Mayor Teresa Harding was officially sworn in as the 51st Mayor of Ipswich in April 2020 and is the first female Mayor in the city’s 166-year history. She brings to Council more than 35 years of business, government and not-for-profit leadership, and more than 25 years’ experience in leading large teams and managing complex projects within the public sector. Mayor Harding held senior roles in the private sector in the fields of information technology and sales. She holds a Master in Management, Post Graduate Diploma in Management, Post Graduate Certificate in Information Technology, Diploma in Small Business Enterprises, has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course and is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff course at the Australian War College. Mayor Harding was named 2021 McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year for her work in leading transformational transparency reforms to improve the accountability of officials elected to local government.