Gillian Vickers leads a team of more than 100 staff and educators across Campbelltown Council’s family day care, long day care, occasional care and outside school hours care services, as well as a child and family centre and a mobile toy and book library service.
But after just 12 months as the council’s acting manager of education and care services, Ms Vickers has won a prestigious award.
She has just been named NSW Manager of the Year in the Australian Institute of Management’s annual Excellence Awards.
The award celebrates the innovation, strategic thinking and vision of leaders from the public and private sectors.
The seven finalists in this year’s awards included senior managers, executives and leaders of business across all industries, who have had an extraordinary impact on their organisation’s success through forward-thinking strategies.
Judges said that Ms Vickers demonstrated great leadership skills in managing a complex set of stakeholders, often with conflicting goals, wants and needs, and demonstrated an ability to deliver a message that was forthright and strong, inspiring others to follow her.
Newly elected Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr Paul Hawker, congratulated Ms Vickers on the award and her outstanding performance in Education and Care Services.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Gillian has achieved excellent results for the residents of Campbelltown and their children,” Cr Hawker said.[/social_quote]
“She has the respect and loyalty of those who work for her, and has fostered a strong, cohesive team that provides quality child care services. She values innovation and professional development and inspires others to do the same.
“Her level of enthusiasm and dedication is reflected by the strong relationships she maintains with colleagues and clients alike. Gillian truly connects with people and is focused and authentic in all of her interactions,” Cr Hawker said.
Ms Vickers will now vie for a National Excellence Award at the finals in Melbourne on October 16.
