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JUDE MUNRO HAS THE MOST COVETED LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOB IN AUSTRALIA WITH A BUDGET OF $1.6BILLION AND SEVERAL THOUSAND STAFF. SHE'S FEISTY, TOUGH AND SHE LIKES THE LIMELIGHT. MEET LORD MAYOR JIM SOORLEY'S NEW RIGHT-HAND WOMAN
'She is like one of those tough school teachers you have that you're scared of, but still like at the same time'
JUDE Munro is not a woman who dawdles. The new chief executive officer of Brisbane City Council is a strider. A purposeful one at that.
You can see it the minute she emerges from the ordered confines of her office on the 13th floor of the administration centre behind City Hall, in sensible flatties.
Although heels-for-height are favoured by many women of Munro's diminutive stature, you get the impression that they'd simply slow this woman down. A disciplined, energetic worker, well-liked, a smart operator but a tough taskmaster is how she's described by former colleagues and councillors who worked with her in her previous job as CEO of Adelaide City Council.
As one Adelaide councillor put it: "She is like one of those tough school teachers you have that you're scared of, but still like at the same time. She had the common touch but I saw her lose her temper a couple of times."
There's certainly a studious air about Munro, 49, although no sign of ill-temper at this interview. She's welcoming and charming in her simple suit, her short auburn hair combed into a no-fuss style, and her face devoid of make-up. She speaks in soft, measured tones, and her blue eyes crinkle engagingly at the corners when she smiles. But she has the air of one who doesn't suffer fools gladly, and no doubt that smile could just as easily become an icy glare.
Does she see herself as a tough taskmaster? "Yes. I expect a lot of myself, I expect me to work long hours. For my executive team, I set very high expectations."
But, she's quick to point out, she doesn't impose her own working hours on everyone around her, particularly those who haven't chosen to climb the corporate ladder as she has. Right now she's pretty high up on that ladder as boss of the nation's largest municipality, in charge...