Cher Bartlett to Manage Irrigation Water Delivery

Strengthening customer and community connections, overseeing operational excellence, managing remote teams and leading collaboratively and transparently – these are just a few of the key skills Cher Bartlett brings to her new role at Tasmanian Irrigation.

Cher has been appointed General Manager, Customer and Operations, and will oversee the management of Tasmanian Irrigation’s water delivery, asset management, dam safety, hydrology, engineering and environmental compliance teams.

With more than 1,200 customers and 19 operational schemes around the State, Cher is excited about learning, listening, improving and innovating.

“What drew me to Tasmanian Irrigation is its purpose,” she said. “Reliable, cost-effective water underpins regional prosperity, and the work we do every day directly supports farmers, businesses and communities across the State. That’s meaningful work, and I’m looking forward to contributing to it, alongside my passionate and dedicated team.”

Cher has a Bachelor of Business, as well as a Bachelor and Master of Laws. She spent the past 15 years at Origin Energy in a range of senior leadership roles across commercial, operations, engineering, technology, large‑scale transformation and legal. Most recently, she led the Supply and Technology division — a 200‑plus person multidisciplinary team responsible for portfolio management and optimisation, remote operations, technical and operational excellence, sales, digital and IT, and sustainability.

She has also just enjoyed 12 months in a caravan touring around Australia with her husband and two dogs.

“It was an incredible chance to reset, see the country from the ground up, and connect with the regional communities that keep Australia moving. It also reinforced how important reliable water and strong local relationships are to our regional communities.

“One of the first things I learned about Tasmanian Irrigation is that our number of operational schemes is about to increase from 19 to 20 as the 25,500-megalitre Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme begins operations in October.

“This brings our total water delivery capacity to more than 180,000 megalitres – and every megalitre is helping create jobs, enabling farmers to expand and diversity, and adding economic prosperity to our communities.”

Cher understands that a major contributor to strengthening irrigator relationships is ensuring Tasmanian Irrigation delivers water as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.

That’s why she will be spending time across operational sites and schemes, gaining an in-depth understanding of what works, where the pressure points are and how we can improve our water delivery business.

“I value open communication and practical problem‑solving, and I’m committed to creating an environment where people feel supported, trusted, and able to do their best work,” Cher said.

“That will enable us to best manage our significant portfolio of assets, including more than 1,000 kilometres of pipeline, 23 dams and numerous pump stations and balance tanks, and deliver water where and when it’s needed to keep our agricultural industries growing sustainably.”