We welcome all people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, abilities, ages and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTIQA+ communities.
We are an organisation that sees ourselves as part of our local community. Our community is at the heart of everything we do and we take every opportunity we can to give back to the people that live, work and visit the City of Greater Dandenong.
Executive Management Team
Council's Executive Team consists of:
Jacqui Weatherill - Chief Executive Officer
Jacqui Weatherill assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer at Greater Dandenong City Council in December 2022. She is a dynamic and forward-thinking senior executive, dedicated to enhancing organisational leadership and corporate culture to drive enterprise-wide transformation.
With over 20 years of experience in senior executive positions across not-for-profits, local government, and the public sector, Jacqui brings a wealth of knowledge to her role.
Having served as a CEO for 12 years, including leading the City of Stonnington and the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, Jacqui's expertise is well-suited to her responsibilities at the City of Greater Dandenong.
In her current position, she oversees a $220+ million business, manages a team of approximately 1000 staff, and coordinates the delivery of over 120 services to the diverse Greater Dandenong community, known as one of Australia's most multicultural municipalities.
Jacqui is a leader guided by values, committed to empowering her team and continually seeking to enhance her leadership skills. Her dedication was recognized in 2018 when she was named one of the Top 50 public sector women in Victoria.
Peta Gillies - Executive Director Community Strengthening
Peta Gillies is an accomplished Executive Leader with over two decades of experience in the private, NFP and community care sectors driving organisational change, business transformation and growth.
Peta is passionate about improving stakeholder outcomes through the alignment of operating models with strategic goals and is skilled at leading people and driving cultures conductive to achieving success.
A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Peta is highly proficient in supporting Boards to develop and achieve strategic objectives, governance, risk and safety imperatives, while driving high performance teams, financial viability, quality outputs and sustainable growth.
Sanjay Manivasagasivam - Executive Director City Futures
Sanjay Manivasagasivam is a highly experienced strategic local government leader with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and Advanced Diploma in Business Management.
He has over 17 years of experience in local government, private sector and non-government agencies. Sanjay is a well-rounded executive with experience in major engineering projects, planning, regulatory services, business development and innovation.
Before coming to work at Greater Dandenong City Council, Sanjay previously worked at City of Hobsons Bay as Director Infrastructure and City Services for six years. Sanjay also acted as CEO for approximately six months when the CEO took long service leave in 2022.
Marjan Hajjari - Executive Manager Strategic Growth and Advocacy
Marjan Hajjari has worked in Victorian State Government for over eight years before coming to work at Greater Dandenong City Council in February 2024.
Marjan has more than two decades of experience and honed her skills in leading multidisciplinary teams and executing strategic approaches for complex city-shaping projects.
Marjan’s expertise lies in implementing government policies by collaborating with diverse stakeholders and communities to understand their needs, ensuring projects are shaped within budget and delivery parameters.
Marjan holds a Master of Architecture and a Master of Urban Design and completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2016.
Yuri Guzman - Chief Information Officer
Yuri Guzman joined the team at Greater Dandenong City Council in July 2024, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise in the intersection of technology and business.
Yuri has an MBA in Business Administration specialising in IT and Strategy. Prior to joining Greater Dandenong City Council, Yuri held the position of Chief Information Officer at the City of Whittlesea, and Senior Manager Information and Technology at City of Hume. Prior to that, Yuri was the Manager of IT at Royal Melbourne Hospital.
He is passionate about using technology to enable great service and improve people’s lives. One of his strengths is the ability to effectively bridge the gap between technology and business, to enable service areas to continuously improve and evolve.
View Council's Organisational Chart - 4.15MB
Council, as a statutory body, is responsible for carrying out various powers, duties and functions under a wide range of legislation and municipal local laws. To provide for the efficient and effective function of the organisation, the Local Government Act 2020 enables Council to delegate many powers, duties and functions, particularly those of an administrative and operational nature, to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
