PJSE has run the Committee for Melbourne’s annual dinner for the last 2 years and this year we were delighted to help them celebrate their 30th anniversary with the first ever dinner on court at Margaret Court Arena for 500 special guests. For Committee of Melbourne’s CEO Kate Roffey it was perhaps a bit like coming home having previously worked for Tennis Australia.
Peter: How do you take your coffee?
Kate:
Because I lived in the US in my early 20’s, I drink filtered coffee with low fat milk (much to the disgust of every Melburnian I know). I only drink about two coffees a week, but I’ll drink Russian Caravan tea in the morning and then I like an Earl Grey in the afternoon.
Peter: That is the most interesting combination of tea and coffee I’ve come across. How long have you worked at Committee for Melbourne and what is your background?
Kate:
I’ve been at the Committee for Melbourne for 3½ years. Before that I was at Tennis Australia as Manager of the redevelopment of Melbourne Park master plan. This had to be one of the best jobs around as part of the role in developing a visionary masterplan for the precinct meant I travelled around the world spending time with groups like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Manchester United FC and Minnesota Twins, to get a good overview of best practice in sports administration and stadium economics and facility development. As a sports lover, this was quite an experience! Before that I was the CEO of VicSport and previously at the University of Queensland in Student Services. I was actually born in Lismore and grew up in Narrabri in the far north-west of New South Wales. I studied at both the University of Canberra where I completed a degree in Sports Science and Administration and I also completed a Psychology Degree at the Australian National University. Post graduate I have studied at Queensland University of Technology and Victoria University.
Peter: What are the key objectives of the Committee for Melbourne?
Kate:
The key role of Committee for Melbourne is to look at how to make Melbourne more prosperous and liveable city as it gets bigger. The Committee is a member-based entity and with 120 members from big international corporations right through to genuine charitable entities. It is unique organisation that takes a long term cross-sectoral view and really thinks about what sort of Melbourne do we want for our children and grandchildren to live and work in. The Committee focuses on four key agenda areas – Future Economy; Infrastructure Development; Urban Optimisation and Liveability. Established in 1985, this year the Committee celebrates our 30th anniversary.
Peter: What are some of your proudest moments/highlights while working as CEO at the Committee for Melbourne?
Kate:
After many years of consistent and I have to admit very persistent advocacy, I’m very proud of the fact that the Committee played a key role in finally seeing the establishment of Infrastructure Victoria as an independent infrastructure planning entity. This statutory body will be responsible for the long term planning of all our infrastructure projects. As an independent body, it will take the political influences out of the key decisions that need to be made, which will help ensure that Melbourne keeps up with the demands currently placed on us by our ever growing population. I’m also very proud of the committee’s leadership program the Future Focus Group. This is a two year program that aims to instil in participants a better understanding of ‘civic leadership’. This program is now in its 20th year and during this time we have seen many of these graduates move up the corporate ladder and become captains of industry.
Peter: Why is Melbourne such a great city to host major sporting and cultural events?
Kate:
It really is a combination of many elements that collectively make us a great city for major events. These include our facilities and venues, hotels, restaurants, public transport, and the proximity these all have to the city. There is no other city in the world that has all of these key elements working as well together as Melbourne. I believe that Melbourne is one of the very few, if not the only city in the world, that could run the Olympic Games or another major international event tomorrow if we needed to with what we have in place.
Peter: What is your favourite event to attend in Melbourne, apart from the Committee for Melbourne Dinner (of course)?
Kate:
I’m fortunate to have been to many major international sporting events this year; World Cup Cricket, Champions Cup Football matches, the LPGA international women’s golf, the State of Origin, and the Australian Open tennis. Being a huge fan of the arts, I am also grateful to be a regular guest at Opera Australia’s performances and opening nights of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s magnificent local stage productions. However, there is one event that I think flies under the radar (excuse the pun), but deserves a special mention and that is the Avalon Air Show. The economic impact it has for both Melbourne and Geelong is often overlooked, but this is a world class event, and the only event in Melbourne where you can buy a heat-seeking missile off the shelf – if you ever needed one. While I am not personally in the market for a missile, heat-seeking or otherwise, I’m delighted to know we are keeping the Avalon Airshow for many years to come.
Peter: Who are some of your most admired Melburnians?
Kate:
In no particular order of importance as they are all wonderful: Harold Mitchell for his ongoing support of anything and everything that is great for Melbourne. Whether it’s the arts or the Melbourne Rebels – Harold is there. Kylie Minogue has always been a great Melbourne Ambassador on the global stage. Having had the chance to meet her a few times in London, I know she is always a huge fan of Melbourne as her home town and never forgets to give the city a good plug. And our new Governor Linda Dessau is a fabulous person and role model. I’ve been fortunate to work with Linda in a number of ways and she never fails to inspire and encourage. She is a great leader and it is entirely fitting Linda is our first female Governor.
Peter: What does Melbourne need?
Kate:
I have always believed that we need an iconic visual landmark that everyone who comes here wants to have their picture taken with.
Peter: I’ve just come back from Copenhagen and it’s the Little Mermaid Statue that everyone went and had their picture taken with!
Kate:
As The Little Mermaid shows, it doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be iconic, unique and interesting. I am not sure what that is, but I am some young innovative mind is already thinking about it.
Peter: What about the future of Melbourne?
Kate:
We need to ensure that we continue to plan for growth in the future. Great cities don’t happen by chance, they happen with great vision and delivery of outcomes. We need to make sure we do keep getting better as we get bigger, and that means we need to keep our eye on the horizon, and stay ahead of the competition.
Peter: Kate, thank you for your time and insights on what makes our great city of Melbourne – great. We are fortunate that we have the Committee of Melbourne helping to steer and shape progress for future generations. And as for a Melbourne icon, what about a giant Sherrin?
