Reflecting on my time as CEO of ICN Victoria

Earlier this month I shared the news that, at the completion of three years as CEO of ICN Victoria, I will not be seeking reappointment for another term.

As is often the case in times like these, I find myself reflecting on all that we have achieved in the last few years.

We successfully navigated through the challenges posed by COVID-19, worked on an increased number of complex projects, reshaped our organisational structure (with people, culture, and customer value as the focus), and improved our products, services and data platforms for customers and stakeholders.

Our customer-facing team members worked hard, including our Industry Advisers who fostered connections across Victoria, gaining valuable insights into local industry capability.

We advanced our VMC platform, which captures the capability information and reporting for policies such as Local Jobs First, and this is predominately thanks to the hard work of our Digital Platforms team.

We also helped to successfully implement the Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework and the Building Equality Policy and led the gathering of insights in these areas.

In the last year alone, we connected more than 18,000 local businesses to opportunities, totalling over $60 billion in public and private projects, leading to secured contracts worth over $49 billion.

I am most excited by the positive and enduring impacts for Victoria that these impressive figures represent.

You can find more of these insights by viewing our latest Annual Report .

Beyond our operational successes, we fostered a company-wide culture that emphasised acting with integrity, succeeding together, making a difference, and valuing of our people.

Back in 2020, we embedded these core values into the ICN Victoria Culture Code. I am proud to see this Code and our purpose statement, Help Local Win, embraced by the entire organisation.

As an amateur artist, commissioning a beautiful Indigenous painting to hang in the foyer of our new office was a special moment for me. ?Art can convey messages powerfully, and ‘Egg and Orchid Time’ by Timani Nicholls-Moore is a beautiful portrayal of growth – and this is what ICN Victoria’s purpose, helping local win is all about.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to listen to our recent chat with Timani .

I want to thank the local firms who opened their workplaces and shared their stories with me and engaged with ICN Victoria. Also, thanks to the national ICN network, my Board Members and Chair, Tim Piper AM, and the Victorian Government, in particular Nanette Fitzgerald, from DJSIR for the support.

Finally, thank you to my ICN Victoria colleagues for the passion, dedication and commitment you have shown on the journey with me.