Executive Management Team
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and divisional managers form Brisbane City Council's Executive Management Team. The CEO reports to the Lord Mayor.
Chief Executive Officer
Colin Jensen, Chief Executive Officer
Managing an annual budget of almost $4 billion and an asset base of over $34 billion, Colin Jensen is Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane City Council, serving a population of over 1.2 million people.
Colin oversees the largest local government in Australia and delivers Council’s key initiatives in the pursuit of its Brisbane Vision 2031.
Brisbane City Council is delivering congestion-busting road projects, Australia’s most modern public transport, including the Brisbane Metro, transforming Brisbane’s Victoria Park / Barrambin into a world-class park public parkland, and constructing Council’s Green Bridges at Kangaroo Point and Breakfast Creek - all with a strong economy and more local jobs. Brisbane will be home to 18 of the 32 competition venues after being named the Host City of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in July 2021.
As Chief Executive Officer, Colin is committed to ensuring Brisbane is and always will be a great place to live, work and relax and empowers this commitment through championing and modelling clear organisational values across Council.
Prior to joining Council in August 2010, Colin had a successful career in the Queensland Government, most recently as the Coordinator-General and Director-General of the Department of Infrastructure and Planning. As the key infrastructure program manager, he presided over a capital program of $18.2 billion – a record for any Australian government.
Colin received the QUT Chancellor’s Outstanding Alumni Award and the Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award for 2011.
Colin was awarded the Queensland 2010/11 National Emergency Medal for sustained service by the Governor-General for the role he played in the January 2011 floods.
He holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), joining the country’s leading names in technological science and engineering. Colin is also an honorary fellow of Engineers Australia.
Divisional Managers
David Chick, Divisional Manager, City Planning and Sustainability
In this role, David leads and manages City Planning and Sustainability which supports the future planning and shaping of Brisbane, development assessment, environment, parks and sustainability, and economic development. He provides leadership to develop policies and strategies to manage and integrate the demands of urban growth and economic development and oversee Council’s sustainability agenda.
David has also worked with the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority as Executive Director Precincts, Planning and Assessment. In this role, he guided the development of precincts around each of the new underground stations, to ensure the significant transport investment is maximised through the delivery of longer-term economic and community inspired urban development. David has provided design leadership across a number of components for the Cross River Rail project, including the stations and public spaces at Albert Street, Roma Street, Woolloongabba, Boggo Road and Exhibition. In addition, David has contributed to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid and Council’s Victoria Park Project Government Reference Group.
David is the former Chief City Planner, Wellington City Council, where he oversaw the design, development, resilience, sustainability and management of Wellington’s urban environment, including all planning, consenting and compliance functions, transport, infrastructure and waste operations, and the strategic design and policy direction to support the city’s future.
David holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Tasmania and a Graduate Diploma Landscape Architecture from the Queensland University of Technology.
Scott Stewart, Divisional Manager, Brisbane Infrastructure
As Divisional Manager, Brisbane Infrastructure, Scott Stewart’s leadership brings together Council's asset management, infrastructure planning, design, project management, construction, services, maintenance, waste and resource recovery, and transport planning and operations.
Scott joined Council in 2005 and has been a member of the Executive Management Team since 2006.
Prior to this he worked with international consultancy, Arup, in Australia and overseas.
Scott has more than 28 years of infrastructure and executive experience, across local and international roles in the private and public sectors. Experience includes major road, rail and urban infrastructure projects in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia.
Through his roles in Council, Scott has fulfilled key leadership roles for the development and delivery of Council’s major infrastructure projects including Brisbane Metro and the TransApex program, including the Go Between Bridge and Legacy Way toll roads.
Scott holds a Bachelor of Engineering (First Class Honours, UQ) and Master of Engineering Science (Project Management, UNSW). He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a Chartered Engineer, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the INSEAD Advanced Management Program (France).
Samantha Abeydeera, Divisional Manager, Transport for Brisbane
Samantha Abeydeera joined Council in April 2023 as the Divisional Manager, Transport for Brisbane. In this role Samantha is responsible for one of Australia’s largest public transport providers with more than 3,000 employees facilitating close to 50 million annual customer journeys across bus, ferry and e-mobility. Samantha and her team are committed to providing a world class public transport service for the people of Brisbane by delivering on Transport for Brisbane’s vision of every customer; every journey matters.
