Our organisation

How our organisation is structured

Our organisation is made up of 4 groups, each led by a General Manager who reports to the CEO. 

You can view the information below in our organisational chart. 

Governance, Facilities and Economy  

General Manager: Debbie Tyson 

Teams 

• Governance
• Buildings and Facilities 
• Regulatory Services
• Arts, Advocacy and Economy 
• Risk, Health and Safety

Customer, People and Performance 

General Manager: Jenny Scicluna 

Teams 

• Information Services
• Customer and Service Improvement
• People and Culture
• Communications and Engagement 
• Finance 

Infrastructure and Environment 

General Manager: Peter Benazic

Teams 

• Community Infrastructure Delivery 
• Environment and Heritage 
• Operations 
• Infrastructure Services 

Liveable Communities 

General Manager: Lili Rosic

Teams 

• Planning and Design
• Community and Family Services
• Active and Connected Communities 
• Future Communities

Our CEO

Ms Carol Jeffs has extensive experience in local government management and leadership, and a demonstrated commitment to community engagement and participation. 

Carol brings more than 17 years experience as a senior local government executive, having led planning, corporate services, economic development and community services at both regional and inner metropolitan councils.

She has held positions of Interim Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Community and Economic Development at the City of Port Phillip, and was previously General Manager Governance and Manager City Planning at Latrobe City Council. 

Carol is committed to making a difference in a place that she knows and loves by working closely with the community, councillors and staff to continue to deliver high-quality services and infrastructure across the whole shire. She believes in advocating strongly for what Cardinia Shire needs and engaging with residents, community groups, farmers, businesses and landowners, as we take up the challenge of creating a future we can all be proud of.

Carol holds qualifications in business (Bachelor of Business) and economics (Master of Economics), is a Harvard University Executive Program graduate and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Our General Managers

Jenny Scicluna – General Manager Customer, People and Performance

Jenny is a dedicated leader committed to building a positive culture and supporting staff to reach their full potential. Jenny has extensive local government experience, having worked in the sector for 20 years.

Prior to her appointment as General Manager Customer, People and Performance, Jenny served four years as Cardinia Shire Council’s General Manager Community Wellbeing and six months as Acting General Manager Corporate Services. She has also led a broad range of community services at Maroondah and Banyule City councils and held pivotal roles in emergency events.

Jenny is well known for her high level of influencing, organisational and interpersonal leadership skills in the local government sector and consistently builds positive, high performing teams and cultures. Recently Jenny was recognised as one of the top 50 Public Sector Women for 2020.

In addition to her vast range of experience in different sectors, Jenny holds a Master of Human Resources Management, Diploma and Bachelor of Education, and Diploma of Frontline Management. Jenny is committed to people leadership and building a positive, customer-focused culture of service to others. Interacting with and relating to people is what she enjoys most about her role, along with building positive and strong teams and supporting staff to do their best.

Peter Benazic – General Manager Infrastructure and Environment

Peter is well known for his relentless pursuit of excellence, people leadership and customer focus while leading high performing teams.

Peter has more than 20 years’ experience in local government leadership roles at Port Phillip, Banyule and Maribyrnong city councils, in areas including operations, maintenance, parks, waste, and project management. He also has experience in the private, community and not-for-profit sectors.

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

As the General Manager Infrastructure and Environment, Peter is committed to building a customer-focussed culture that will serve the Cardinia Shire community well, both now and into the future.

Debbie Tyson – General Manager Governance, Facilities and Economy 

Debbie has been with Cardinia Shire Council for almost five years in a number of management roles, including Manager Development and Compliance Services, General Manager Assets and Services (Acting), and most recently as Manager Community and Family Services. She came to Cardinia with experience in other local government areas primarily in planning, and having worked as a planning consultant. Debbie has shown strong leadership skills, working across several areas of Council, and believes building robust relationships to be a key part of good leadership. 

Lili Rosic – General Manager Liveable Communities

Lili joined Cardinia Shire Council in August 2021, bringing more than 20 years’ of leadership experience, including most recently as a GM Development, Transport and City Amenity at Port Phillip Council.

Lili is an accomplished senior executive with a proven past performance of engaging and partnering with key stakeholders to solve complex problems and transition ideals into reality. Her local government career began in the community sector where she led Maternal and Child Health, and Family, Youth and Children’s Services teams for many years. Lili holds formal qualifications in nursing, midwifery, community engagement and business administration.

Lili has a strong focus on community and customer service, alongside planning for the future. She values building trust and a positive, unified culture and takes a strategic approach to delivering and inspiring high achievement in her teams. She is values driven and is a supportive, clear and collaborative leader.