The Canberra Institute of Technology board has told staff an acting boss will be announced "shortly" after chief executive Leanne Cover was stood down over a series of controversial contracts.
CIT board chair Kate Lundy announced a series of appointments within the institute's executive on Wednesday, telling staff in an email that a number of staff from the executive had been off work sick.
But a replacement CEO has not yet been appointed. Ms Lundy said she expected to make an announcement on an acting CEO shortly.
It is not known how long Ms Cover will be on leave. CIT has been contacted for comment.
Ms Cover was directed to take leave after it was revealed the ACT Integrity Commissioner was investigating $8.5 million worth of contracts CIT had awarded to a company owned by Patrick Hollingworth.
The contracts to Mr Hollingworth, who describes himself as a "complexity and systems thinker", have spanned over a five year period. They have come under fire for the use of jargon and for having unclear aims and deliverables.
Former CIT board chair Craig Sloan told Skills Minister Chris Steel last month they could not guarantee the most recent $4.99 million was value for money.
CIT had planned to complete a probe into the nearly $5 million contract by the end of July but this was paused at the request from the integrity commission. Ms Cover was initially stood down until this investigation was completed.
Ms Lundy wrote to CIT staff on Wednesday, acknowledging the strain of recent events.
"The past few weeks have been challenging and I am very grateful for the way everyone has continued to deliver the high quality training and experiences CIT is renowned for," Ms Lundy wrote in the email.
"Also many staff have been impacted by COVID as it sweeps across the ACT community. I understand the additional strain this has placed on so many, and the way everyone has supported each other has been just wonderful."
Ms Lundy also said that four people had been appointed in temporary roles within the executive over the coming months.
"We also have had a number of the existing executive team off work sick recently. As advised previously, with the CEO on leave, the board has taken action to augment capacity in the CIT executive," she said.
"Tania Manuel is executive branch manager policy and governance, Craig Jordan is a finance expert who will support all aspects of CIT's financial strategies and finally Daniel Riley has joined CIT as an FOI specialist."
The board also announced that Jo Andersen, who is an executive branch manager at Skills Canberra, had been seconded to a temporary role in the CIT executive.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
