Message from the VLGA Board of Directors

Following the recent VLGA board elections, the VLGA is pleased to announce the appointment of Cr Lambros Tapinos as President.  

Cr Tapinos was elected to Moreland City Council in 2008 and has served as Mayor on two occasions – 2008-2009 and 2013-2014.  Cr Tapinos brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a long-standing councillor.  

Over the past 7 years, Lambros has served on the VLGA Board, including 5 years as Treasurer. He is a strong supporter of the reforms of the VLGA which will ensure that the VLGA delivers high value to its members, supports Councillors to do their job well and as a peak body for Councils, advances, protects and advocates for the importance of effective local government and good governance. 

Cr Tapinos will be supported by fellow directors, Louise Hill, who has been appointed as Vice-President and Joanna Hayter AO as Treasurer.  Louise and Joanna were appointed as inaugural independent directors to the VLGA Board in May 2019 for a three-year term.

Louise has over 30 years’ senior leadership experience in the Victorian public sector with a track record of leading transformational change in complex organisations and her most recent appointments over the past 10 years were at the Deputy Secretary level Louise is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Public Administration, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and works with public sector organisations at the local, state and federal level on strategic planning, organisational development and governance.  She has served on the Board of Holmesglen Institute of Technology and as an independent member of various risk and audit committees.

Joanna Hayter was awarded an Officer of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to women in the areas of gender equality and individual rights through leadership and policy development roles. Joanna was the CEO of the International Women’s Development Agency from 2010 – 2017 and has worked in the international development, human rights and social justice sector for 30 years and in over 30 countries and spanning four continents.  As Treasurer, Joanna brings a legacy of managing multi-million-dollar projects for government, multi-lateral, private and non-government sector partners.  She is also a Graduate of the Institute of Company Directors.

The President, Vice-President and Treasurer together with the following directors, comprise the Board: 

Cr Marg Attley OAM
Cr Susanne Newton
Cr Collin Ross
Cr John Sipek
Cr Cynthia Watson

Together, the VLGA board members work to fulfil their fiduciary responsibilities as directors of the organisation and to strengthen and build upon the VLGA’s role as a peak body in the Victorian local government sector, delivering value for its membership and multiple stakeholders.

The Board appointments reflect the important constitutional changes approved at the last Annual General Meeting with a 95% majority and designed to ensure the VLGA supports good governance across the sector and continues to deliver great value to Councils, Councillors and all local government stakeholders. 

On behalf of the board and staff, I thank and acknowledge outgoing President Cr Marg Attley OAM for her service to the VLGA as President over the past two and a half years.  Cr Attley will continue to serve the organisation in her capacity as a director.

Kathryn Arndt
VLGA Company Secretary
Chief Executive Officer