Ms Keenan was born in a small copper mining town on the border of the Kruger National Park in northern South Africa.
Her first job was growing heirloom produce for an Italian restaurant while studying, which quickly grew into managing the family’s restaurants.
She then worked as a waitress in New Zealand while studying for a Masters in Public Policy.
“I came to the attention of the Napier City Council CEO who was a regular guest and often had conversations with me,” Ms Keenan said.
“I got my big career break as his advisor, followed six months later by a secondment to central government to help draft and implement a new local government act.
Ms Keenan held positions as a director of New Zealand’s Skills Strategy and completed speechwriting for prime ministers.
“In the private sector I worked across the Middle East to set up an Arab news service (Arab 24) headquartered in Washington DC and had some fun doing PR for Greg Norman at his signature golf course in Aqaba,” she said.
Being a woman in leadership is not a foreign concept to Ms Keenan.
“When I was in New Zealand, all top five positions in government were held by women, so it feels normal,” she said.
“In all executive positions, there should be a 50/50 chance of a woman getting the role – if there isn’t, there is a problem.”
Ms Keenan said she was impressed by Moira Shire Council staff.
“I plan to carry out the vision of the elected representatives and the community by making Moira Shire Council increasingly responsive and customer focused and, of course, achieve value for money,” Ms Keenan said.
The 49-year-old is looking forward to buying a home in Moira Shire.
Ms Ewer, 49, is originally from Townsville and has 30 years of experience in public service.
Her first government role was as an executive assistant with the Department of Natural Resources.
She then worked as a project officer for the Abandoned Mines Program, risk managing 10,000 abandoned mine sites before moving into asset management.
Ms Ewer has also worked for Queensland Ambulance as a senior human resource consultant where a Master in Business Administration from James Cook University, Queensland, helped her with the role.
“I’m always learning something new; I’ve mostly studied while working,” she said.
Ms Ewer also has a Master of Conflict and Dispute Resolution and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours).
“Conflict resolution is about understanding that in large groups you don’t reach resolution but understanding, it helps me tease out the actual issues to find the common ground,” Ms Ewer said.
Ms Ewer has been the chief executive at Streaky Bay since May 2019.
Now a month into her new role, she said Berrigan Shire Council staff were committed to what they do.
“You can’t underestimate the importance of community engagement, for me, council really needs to be accessible and part of the community rather than trying to direct,” she said.
Ms Ewer encouraged women to take a leap of faith and push for leadership roles.
“I’ve always worked in heavily male-dominated industry, so I don’t really notice that I’m a female CEO — we’re growing in numbers.”
This summer, residents might find Ms Ewer on her Africa Twin motorcycle.
“It's in line with my personality as a risk taker,” she said.
“I’ve been riding for about 16 years and I love it.”
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