Ms Thompson will take up the same role at Wyndham Council.

The sudden news of the defection disappointed Mayor Sel Sanli, but he was quick to pay tribute to Thompson’s seven-year stint as council CEO.

‘‘We have been very glad to have been able to utilise Ms Thompson’s skills and values over the years,’’ he said. ‘‘It is disappointing when you work closely as a team and you have short, mid and long term goals to work towards and then all of a sudden, the relationship is over and it’s back to reality. But you just have to realise that people like to move on to new challenges. Its disappointing but that’s life.

‘‘There is a good side to a bad story, Kerry will be moving to another council in the western region that we will be working closely with in the future.’’

A decision on Thompson’s replacement will ‘‘not be rushed’’ with an acting CEO to be appointed on Tuesday to take over from Thompson who departs the council on June 18.

Ms Thompson was appointed as Maribyrnong Council’s chief executive officer in 2003 following time with the City of Greater Geelong and the City of Melbourne.

While Thompson’s wealth of local government experience will be greatly missed, it was her ability to work seamlessly within a team environment that most impressed others, Cr Sanli said.

‘‘We have definitely been like a family over the last seven years, and when you work so closely together over a long period sometimes you see each other more than your own spouse.

‘‘Over the time we have not only formed a great professional relationship but we are also friends.’’

Ms Thompson’s decision to move to Wyndham Council was not a matter of financial gain according to Cr Sanli but a desire to face new challenges.

‘‘After seven years the challenges of Maribyrnong can get repetitive.

‘‘Wyndham is a big council, with a booming population and the challenges are quite different to what we face here.’’