Our organisation

How our organisation is structured

Our organisation is made up of 3 groups, each led by a General Manager who reports to the CEO. 

You can view the information below in our organisational chart. 

Corporate Services  

General Manager: Wayne Mack 

Teams 

• Chief Finance Officer
• Chief Information Officer
• Manager People and Culture
• Manager Communications and Engagement
• Manager Business Transformation
• Manager Governance, Safety and Property

Infrastructure and Environment

Acting General Manager: James Kelly

Teams

• Manager Community Infrastructure Delivery
• Manager Infrastructure Services
• Manager Operations
• Manager Environment and Heritage
• Manager Major Projects
• Manager Buildings and Facilities

Community and Planning Services

General Manager: Debbie Tyson

Teams 

• Manager Active and Connected Communities
• Manager Community and Family Services
• Manager Arts, Advocacy and Economy
• Manager Planning and Design
• Manager Regulatory Services

Our Interim CEO

Peter is a dedicated leader who is recognised for his relentless pursuit of excellence, people leadership skills and customer focus. 

Peter’s focus at Cardinia Shire Council includes the delivery of new infrastructure and major capital works programs, the shire’s heritage, natural environment, energy and climate change and the continued maintenance of the shire’s roads, drainage, parks and gardens. 

Maintaining and renewing existing assets is another key priority to ensure long-term sustainability and that our services and infrastructure continue to meet the needs of our growing community. 

Peter’s wealth of experience in local government has included senior roles at Port Phillip, Banyule and Maribyrnong city councils.

Peter is committed to building a customer-focussed culture and achieving positive outcomes for the community. 

Peter holds 3 tertiary qualifications, a Double Master of Management, Master of Administrative Management and Master of Business Administration (MBA), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Project Management.

Our General Managers

From left to right: James Kelly, Debbie Tyson, Peter Benazic, and Wayne Mack, June 2025

Wayne Mack – General Manager Customer, People and Performance

Wayne is a highly respected leader with 20 years’ local government experience at Bass Coast Shire and the City of Casey.

Prior to joining Cardinia, Wayne was General Manager Business Transformation at Bass Coast Shire where he sponsored award winning transformation projects including the One Council ERP system implementation and Customer Impact projects.

He brings experience leading across strategic, operational, corporate and direct service delivery portfolios including corporate services, business transformation, infrastructure planning and services, capital works programming and delivery. 

Wayne is passionate about delivering customer value in the local government sector and is aspirational in seeking service improvement, using his natural coaching and empowering leadership style to create environments that generate enthusiasm and inspire teams and individuals. 

Wayne has a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), Master of Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Certificate IV in Workplace and Business Coaching and is currently completing the Company Directors Course. 

James Kelly - Acting General Manager Infrastructure and Environment

In June 2025 James was appointed Acting General Manager Infrastructure and Environment.

James is a highly skilled professional, having held senior manager roles in both local government and the private sector, and building his career in Australia for the past 20+ years.

With a background in civil engineering, he has extensive expertise in the construction of major infrastructure, capital works delivery and strategy, and policy development.

James began his career in the private sector in the UK, where he worked as a Senior Construction / Project Engineer at WJ Harte Construction, specialising in managing major commercial and residential developments.

For the past 16+ years James has worked in Victorian Local Government and now brings a wealth of knowledge and technical expertise to this important leadership position. His passion, leadership and technical skills continue to drive significant contributions to the local government sector.

Prior to joining Cardinia Shire Council, he held the position of Manager Infrastructure Delivery at Bass Coast Shire Council and served at Banyule City and Mitchell Shire Councils. 
His professional journey is marked by his commitment to excellence and his ability to navigate complex projects and deliver outstanding results.

James' diverse experience, both in Australia and overseas, along with his strong leadership skills, will be invaluable as he works closely with our Infrastructure and Environment group to continue delivering great outcomes for our community.

James holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Civil Engineering, Diploma in Management, is a LGPro Executive Leadership Program graduate, and also participated in the Municipal Engineering Foundation Victoria 2018 Study Tour Scholarship.

Debbie Tyson – General Manager Community & Planning Services

Debbie is a skilled and accomplished local government manager with more than 10 years’ experience in leading high performing teams across a range of portfolios. 

Politically astute and experienced, Debbie is a results-oriented leader with a proven ability in policy development, project management and delivering on strategic outcomes.

Prior to her appointment as Cardinia Shire Council’s General Manager Community & Planning Services, Debbie was the Acting Executive Manager Office of the CEO for 6 months, Manager Community Family Services for one year and Manager Development and Compliance for 4 years. 

She has also held a number of leadership roles in the statutory planning field at South Gippsland and Baw Baw shire councils and was the Manager Planning, Building and Environment at Latrobe City Council for 3 years. 

Debbie has a Graduate Diploma in Planning and Environment from RMIT University and is a graduate of the LGPro Emerging Leaders Program and Gippsland Community Leadership Program.