Movers & shakers: deputy spill and fill

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This week we have a special Victorian edition of our regular round-up of promotions and reshuffles of the public service executive.

Victoria’s Justice and Jobs departments have overhauled their senior executive ranks following the machinery of government rejig announced after the November state election.

Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions

The Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions — thankfully an easier name than its predecessor, the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources — has published its new organisational chart, effective from January 1.

DJPR is being led by Simon Phemister, until recently a deputy secretary at the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The new leadership lineup also includes:

Gonul Serbest — Chief Executive Officer, Global Victoria
Serbest has extensive experience in international trade and industry promotion. Prior to this she held the new role’s predecessor job as Deputy Secretary of Trade Victoria, and before that Executive Director for Trade.

Amanda Caples — Office of the Lead Scientist
Caples was appointed Lead Scientist in mid-2016, bringing broad experience in technology commercialisation, public policy development and governance of public and private entities.

Penelope McKay — Deputy Secretary, Corporate Services
Previously McKay held the roles of Executive Director, Economic Strategy at the Department of Premier and Cabinet, and Executive Director, Policy at Treasury and Finance.

Tim Ada — Deputy Secretary, Jobs and Innovation
Ada was appointed DEDJTR Deputy Secretary, Sector Development in early 2017, and was an Executive Director at the department before this.

David Latina — Deputy Secretary, Business Engagement
Latina was previously Deputy Secretary of the Higher Education and Skills group at the Department of Education and Training.

Andrew Abbott — Deputy Secretary, Creative, Sport and Visitor Economy
Abbott has been in charge of Arts Victoria and its successor Creative Victoria since 2013, adding tourism and sport more recently.

Alex Kamenev — Deputy Secretary, Precincts and Suburbs
Kamenev is moving across from DPC with the Precincts and Suburbs portfolio, which he has led since 2017. Before that he held a range of positions at DPC, DET and the Department of Human Services.

Lill Healy — Deputy Secretary, Inclusion; Acting Deputy Secretary, Rural and Regional Victoria
Prior to her new position, Healy was Deputy Secretary, Policy, Programs, Small Business and Employment at DEDJTR.

Healy’s substantive role is Deputy Secretary Inclusion, however, she will be Acting Deputy Secretary Rural and Regional Victoria while an executive recruitment process for this role is underway. In the interim, David Clements will be Acting Deputy Secretary, Inclusion.

Emily Phillips — Deputy Secretary, Agriculture Victoria
Phillips has been in charge of the Agriculture portfolio since 2017.

Department of Justice and Community Safety

Rebecca Falkingham, the new secretary of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, announced the renamed department’s leadership lineup a few days before Christmas. The new organisational structure is to be finalised by February.

Falkingham has taken over from outgoing Department of Justice and Regulation secretary Greg Wilson, who spent five and a half years in that role, and is moving across to DPC to lead the establishment of the Mental Health Royal Commission.

The new board of management includes:

Simon Cohen — Deputy Secretary, Regulation and Director, Consumer Affairs Victoria
Cohen has been Deputy Secretary for Regulation and Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria since August 2015. Prior to this he was the national Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, and Victoria’s Public Transport Ombudsman. Cohen is the Victorian government’s representative on the Gippsland Regional Partnership, and current Chair of the ANZSOG Regulators Community of Practice.

Anna Faithfull –Deputy Secretary, Justice Policy and Data Reform
Faithfull has spent this past year leading the employment practice at Social Ventures Australia. In 2019, she is commencing an executive MBA at Melbourne Business School and a PhD on the social implications of the fourth industrial revolution. Faithfull has over ten years’ experience in government, leading and implementing whole of government reform including the government’s response to the Royal Commission into Family Violence and the government’s transition into the NDIS.

Julia Griffith –Deputy Secretary, Corrections and Justice Health
Griffith has more than 30 years’ experience in the Victorian Public Service during which time she has been Deputy Secretary or Executive Director in a range of justice portfolios including Youth Justice, Police, Corrections, Crime Prevention, Victims Services, and the Infringements System. She has also been responsible for leading the Victorian government’s employment programs for disadvantaged job seekers and redeveloping child protection placement and support services. Her career achievements have been built on a strong background in youth work, research, training and community development.

Peta McCammon — Deputy Secretary, Family Violence, Justice and Social Services Coordination and Workplace Safety
McCammon has built a successful career over the last 18 years in the Victorian Public Service in the Department of Justice, the Department of Human Services, Treasury and Premier and Cabinet. Peta is committed to social policy reform and has most recently held executive positions supporting the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the implementation of the 227 Royal Commission recommendations into Family Violence.

