Mr Finnigan, who was among four candidates interviewed for the role, had extensive experience in local government and a career spanning more than 30 years across a variety of council roles, most recently as acting general manager.

His experience with council included financial, governance and leadership roles with a focus on community engagement and collaboration and a positive high performing and supportive team culture.

Mr Finnigan's formal qualifications included an MBA majoring in sustainable business, Bachelor Business Administration, Diploma Occupational Health and Safety and Bachelor English Literature.

Mayor Steve Reynolds said council was a facing challenging times with major federal, state and local government projects, financial challenges and extreme weather events stretching council's resources to the limit.

"We were very impressed with how Mr Finnigan has kept a steady ship since stepping into the leadership role during the recruitment period.

"It is a challenging job but he has a solid understanding of the importance of consolidation, organisational culture and in building a strong team to support business transformation.

"Council is looking forward to continuing working with Mr Finnigan and I am confident that staff and residents will value his leadership and commitment to our community."

Mr Finnigan replaced Ms Fiona Plesman who resigned from council in August 2022 after five years at the helm.