Shire of Katanning CEO Julian Murphy resigns after eight years in office

Shire of Katanning chief executive officer Julian Murphy has resigned after eight years at the helm. Mr Murphy will have a change of scenery after accepting the role as CEO of the Shire of Plantagenet. He said the move was unforeseen and he did not initially plan on leaving his position. “It was a fairly unexpected opportunity,” Mr Murphy said. “I haven’t been looking at all and I was quite happy to stay, but this opportunity was worth applying for.” After eight years of service to the Katanning region, Mr Murphy said there was plenty he could look back on fondly. “When I first came in there was community concern about the local government at the time,” he said. “While we achieved a lot in terms of capital projects, it was really being able to provide stability to the shire and make that connection back with the community and give them faith that they’re in control with their local government.” The exercise to find a new CEO has not yet begun, but the council will look to select a recruitment panel to search for a worthy candidate. “The process will get under way once a selection panel is chosen to conduct interview process,” Mr Murphy said. “If they’re a CEO elsewhere, it will be a standard three-month period before they’re appointed. “So after the selection process, it will potentially take six months.” Mr Murphy will leave at the end of August allowing the council to appoint an interim CEO before the position is filled.