Corri McKenzie — Deputy Secretary, Police, Fines and Crime Prevention
McKenzie has held several senior executive positions in social policy, service design and delivery in government and in the community sector. Prior to joining the public service, Corri was the General Manager of Community Services, Mission Australia and was also the Corporate Communications Manager at Google Australia and New Zealand. She has led reforms including the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, and the implementation of impact measurement and performance reporting in community services.

Andrew Minack — Acting Deputy Secretary, Emergency Management and Acting Chief Executive, Emergency Management Victoria
Minack has had an extensive public sector career working at an executive level in a number of state and local government agencies. Most recently he was responsible for leading the work on a number of highly complex reform projects including the government’s fire services reform package and establishment of new legislation that governs the funding of political parties and donations. He has also held executive roles in Victoria Police where he was responsible for corporate strategy, stakeholder engagement and performance improvement. Andrew has also worked as an executive at Parks Victoria and Warrnambool City Council.

David Nicholson — Deputy Secretary, Corporate Governance and Support
Nicholson joins DJCS from serving as the Deputy Secretary Policy, with the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Tasmania since June 2016. Prior to that appointment, David held the position of Deputy Secretary, Corporate at the Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania. He commenced his career working in the private sector as a management consultant in Melbourne in a range of sectors.

Ryan Phillips — Deputy Secretary, Victims Support, Innovation and Justice Operations
Phillips has led the department’s Criminal Law Policy and Operations function as Deputy Secretary for the last 18 months. Prior to his appointment in the department he was employed in a range of senior executive positions, including as General Counsel. Ryan has held a diverse range of policy, social justice and legal roles across the government, Aboriginal community and private sectors in Melbourne, Broome and Sydney.

Brigid Sunderland — Deputy Secretary, Youth Justice
Sunderland joined the department in June 2017 as the Executive Director of Youth Justice Policy, Strategy and Business Services, working as part of a team to reform Victoria’s Youth Justice System. Prior to joining the department, she held senior positions in both the public and private sector including the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department and practised as a lawyer in a several private firms. Notable achievements have been in leading the state-wide roll-out of the family violence support and safety hubs and establishing the board of inquiry into the Hazelwood Mine Fire.

New chief executives

The announcement include other leadership appointments in key justice and community safety portfolios.

Kylie Kilgour has been appointed as the CEO, Royal Commission into the Management of Informants. She is a long standing senior executive of the department and has also held roles in New South Wales and the UK. Kilgour led the response into the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Royal Commission Into Institutional Child Sex Abuse and responses to the Bourke St Mall Incident.

Tania Farha will be joining the department as an Executive Director in January 2019 to lead the countering violent extremism portfolio. She will support the transition of CVE from DPC to DJCS, where she currently leads this work. Farha has extensive experience throughout the Victorian Public Service including nine years with Victoria Police where she worked on reforms in response to violence against women and children and was the Executive Advisor to the Chief Commissioner. She left Victoria Police to work with the United Nations in New York for over four years on gender equality and women’s empowerment. She returned to Victoria to focus on efforts to prevent family violence and most recently has led the work in the multicultural affairs and social cohesion portfolio, including efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism.

Corinne Cadilhac will be the CEO of the Community Safety Building Authority. Cadilhac joins DJCS as a senior executive with deep expertise in public administration, civil engineering and infrastructure. Her most recent position was leading Infrastructure, Planning and Major Projects. She has also worked at the Department of Transport and Department of Infrastructure as well as in the private sector as a consultant with Sinclair Knight Merz.

Jodi Henderson has agreed to continue to lead the Youth Justice Operations function and the Executive Director, North Area role will be advertised in early 2019.

Discussions are occurring about who will lead the government’s Aboriginal justice agenda. “In line with the department’s commitment to self-determination, it is only right that an Aboriginal person leads the government’s Aboriginal justice agenda,” Falkingham wrote.

“This critical appointment cannot be made without the guidance of the Koori Caucus and other Aboriginal leaders. I will be in discussions with the Koori Caucus in early 2019 and I look forward to engaging with you on the appointment of this role in the near future.”

Three outbound executives

The secretary also thanked three outgoing executives for their contributions to the justice portfolio.

Tony Bates has accepted a role at the Department of Transport to lead the way on automated vehicle technology following amendments to the Road Safety Act that allows driverless vehicles to be trialed across the state. He will commence his new role on 2 January 2019.

Shaun Condron will be taking on a senior position in government in the new year. More details will soon follow.

Carolyn Gale “is pursuing interests in new areas.”

See past movers and shakers updates here.