Greek Australian, John Pandazopoulos, will serve as the Chairperson of Parks Victoria for the next four years, following his appointment by the Victorian Government.
He joins Ms Lisa Marty as deputy Chairperson, as well as new board members Dr Anthony Boxshall, Dr Doris Paton and Ms Vijaya Vaidyanath.
Victoria’s Minister for Environment, Lily D’Ambrosio, said Mr Pandazopoulos and the other board members will play a significant role in managing 4.1 million hectares of parks, reserves and waterways for conservation, recreation and cultural heritage purposes.
“These new board members bring a great range of knowledge and experience to Parks Victoria in a variety of fields, including cultural heritage, financial management, forestry and natural resource management,” D’Ambrosio said in a statement.
Mr Pandazopoulos was a current board member at the time of his appointment.
During his time on the board, he served on committees focusing on planning, projects and asset management and Aboriginal engagement.
Mr Pandazopoulos also has experience in public policy, advocacy, governance, audit and risk, compliance and reporting requirements and will bring extensive involvement in community consultation and representation.
In a statement on Facebook, Mr Pandazopoulos said he was “very honoured” to begin his tenure with Parks Victoria.
“We add $2.3 billion to economic activity in Victoria, whilst managing a $250 million budget and $5.5 billion in assets,” he wrote.
“I look forward to working with the new Board and thank outgoing Board members for their service.”
