Dale Dickson joined the City of Gold Coast in 1999 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2003. The City of Gold Coast is the second largest local government in Australia with an annual budget of $1.1 billion, over 3,400 employees and serving a resident population of around 535,000.

Dale’s career in local government spans over 30 years and during this time he has worked with a number of Councils, including Melbourne and Brisbane City Councils, Gympie Regional Council and another iconic Queensland tourist destination, Whitsunday Regional Council, as its Chief Executive Officer.

Dale holds a Bachelor of Business in Local Government, a Graduate Diploma of Management and a Master of Public Policy and Management.

In 2014 Dale was recognised in the Australia Day honours list with a Public Service Medal for ‘outstanding public service to local government’. It adds to his previous awards, including the Governance Professional of the Year Award from the Chartered Secretaries of Australia and Queensland’s top award for leadership in local government by the Local Government Managers Association.

Dale also played professional Australian Rules football with the Melbourne Football Club from 1982-1986 and the Brisbane Bears from 1987-1989.