City farewells former CEO and welcomes Mike Bradford to the role

Former City of South Perth CEO Geoff Glass has concluded his five and a half year tenure with the City, making way for new CEO Mike Bradford who commenced in the role on Monday 1 February 2021.

Mr Bradford said he felt privileged to be working at the City of South Perth, with its administration and Council and to be serving the City’s community.

“The City has a well-deserved reputation as one of Perth’s premier local government areas to live, work and recreate in. I am excited by the opportunities the City has ahead of it and look forward to working with our City’s staff and community to continue to deliver a city of active spaces and beautiful places.”

“As I commence in my role at the City we are experiencing more of the challenges that COVID-19 continues to present.

“Those challenges are not completely behind us just yet, and we will need to continue to adapt as an organisation.

“For me, there have been valuable lessons that have emerged from those challenges, the importance of community, and ‘local’ and, to support those around you. The City has responded and adapted well to the changing environment over the last year, and is in a very good position to support our community to thrive into the future.”

Mr Glass, an experienced and accomplished leader in local government joined the City in October 2015 from the WA Football Commission and concluded his tenure on 29 January 2021.

In his time with the City, Mr Glass oversaw a number of major projects and secured more than $20 million in government funding for City projects. Mr Glass’ achievements include:

▪ Secured $2.5 million in Federal Government funding for the Connect South project on the South Perth Foreshore, delivering a new gateway to the City, providing a world-class destination for visitors and residents and supporting local businesses
▪ Secured $20 million in Federal Government funding for the proposed Recreation and Aquatic Facility, a regional scale project that aspires to be world class and innovative in its offering to provide the opportunity for a range of leisure, public health and wellness benefits. Additionally, Mr Glass has delivered the Project Definition Plan, Operational Feasibility Report and Business Plan for the project.
▪ Delivered the significant upgrade of EJ Reserve in South Perth including the development of the John
McGrath Pavilion and Hall which provide a home for many community groups and sporting clubs
▪ Delivered the revitalisation and upgrade of Millers Pool and the Old Mill on South Perth Peninsula
▪ Finalised and delivered the Manning Hub project, creating a new heart for the suburb of Manning including the new Manning Library, community hall and dedicated clubrooms for sporting associations and community groups
▪ Delivered phase one of the digital transformation of the City through the 1System project which aims to fully integrate and connect information from all core areas of the organisation, streamlining the City’s systems and creating one source of truth. To date the project has delivered significant internal improvements and operational efficiencies. More broadly, this project positions the organisation to meet twenty first century expectations in terms of customer service and efficiencies for service delivery and convenience.

“As I reflect on my five and a half years as the City’s CEO, it is with great pride and satisfaction that I look back on what we have achieved for our community. We make these achievements not as individuals, but as teams,” Mr Glass said.

“Working in local government is not merely a job. We know that we what do makes an enormous difference to the lives of people in this community. To do it well you have to have a passion and a conviction to serve the public interest.

“This year in particular has been a defining year for all of us and for me as a CEO. I am proud of the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our ability to be flexible and innovative to ensure that we could offer a high-level of service to our community particularly during those first few anxious months.

“I am particularly proud of the organisational cultural improvements that have been undertaken during my time as CEO. We have been on a cultural change journey. Our endeavours were acknowledged recently at the 2020 Australian Workplace Health and Safety Awards.”

“I believe I leave the City in good shape with very capable people assisting and working with the elected Council to deliver in the best interests of the District. The new CEO has inherited a great team and with the Council in place, will continue to build a successful organisation and ensure that the City of South Perth remains ‘a city of active places and beautiful places’.”

Mayor Greg Milner worked with Mr Glass for nearly three years and thanked him for his significant contribution to the City and community.

“Being a local government CEO is an undeniably tough role. Despite this, Geoff is well regarded by Elected Members, staff and the local community. His leadership, integrity, management and dedication to our community has added an enormous amount of value to this City. On a personal note, I have very much enjoyed working with Geoff.

“On behalf of this Council, and the community we serve, I would like to thank Geoff for his excellent work during his time at the City. He has made a tremendous contribution and the City has been greatly improved during his time here. The structures and processes he has put in place will set a solid foundation upon which the organisation will thrive.”