Executive women leading the way as Co-CEOs at the VEWH

The VEWH is thrilled to announce the appointment of Beth Ashworth and Sarina Loo as Co-Chief Executive Officers (Co-CEOs).

Whilst this dynamic duo has been working together as Executive Officers since February 2018, there has been a change in governance arrangements with the previous Executive Chair role reverting to a non-executive Chair and the Executive Officer becoming a Chief Executive position.

“This is a fantastic outcome for the VEWH and for Sarina and Beth, who proved themselves as the outstanding candidates for this important role, through an open competitive recruitment process,” said VEWH Chairperson Chris Chesterfield.

In a continuation of their existing, successful job-share partnership, Beth and Sarina are delighted with this new appointment.

“We are committed to the job, the organisation and, most importantly, improving river and wetland health through managing water for the environment,” said Beth Ashworth.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue working with staff, Commissioners, partners and stakeholders who are passionate about water for the environment and its benefits for communities across Victoria.”

Beth and Sarina agree their job sharing has demonstrated how flexible work arrangements can succeed at senior levels. They have found that trust and respect are crucial to an effective job-share partnership, along with having an overlap day and good handover processes.

“Job sharing has enabled us to balance our professional lives in an executive position with our personal, family lives,” said Sarina Loo.

“It also benefits the organisation as the rigour of decision-making is improved as we talk through major decisions and both contribute perspectives based on our individual skills and experience.”

The leadership by women at the VEWH, with the appointment of the Co-CEOs and recent appointment of Peta Maddy and Jennifer Fraser as VEWH Commissioners, reflects the Minister for Water, the Hon. Lisa Neville, and the Labor Government’s commitment to gender equality in senior positions.

On 30 June 2019, long-time Chairperson Denis Flett and Deputy Chairperson Geoff Hocking retired. Chris Chesterfield and Rueben Berg were reappointed, alongside Peta and Jennifer, with Chris taking on the Chairperson role.