Departure of Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust CEO, Laz Cotsios

Statement from the Trust Chair, Dr Vanda Fortunato

As Trust Chair for the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT), I wish to notify you that our Chief Executive Officer, Laz Cotsios, has resigned from his position. Laz will finish up with us at the end of February.

Laz has been with us since 2022, and has made this decision to spend more time enjoying being a grandfather and family man. I am sure it is a sentiment many of us can understand.

From SMCT's perspective we are on the cusp of finalising our new Strategic Plan. We have a busy period in front of us as we implement that plan and of course seamlessly manage business as usual. For this reason I will be bringing in an interim CEO to join the organisation prior to Laz departing so there is a crossover. Laz departs at the end of next month.

We will move to recruit a permanent CEO when we have considered the position description against the rollout of the Strategic Plan. It's an exciting time of growth for our organisation and I look forward to setting us up for success for 2024 and beyond.

In the meantime, I would like to thank Laz Cotsios for his contribution to SMCT and leadership of the organisation. In particular, Laz has provided significant input to the Strategic Plan.

Please direct any enquiries you may have to communications@smct.org.au.