Georgeina Whelan has been appointed Commissioner of the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA), the first woman to serve in the position.
Announcing the appointment, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman said Commissioner Whelan (pictured) was highly regarded in the emergency services sector and across government having spent almost two years in the role of Chief Officer of the ACT State Emergency Service (ACTSES).
“During this time, she has led the ACTSES during a number of storm, flood and bushfire events and immersed herself in every aspect of the Agency,” Mr Gentleman said.
He said he was pleased to see a woman appointed as the fifth Commissioner to lead the ESA.
“She will bring a renewed focus on the safety, training, health and wellbeing of our first responder staff and volunteers and continue to build upon the community’s trust of the Emergency Services Agency across its four individual services,” Mr Gentleman said.
“Her skills and experiences as part of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services community has meant that she has quickly and confidently step into the Commissioner role,” he said.
Commissioner Whelan said it was a privilege to be appointed and was looking forward to leading the Agency through a period of innovation to keep them on the forefront of emergency response capability.
