Paul Fitzpatrick with Transform Peel program director Linda Cunningham
17 November 2016… Chairman of the Peel Development Commission, Paul Fitzpatrick, has announced the appointment of Linda Cunningham to the position of Program Director of the Transform Peel project effective from 24 October 2016.
“I am delighted to welcome Linda Cunningham to this significant role. With over 30 years’ experience encompassing regional economic development, export and stakeholder engagement, Linda brings wide expertise to her new role in what will be a pivotal position in the overarching Transform Peel program.”
Transform Peel is a $49.3 million transformational program funded by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions comprising three integrated, strategic elements: a 28,000 ha Peel Food Zone, a 1,000 ha Peel Business Park and the Peel Integrated Water Initiative. It is a 35 year program which is expected to achieve a $16.2 billion pa economic benefit by completion in 2050. Transform Peel is devised, developed and delivered by the Peel Development Commission.
For the past 9 years, Linda worked with the Queensland Government’s Regional Economic Development team where she developed and implemented growth strategy for a number of industry sectors, managed Austrade’s TradeStart program for new and emerging exporters and most recently has been leading stakeholder collaboration to achieve regional legacy benefits from the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Prior to her recent senior role in regional economic development, Linda had an extensive background in media, corporate PR, marketing, communications and stakeholder engagement. She has held significant roles as Community Relations Manager for the Gold Coast Indy Grand Prix, and as Membership Manager for Gold Coast Tourism for 10 years. A move into local government saw Linda spend three years with City of Gold Coast managing major economic development projects.
Linda is looking forward to settling into WA and its lifestyle, and has family residing in Perth and regional WA. She views the Transform Peel program as a unique opportunity for Peel to realise its full potential. “This is an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community and I am proud to be a part of it. We can leverage the Peel’s assets to attract business investment and create jobs for the future. My key contribution as a facilitator in the process is to bring people together to share thoughts, ideas and issues; lead them through the process of finding common ground, participate in open honest communication and collaboration, and achieve mutually beneficial goals.”
ENDS…
Media Contact: Andrew Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Peel Development Commission, andrew.ward@peel.gov.wa.au , (08) 9535 4140