Mr Tombs (54), an English chartered accountant who built a career in Australia's public and private sectors, began a new role as the Dunedin City Council's commercial and finance general manager on January 8.
He replaces former council group chief financial officer Grant McKenzie, who left in 2016 to take up a new role as chief executive of Allied Press, publisher of the Otago Daily Times.
Mr Tombs, in an interview with the ODT yesterday, said he was drawn to Dunedin by the promise of a ''dynamic and progressive'' city with ''lots of excitement on the horizon''.
As evidence, he pointed to the council's plans for more investment, moves to unlock the harbourside's potential, planned developments within the University of Otago campus and the rebuild of Dunedin Hospital.
''It just seemed like an exciting time to be in Dunedin,'' Mr Tombs said.
His professional career began in London, before he transferred to accounting firm KPMG's Sydney office in 1989.
He worked there until 1992, then went backpacking in Queensland, before taking a new job for KPMG in Townsville, in northern Queensland, soon after.
He had remained in northern Queensland since, working in a variety of public and private sector roles, before quitting his most recent job at Hinchinbrook Shire Council, near Townsville, to come to Dunedin.
He moved here with his wife and the two youngest of their four children. A third child planned to join them to study at the University of Otago next year.
Mr Tombs had been encouraged by life in the South so far, saying the city's balmy weather - for now - pristine beaches, vibrancy, friendly people and lack of traffic congestion were all pluses.
''Everything just looks like it's a really liveable city.
''I'm yet to find a negative, put it that way.''
His focus was on a mix of governance, strategic and operational issues, although, as he learnt more about the organisation, things appeared to be running relatively smoothly, he said.
''There's lots of positives I want to build on. There's nothing that I've sat back and said 'No, that's not working - we need to urgently fix it'.''
He aimed to improve the council's relationship and communication with its companies, as well as helping councillors move the council to where they wanted it to be.
The council was in a good position to invest in the city, but part of his role would be to help ensure the council remained on track by sticking to its financial plans.
''There's no point having a plan that says we're going to do A, B and C, if no-one's making sure we are.
''I don't see myself as being an accelerator or handbrake to the process, but certainly the nav-man who sees if we're on track or falling off track and how to get back on track, if the finances start slipping away from what the plan is.''
