Virginia Miltrup takes reins as City of Karratha chief executive

Virginia Miltrup has taken the reins of the City of Karratha as the new chief executive and will focus on tackling the rising cost of living and the availability of housing in the region. Ms Miltrup was announced as the new chief executive in August, taking over from Chris Adams who announced he was stepping down after 10 years in the role in May. The new head of the Karratha local government is well aware of the boots she’s stepping into. Mr Adams was one of the driving forces behind Karratha’s transformation from a mining town into a thriving regional city. In an exclusive interview with Pilbara News after her first week in the role, Ms Miltrup described becoming the new CEO as “humbling”. The former City of Vincent community and business services executive director has held senior executive roles with the CBH Group, Synergy and Thomson Reuters (Asia Pacific). She is also the board chair of the philanthropic organisation 100 Women and regional arts organisation International Art Space, and is deputy chair of disability services organisation Mosaic Community Care. “Having worked in Australia’s largest cooperative, the CBH Group, I bring that philosophy to my leadership,” she said. “I see the city as a community business that I am entrusted to run efficiently on your behalf. “ Ms Miltrup said local government could be seen as tough because the organisation had to manage legislative compliance. ”However, I would like to see a stronger emphasis on the city supporting individuals and businesses who are ‘active citizens’ and making things happen for the benefit of the broader community,” she said. “Where we can, I’d like the city to find ways to make things happen rather than stand in the way. Of course, that relies on budgets, priorities and resources, but often in bureaucracies it is more likely to need the right culture and mindset.” Ms Miltrup said the city was focused on the rising cost of living and the availability of housing and would be prioritising activities that supported the community with those challenges. “I will be working with the city’s elected members to identify the needs and aspirations of the community and advocate for our needs on the larger stages,” she said. “This is a great place to live and work and I’m really excited to be here.”