District of Squamish reorganizes General Manager portfolios

Recruitment begins for new GM of Business & Community Services

The District of Squamish has announced a re-alignment of its General Manager (GM) portfolios. The realignment will better reflect the strong technical skillsets that senior managers currently bring to the table, and will further enhance the Core Leadership Team to steer District projects forward, fulfilling the vision of the organization and the community.

Effective immediately, Linda Glenday will assume the newly defined role of General Manager of Development Services, Engineering & Operations. The fourth GM position – still to be recruited – will take on the title General Manager of Business & Community Services. Strong business acumen, an entrepreneurial outlook, and leadership experience in achieving strategic partnership initiatives will be skills that this successful candidate will bring to the table. Robin Arthurs remains the General Manager of Corporate Services and Joanne Greenlees the General Manager of Financial Services.

“This announcement represents an exciting shift at the District, and is one that will re-energize staff and provide strong leadership at the most senior level,” says District of Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham. “This move leverages the strengths of our current General Managers and will create a complete and comprehensive leadership team so that District staff can move forward strategically with renewed enthusiasm.”

Through the recruiting process for the GM of Engineering & Operations, it was determined that the skills of the current team combine to provide the right balance of leadership and technical expertise. Glenday’s proven leadership abilities will complement the highly technical skills of the Engineering and Operations departments, the two new departments that move into her portfolio, which already includes Development Services.

“Our community is very well-served by the depth of technical knowledge, experience and competency that our engineers and operations staff bring to their work every day,” says Glenday. “My role is to provide the leadership to ensure the teams achieve the District’s strategic priorities, enabling the team to focus solely on their technical areas.

“This highly functioning team will lead the community through some significant infrastructure projects over the coming years, and we are very confident that the right people are in place,” continues the Mayor.

The new GM of Business & Community Services will encompass the Recreation Services, Economic Development, and Real Estate portfolios. The successful candidate will play an important outreach role in the community as it pertains to business and economic development, as well as engaging recreation users of all ages from youth to seniors.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the right person, and there is no doubt that there are qualified people right here in the Sea to Sky Corridor,” says Corien Speaker, CAO. “We see this as an exciting opportunity to augment the skillset at the Core Leadership table with a strong sense of business acumen, which will help the District capitalize on our opportunities.”

The search for the new GM will begin immediately, with hopes that a successful candidate will be in place within three months.

January 29, 2013