Joss Fenton and Shara Reid have been appointed as Independent Members of Huon Valley Council’s Audit Panel for a term of up to three years, with Joss taking on the additional role of Panel Chairperson. They join Councillors Jessop and Gibson, who sit on the Panel as Councillor Members.
Joss is Principal of Cygnet Community Accounting & Advisory and Joss Fenton Consulting. He is a CPA-qualified, registered tax agent who has spent more than 25 years working in financial management, governance and advisory roles across a wide range of organisations, with a particular focus on the not-for-profit sector.
His governance experience extends into local government, having spent four years as an independent member of the Hobart City Council Risk and Audit Panel between 2015 and 2019. Raised near the Derwent estuary, Joss spends his spare time bushwalking, sailing and travelling, and is active in the local business community.
Joining Joss on the panel is Shara Reid, a senior legal, governance, risk and compliance professional whose career spans the government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Shara is an admitted Queensland legal practitioner and holds a Master of Laws, and is recognised as a Fellow of both the Governance Institute of Australia and the Chartered Governance Institute for her work in governance frameworks, risk management, audit and assurance, and organisational transformation.
Shara’s current roles include Independent Member of the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General Audit and Risk Management Committee, Community Member of the City of Darwin Risk Management and Audit Committee, Board Director of Rise Above Capital Region Cancer Relief, and Committee Member of the Australian Commandery Association (ACT).
Huon Valley Council Acting Mayor Toby Thorpe said the appointments strengthened the independent oversight provided to Council.
“Joss and Shara each bring a depth of financial and governance expertise that will serve our community well,” Councillor Thorpe said. “On behalf of Council, I’d like to welcome them both to the Audit Panel.”