The appointment of a new chief finance officer who wants to see "new, innovative approaches" means Falkirk Council' s senior leadership team now has a 50:50 gender split.
Amanda Templeman, 47, trained at Audit Scotland and KPMG then joined Falkirk Council in 2004. Since then, she has held various roles in the finance team - most recently as Capital and Treasury manager.
She said: "Having worked for the council for nearly 20 years, I understand its complexities and challenges as well as the opportunities for change. I am excited to be part of a leadership team that is committed to working collaboratively to deliver improvements and tackle the council’s financial challenges.
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“The council needs to be smaller, flexible, and more responsive; and must ensure its scarce resources are targeted to priorities, as much as possible. To do that, we need to understand and scrutinise what we do as well as the impact any investment has.
"We also need to work with employees, partners and communities to consider new and innovative approaches because we cannot afford to keep doing what we are doing.”
Karen Algie, acting director of transformation, communities and corporate services, welcomed Amanda to the team, saying: “As CFO, she will play a critical role in our transformation and be pivotal in helping us address the financial difficulties we face.”
Since January this year, the Council’s senior leadership team has undergone significant changes. Amanda takes over the financial reins from long-serving CFO Bryan Smail, one of three senior officers who have retired recently.
Malcolm Bennie has joined as Director of Place Services, and the new Director of Transformation, Communities and Corporate Services will be officially announced in the coming weeks.
Amanda’s appointment as CFO means the team now has a 50/50 gender split.
She said: “It’s important to have a mix of people with different life experiences, strengths and approaches around the table to ensures multiple views can be considered in a constructive yet challenging environment.
"The women that already sit on the senior leadership team – and the female leaders before them – have shown how effective strong female leadership can be. I’ve always felt supported and nurtured at Falkirk Council and have never felt my gender was a barrier. That, in large part, is why I have chosen to build my career here.”
