We recently spoke with Gregory Kemp, Organisational Risk and Resilience Officer at the City of Mitcham, to hear more about his role and interest in the Network.

What is your role and how long have you been in local government?

I commenced with City of Mitcham in November 2024, which was my first foray into local government after many years in State Government agencies. I do enjoy the change. My role is the Organisational Risk and Resilience Officer, and I am responsible for coordinating the council’s risk management, business continuity, and emergency management frameworks.

What’s the most beneficial aspect of being a member of the Business Performance and Improvement Network?

For me, it is networking. Whilst I strongly believe in continuous improvement, I am not big on re-inventing the wheel or change for change’s sake. If I can assist another council or if another council has completed something similar to my current work, why not share information and ideas.

What’s your favourite performance or improvement work / life hack?

I have two, both are quite old, but still work well.  Firstly, I use the Eisenhower Matrix (Do, Schedule, Delegate, Delete) to prioritise tasks and avoid wasting time on the unimportant, non-urgent tasks. The second one is a variation of the old KISS model. Keep It Simple but Smart. The Smart part refers to avoiding over-simplification. To assist, I also refer to a quote from Albert Einstein: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, not simpler”.

What do you do with yourself in your spare time?

I hike through Kuitpo Forest most weekends, alongside my family, who ride horses. I used to ride as well, but age and previous sporting injuries have caught up to me.