Executive leadership team

Jo Murdoch was appointed as Managing Director of North East Water in January 2022.

With more than 20 years’ experience across the water and local government sectors, Jo’s leadership helps organisations deliver real and tangible benefits for their communities, supporting the health and prosperity of the regions they serve.

Prior to joining North East Water, Jo was a general manager at Barwon Water, Victoria’s largest regional urban water corporation, where she was responsible for critical strategic and service functions. Prior to this, Jo held senior leader roles with Yarra City, Kingston, and Whitehorse councils.

Jo holds a Master of Business Administration, a Graduate Certificate in International and Community Development, is IAP2 certified and an AICD member. She is also an accredited Evolve Communities Ally and was recognised in the 2022 Institute of Public Administration Australia’s Top 50 Public Sector Women Awards for her leadership commitment and contribution during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jo is the Chair of the Victorian Intelligent Water Network and Deputy Chair of the Victorian Water Managing Directors’ Forum. 

As a North East Water Director, she is also an ex-officio member of the People and Culture Committee, Transformation and Major Projects Committee, and Opportunity and Risk Committee.

As General Manager Environment, Systems & Operations, John oversees the critical functions of water and wastewater treatment systems (management and delivery), as well the mechanical and electrical planning and delivery teams.

John has more than 25 years of experience in water and wastewater operational and asset management roles, both in the water, pulp and paper, and petrochemical industries.

Additionally, John is a former director of the Water Industry Operators Association and is a member of the Institute of Water Administration, Australian Water Association.

John is the current lead for the VicWater Workforce Readiness project and the lead for Intelligent Water Networks Circular Economy Gas project investigating hydrogen and biomethane processes.

Marni joined the North East Water team in 2020 and has over 19 years of leadership and human resources experience, with the last 14 years being in the government and water sector.

Leading the Customer and Culture units, Marni manages the teams responsible for customer service including billing, customer insights, hardship and support services, as well as the People and Culture unit including OHS, return to work, recruitment, employee and industrial relations, learning and development, payroll, and wellbeing.

A major focus for Marni is to ensure that our customers receives caring, effective and efficient service when interacting with North East Water and that our staff work, grow and develop in a safe and supportive workplace culture. 

Marni holds tertiary qualifications in Human Resource Management, Training and Development, Management and Leadership and Health Science and is a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD).

Nicholas was appointed to the role of General Manager Corporate Strategy and Performance in December 2023. Nicholas is responsible for the functions of finance, economic regulation, corporate strategy and governance, enterprise programs and procurement, risk and internal audit, industrial and commercial customers, community engagement, and business performance reporting.

Nicholas brings strong analytical and problem-solving skills to the business with over 20 years’ experience in senior financial management roles in the water and government sector. Nicholas has implemented a number of key business initiatives to transform the way we work with a focus on driving business efficiencies.

Nicholas holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Lisa joined the North East Water team in 2023 to lead the Digital and Business Innovation portfolio. Lisa has worked in executive leadership roles across the areas of digital transformation, innovation, cyber and data with a key focus on the needs of customer, corporation and community.

Within her role, Lisa focuses on the customer and user experience through understanding processes and enabling technology. This is done using a human-centred design approach, customer journeys, innovation methodologies, and data and analytics to drive better service offerings, continuous improvement and an engaged workforce.

She is also a non-executive director on the board of Beyond Housing, a local not-for-profit organisation that is committed to preventing and ending homelessness, through housing affordability and stability.

Lisa holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Business (PGDDB) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Guy is a leader in public sector strategy, planning, policy and governance with a passion for environmental sustainability and building thriving communities.

Along with his role at North East Water, he is also a member of the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Utility Excellence Committee and the VicWater Safety Executive Group.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) having been appointed on the basis as a person who has contributed greatly to Australian governance.

Guy has enhanced his public sector experience with non-executive director roles at Westernport Water and the Yarra Energy Foundation.
His qualifications include a degree in Civil Engineering and Graduate Diplomas in Business Administration and Commercial Law.