Appointment of Metropolitan Memorial Parks inaugural Board

Today is a milestone day for Metropolitan Memorial Parks, with the Minister Stephen Kamper MP formally announcing the appointment of our inaugural Board.

In addition to this exciting news, we are also very close to appointing our new CEO and our work with government on a future land supply strategy is making positive progress.

New Board

A strong Board gives Metropolitan Memorial Parks the platform to plan for the future, while strengthening our ability to serve the community.

I am honoured to have been appointed to Chair the Board and I am very excited to continue the work that we have commenced to ensure we are able to continue to serve the community long into the future.

I will be joined on the Board by a highly experienced group of Directors from a diversity of fields, including:

• Ken Morrison (Chair)                       
  • Current MMP and RNLM Administrator, former CEO Property Council of Australia, former member of a range of government and industry boards and advisory committees

• Mark Bloom                                   
  • Current director of Abacus Storage King, AGL Energy, EBOS Group (healthcare), Pacific Smiles Group (dental); former CFO Scentre Group

• Arthur Diakos PSM                         
  • Current member of the Audit and Risk Committees of National Anti-Corruption Commission, NSW ICAC, NSW Crime Commission, IPART, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust

• Kathy Jones                                   
  • Stakeholder engagement and strategic communications expert, Chair of ECF (UK and Australia), director of Karitane (parental services), former principal of KJA (engagement and comms)

• Professor Roberta Ryan                    
  • Social planning expert, ED of Institute for Regional Futures at University of Newcastle, Commissioner Western Sydney Aerotropolis, chairs community engagement committees for Hunter Water Corporation and NSW Energy Corporation, member Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel
• Alice Spizzo                                   
  • Law, governance and strategy expert, director of Landerer and Company (law firm), Homes Tasmania, Women’s Housing Company, member Sydney East City Planning Panel

There will also be one more Board director appointed next year.

The new Board will formally assume its responsibilities today (Friday 8 December) following a notice in the NSW Government Gazette.

My term as Administrator of Metropolitan Memorial Parks will also come to an end at this time, however I will continue as the Administrator for the Rookwood Necropolis Land Manager for the time being.

The Minister’s media statement announcing the new Board can be found here.

New cemetery supply

One of the tasks the Minister set me as Administrator was to work on the pressing issue of future burial supply. Over the past six months we have been developing short-term and longer-term supply plans.

The Government has considered both sets of issues; and are supportive of our focus to extend the operating life of our existing sites for as long as possible, while also investigating our longer-term initiatives further.

Over the next twelve months, this work will be a key focus of the new Board and the Executive team.

CEO position

We have also been running a CEO search process with the objective being to provide a shortlist of candidates to the new Board.

I am delighted to confirm that the Board will now conduct final interviews, and we will be selecting a CEO before the end of the year.

Lastly, with my appointment to the Board, I have decided to appoint our CFO Simon Officer to serve as Acting CEO until the new CEO joins us in the new year.

Today is an important day for Metropolitan Memorial Parks. It has been a long journey to reach this point where we have a single organisation with a new Board and a new CEO who will be joining us soon.

Thank you for your support during this period, and I look forward to exciting times ahead.

Ken Morrison
Administrator