Warwick Winn is a passionate general manager dedicated to making a difference. Originally from New Zealand, he studied an undergraduate degree in industrial psychology before moving to the UK where, after doing some contract-type work, he landed a job as an environmental strategy officer at one of Londons local councils. He quickly realised that the public sector was a great fit for him and decided this was where he would build his career. For a number of years, he worked in the fields of urban planning and sustainability, progressively moving up the ranks into management positions. He then moved back home to New Zealand and took up the role of city planning manager for Dunedin City Council.
That was a great place to work, Warwick says. It had a few issues when I first arrived, and it really was a change job where I had to make some significant cultural shifts in the team to meet some of the important targets. It was also very much about regional economic development work, and that was a great experience for me.
As a reflection of Warwicks hard work there, he was nominated in 2000 for the New Zealand Young Executive of the Year Award by fellow staff and the elected council. While he didnt win the title, he says the experience was one he will always remember fondly. Following that, he came to Australia and worked as a director in charge of the planning and environmental side of things. I spent nearly 10 years as the planning director here in North Sydney Council, and then took on the general manager role about 18 months ago. Its been quite a journey but really enjoyable.