Shire of Dardanup welcomes Andre Schonfeldt as new chief executive

Dardanup’s new shire chief executive Andre Schonfeldt is keen to work with the community and carry on the good work of his predecessor.

Mr Schonfeldt’s first day was on Friday, after being appointed in September.

“I’ve heard great things about this shire and it has a great reputation within the industry,” he said.

“With Wanju coming online there will be another 50,000 or 60,000 people in that area, Waterloo will come online with 1500ha of industrial area and the Bunbury Outer Ring Road will be here soon.

“It is such a strategically placed shire with so many opportunities.”

Mr Schonfeldt was previously the director of development services at the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale.

He said his three years of experience in the country’s fastest growing local government area on a per capita basis would serve him well as he prepares to deal with the pressures that come with growth.

“We are already well placed and have a good reputation in the industry, so for me it is about coming in and ensuring we keep going the way we are going,” he said.

“I want to spend time getting to know the community and really understanding what the goals are that need to be set.”

He said filling the shoes of predecessor Mark Chester, who held the role for 22 years, would be difficult in some ways but easy in others.

“He put an organisation together that does a lot of great things and in that way things will be easy because there are already staff and processes in place,” he said.

“I know I will be able to rely on my staff to continue the good work.

“My career will be what the community needs it to be — it may not be the same as Mark and I’ll have my own style of doing things, but the integrity Mark showed is something any young chief executive would aspire to.”