Prior to joining Council, Samantha was the Executive Director of Strategic Operations at Transport for NSW. This unique role was responsible for driving end to end multimodal strategy and continuous improvement in mass transport for up to 700 million annual customer journeys. Samantha previously held senior roles in the private sector including Managing Director of Transport and the group’s Chief Operating Officer for Maritime at the NRMA Group.
In 2018 Samantha was recognised as one of the Top 50 Women in NSW Government for her transformational leadership as Director of Train Crewing at Sydney Trains where she led more than 1000+ Drivers and Guards who delivered in excess of 400 million customer journeys annually.
Samantha holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University and has also undertaken executive education in Boston at Harvard Business School.
Pip Hold, Divisional Manager, Lifestyle and Community Services
As the Divisional Manager, Lifestyle and Community Services, Pip is responsible for leading Council’s delivery of experiences that matter for our communities. Pip drives the strategic direction of Council’s community facilities and venues, libraries, compliance and regulatory services, customer services, social inclusion programs and a rich offering of cultural and creative festivals and events.
Pip is an accomplished senior executive with more than 23 years of experience in public administration, policy and governance. Pip has previously held a variety of executive and senior roles in Brisbane City Council as well as various positions in the State and Federal governments. This experience has given her strong knowledge of all levels of government and how the community engages and interfaces.
Pip holds a Bachelor of Arts (Politics and German) from Flinders University (Adelaide), a Certificate III and IV in Footwear Production, Marleston College of TAFE (South Australia) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Anne Lenz, Divisional Manager, Organisational Services
As Divisional Manager for Organisational Services, Anne is responsible for leading, developing and managing Council’s business functions to ensure appropriate financial management, and effective delivery of ICT, asset optimisation, human resources, support services and centre-led procurement.
Prior to this appointment, Anne was Branch Manager for Compliance and Regulatory Services (CARS), Lifestyle and Community Services. In this role, Anne was responsible for managing Council’s regulatory response to matters across areas such as environmental health, built environment, animal management and natural environment.
Before joining Council, Anne had 17 years’ experience working in various roles at the Queensland Government, including Executive Director, Strategy Support and Compliance with the Department of Environment and Science. Some of her major achievements include implementing a new financial assurance framework for mines, developing an intelligence-led risk-based compliance model and managing the underground coal gasification trial.
Anne holds an Executive Master of Public Administration, Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management, Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Skills and Ethics, as well as a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Environmental Science.
Krysten Booth, Executive General Manager, City Standards
As Executive Manager City Standards, Krysten is responsible for maintaining and enhancing Council’s high standards of amenity, asset maintenance and service delivery across Brisbane. This includes the safe and efficient delivery of fleet services, civil construction, quarry products, asphalt manufacture and laying, waste management and delivery of park maintenance and city cleaning activities.
Before this appointment, Krysten held pivotal leadership roles since joining Council in 2009 including Manager Asset Services, where he was responsible for a broad remit of assets including roads, drainage, parks, natural areas, structures, and trees. The branch also had an extensive capital projects delivery program from major projects such as the Story Bridge restoration to playground upgrades across the city.
During his time as Manager Connected Communities, Krysten led the response to support more than 600 community and sports facilities across Brisbane following the 2022 severe weather event and flood, including the development of an extensive capital works repair program.
Krysten holds a Bachelor of Arts, from Queensland University of Technology, various leadership qualifications from Australian Institute of Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Tim Wright, Divisional Manager, City Administration and Governance
As Divisional Manager, City Administration and Governance, Tim provides high-level impartial advice and executive support to the CEO, Civic Cabinet and Council as well as strategic leadership, direction, and oversight of the division.
Prior to this appointment, Tim has held several executive roles within Council including Manager, Natural Environment, Water and Sustainability, and Manager, Asset Services. Both roles saw Tim lead large diverse teams and significant budgets to enhance the public space outcomes, and implement strategic sustainability initiatives for Brisbane.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing), Certificate IV in Competitive Systems and Practices (LEAN) and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also the Executive Sponsor of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community of Inclusion within Council.