New City of Ballarat CEO appointed 

City of Ballarat Council has appointed Evan King as the permanent Chief Executive Officer of the City of Ballarat following a two-month executive search. 

Mayor Daniel Moloney said while the search was conducted nationally by recruitment firm McArthur and attracted executive-level applicants from across Victoria and interstate, the stand-out candidate was found close to home. 

Cr Moloney said Mr King brought a decade of senior local government experience to the role, including the past two and a half years as CEO of neighbouring Hepburn Shire Council. 

“While Evan’s clearly a highly experienced local government executive with a proven track record, councillors were equally impressed with his strong background in the private sector having held senior positions at Mars Wrigley, Friction Materials Pacific and the social sector,” Cr Moloney said. 

The councillor group felt Evan’s well-rounded background would not only serve our Council well but would help us support the business community during our pandemic recovery.” 

Before becoming CEO at Hepburn Shire in 2018, Mr King was the Director of Corporate and Community Services at Pyrenees Shire Council 2014-2018. His local government experience includes a further four years as Hepburn Shire’s General Manager of Corporate Services (2010-2014). 

Mr King, who is a long-term Ballarat resident, graduated from Federation University with a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), is a qualified Certified Practising Accountant and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Prior to commencing his career in local government Mr King held senior positions with the Salvation Army as the Business Manager for Western Victoria, Finance Manager at Mars Wrigley Australia and Friction Materials Pacific. 

Outside of work Mr King is married with three daughters. He is the President and life member of the Ballarat Athletic Club and a member of the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame. 

Mr King is on the Leadership team of Women’s Health Grampians Communities of Respect and Equality. 

Mr King said he was excited by the opportunity to serve as CEO of the City of Ballarat.  

“Having lived and worked in the region for many years, I’m honoured to take on this role. I look forward to working with the councillors, executive leadership team and our community to develop a robust council plan to meet the challenges and opportunities of the next four years,” he said. 

“We’ll continue to balance the opportunities presented by Ballarat’s ongoing growth with the need to preserve the unique qualities that make this city a great place to live, work and invest.” 

Cr Moloney also paid tribute to Interim CEO Janet Dore who stepped into the role in June last year. 

“Janet is not only a person of incredible integrity and experience, but is passionate about our city, good governance and improving the workplace. We were very fortunate to secure her help at such short notice. In the middle of a global pandemic, unprecedented restrictions and massive social change, she was able to not only restructure the organisation but make a positive difference during difficult times,” he said. 

Mr King will commence his role as CEO of the City of Ballarat on 15 February.