The City of Onkaparinga has announced the appointment of Scott Ashby as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Mr Ashby has worked in both the South Australian and Victorian public sectors since 1991, serving for the last seven years as Chief Executive of Primary Industries and Regions SA.

He previously held the positions of Chief Executive in both the Department for Water and the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation.

Mr Ashby says his main goal is to create a culture that supports elected members and the organisation to deliver on their commitments to the community.

“I look forward to working in partnership with the team and our communities to build an inclusive, approachable, collaborative, effective and responsive council with transparent and trusted leadership and good governance at all levels.

“I’m committed to strong support for local businesses, encouraging new industries in hi-tech manufacturing, wine and tourism to drive job growth.

“I’m also focused on guiding more effective regional planning and development, to deliver an appropriate mix of housing that continues to attract families to Onkaparinga.

“Protecting and sustainably managing our unique environment is also important to me, as is tackling household and business food waste and leading in climate response, emission reduction and wastewater re-use.”

Mayor Erin Thompson says Mr Ashby brings deep governance skills to the role and will support the introduction of further transparent processes and probity into the organisation.

“Scott’s strong integrity, genuine enthusiasm and compelling vision for the city are what won him the role.

 “He also has extensive networks across all levels of government, the tertiary sector and industry that will be extremely valuable to us.

“This will be a new era for the City of Onkaparinga. I am extremely excited about working together with Scott to deliver some great things for our community.”

Scott Ashby will take up the CEO position on 27 April. He replaces Mark Dowd, who left at the end of his contract after eight years in the role, following election of a new council.