GEORGEINA Whelan will be the first female Commissioner to lead the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA).

Ms Whelan, who spent two years as the chief officer of ACT State Emergency Service (ACTSES), will become the fifth Commissioner when she replaces Dominic Lane.

Mr Lane worked as the Commissioner for almost seven years and now, Ms Whelan will begin a five-year term, which will run until August 2024.

In Ms Whelan’s previous role as chief officer of ACTSES, she led it during a number of storm, flood and bushfire events and immersed herself in every aspect of the Agency.

Prior to her time with the ESA, Ms Whelan led various front-line teams and international disaster management operations, including the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Banda Aceh.

Ms Whelan says it’s such a privilege to have been appointed to this role and the opportunity to continue to build upon the great work of the previous leadership.

“It is an exciting time to be leading the Agency as we embark on a period of innovation that will ensure we remain at the forefront of the emergency response capability provided by to our community,” she says.

“I look forward to engaging with our community and partners to inform the work of each of our four Services and the Agency as a whole. I will be working closely with each of the service chief officers to ensure effective leadership of our dynamic team of staff and volunteers as we progress toward the next phase of the agency’s maturation.”

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