City West Water, a government-owned utility operating in west Melbourne, has appointed a new Managing Director.
Maree Lang, who has been acting in the Managing Director role since November 2019, will step up to the role permanently following a national recruitment process.
Ms Lang has worked with City West Water in senior leadership roles for three years.
In her most recent role as Acting Managing Director, Ms Lang has continued to lead the organisation to successfully deliver essential services to over one million Melbournians, industrial and commercial customers, and Melbourne’s hospitals, sporting and entertainment precincts.
Prior to this role, Ms Lang was General Manager of Infrastructure and Delivery at City West Water, delivering $165 million in infrastructure and shared assets this financial year, managing $1.9 billion of assets and an outsourced maintenance delivery function.
Previously, Ms Lang worked at Melbourne Water for four years, where she led the transformation of its services for urban growth and renewal, and worked in various management roles across customer solutions, sustainability and innovation.
Ms Lang has also held senior leadership consulting and executive roles working across sectors including manufacturing, resources, research, government and industry associations.
Ms Lang holds degrees in chemical engineering (honours) and commerce from Monash University and a Master of Business Administration (Prof) from Melbourne Business School.
She was also recognised for her achievements as one of Victoria’s Top 50 Public Sector Women for 2018 and more recently was selected to be a participant in the inaugural 2020 Executive Leadership Women in Water Program, sponsored by the Victorian Minister for Water, Lisa Neville.
City West Water Chair, David Middleton, said Ms Lang was a passionate leader with a wealth of experience in operational leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategy, of which City West Water will continue to benefit.
“Ms Lang’s leadership approach includes a strong future orientation, a commitment to high performance and empowerment, a belief in adaptation and innovation, and a determination to be an authentic and inclusive leader,” Mr Middleton said.
“As a member of the City West Water Executive team for the past three years, Ms Lang has led and sponsored critical culture, leadership, safety and business transformation programs to deliver on our strategic outcomes.
“Combined with her water sector experience and a diverse and commercially driven background, Ms Lang has demonstrated her ability to set direction and lead transformation and growth in complex and changing environments.”
On her appointment, Ms Lang said she was “thrilled” to be formally stepping into the Managing Director role.
“My time at City West Water has shown me our organisation is committed to the diverse communities we service across Melbourne’s CBD and rapidly growing western suburbs,” Ms Lang said.
“I look forward to working with the board and executive team as we innovate and adapt to new opportunities in delivering exceptional services for City West Water’s customers.”
