEO’s contract ending, which is January 4, council had to advise of our intention, so obviously, if we were to renew, that would have taken place, but council has decided to re-advertise the position.”

Cr Sali said he expected Mr Harriott to remain in the job until his contract ended and that he could still reapply for his position.

“At this point Peter hasn’t officially outlined whether he would or wouldn’t, but I would expect him to,” he said.

Cr Sali said he could not reveal the reasons behind the councillors’ decision because the decision was made during a confidential meeting.

“I can’t say why that outcome was achieved because I’d be speaking on behalf of other councillors and I can’t do that. I just felt the time was right for us to explore our options,” he said.

Mr Harriott was appointed as chief executive in 2015, assuming the role after working as the CEO of Wattle Range Council in South Australia, but with a history as director of infrastructure and development at Greater Shepparton City Council for 12 years from 2000 to 2012.

“It (the current recruitment process) will be at least a four- to five-month process that we’ll be going through and we’ll (councillors will) sit down collectively and determine what we want to see moving forward and we’ll offer that opportunity for anyone, other than the nine councillors, to apply for this job,” Cr Sali said.

“I think we’re a really great group of councillors, we’re a really active group of councillors representing one of the best regional cities in Australia, so I’m sure there’ll be significant interest in people wanting to be a CEO of this organisation.”