Exmouth’s rebuild CEO Cameron Woods says goodbye

The Shire of Exmouth has said goodbye to the chief executive who helped rebuild faith in the organisation after it was rocked by a corruption scandal. Cameron Woods was appointed chief executive by Commissioner Ian Fletcher in 2017 in the aftermath of the Corruption and Crime Commission probe centred around contracts for the Ningaloo Centre. When Mr Woods began his role he focused on re-establishing the community’s trust in the council and implemented operational standards to ensure community involvement. Under his tenure, the organisation saw the practical completion of the Ningaloo Centre, re-set the organisational structure and direction of many departments within the Shire of Exmouth, and lobbied State and Federal Governments to improve services. Mr Woods said he was proud of the achievements made by the Shire during his four years at the helm. “We all came out at the other end, bigger and better — which is probably my most significant achievement, personally,” he said. “I am leaving behind an amazing team. “All their work behind the scenes — often unnoticed by the community — makes this town so very special, and my family and I will always have a fond memory of our temporary home here in Exmouth.” Shire president Matt Niikkula said Mr Woods needed to be acknowledged for the vision, leadership and strategic direction that he brought to the Shire of Exmouth. “During this whole journey, I have been constantly impressed at how every left field issue that seemed to arise, was rationalised, thought about and then presented to council with options of how to tackle them successfully,” he said. Mr Niikkula said Mr Woods had strengthened the Shire’s relationship with key stakeholders. “His ability to nurture and understand private enterprise has led to great investment in our town and I believe this hard work has set the town and community up well for future growth and prosperity,” he said. Matthew Bird has been appointed acting chief executive officer while the Shire recruits a new chief executive.