"The hard work starts now," she said. "I’m committed to building on the two pillars of community and prosperity, with a plan for an even better Melbourne." Ms Capp said she would be a lord mayor "for all of Melbourne, not specific interest groups". "I will start day one in the job without obligation to any political party or lobby group. My only obligation is to good outcomes for Melbourne and Melburnians." Ms Capp, the favourite for most of the campaign, held off a late charge in which Labor-backed candidate Jennifer Yang narrowed her lead considerably. She polled 19412 first preference votes (25 per cent of the ballot) to Ms Yang's 11774 votes (just over 15 per cent) and Greens councillor Rohan Leppert's 11296 votes (just under 15 per cent).

After distribution of preferences, Ms Capp had 40,579 votes (53 per cent) compared to Ms Yang's 35,913 votes (46.95 per cent). Ms Capp held off a late charge from Labor-affiliated candidate Jennifer Yang. Credit:Josh Robenstone Ms Capp is Melbourne's third woman lord mayor − following Lecki Ord in 1987-88 and Winsome McCaughey in 1988-89 − but the first female to be directly elected to the office. She will be sworn in during a ceremony at Town Hall on Thursday. Ms Capp took leave from her role as Victorian executive director for the Property Council of Australia during the campaign.

Her platform included plans for a $250 million, 2.5-kilometre elevated walking path along the Yarra River from Federation Square to Docklands, in the style of New York's High Line. She was one of only two candidates to support the proposed Apple development at Federation Square. She also pledged to address homelessness and Melbourne's population growth, which she said were among the biggest issues facing the city. Ms Capp's CV is about as high-powered as they come, and full of firsts. She was the first woman to hold the London-based post of Agent-General for Victoria in the UK, Europe and Israel, is a former CEO for the Committee for Melbourne and has held senior posts with multinational accounting firm KPMG and ANZ bank.

Ms Capp has sat on boards including the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Mary Jane Lewis Scholarship Foundation and the Melbourne University Faculty of Business and Economics. She was the first woman elected to the board of her beloved Collingwood Football Club. Ms Capp trained as a solicitor and worked for firms including Herbert Smith Freehills after receiving an honours degree in law and economics from the University of Melbourne. She graduated from Presbyterian Ladies College in 1986. She has two adult sons, Will and Nick, and lives in Hawthorn with her husband Andrew. Fourteen candidates including writer Sally Warhaft, restaurateur Allan Watson, businessman and former councillor Ken Ong and pollster Gary Morgan stood for election.

Deputy lord mayor Arron Wood did not stand and will therefore remain in his role. Ms Capp's election caps off a turbulent few months for Melbourne City Council. Long-serving lord mayor Robert Doyle stood down in February after he was accused of sexually harassing a number of women, including two councillors. He has denied the allegations. A council investigation conducted by Ian Freckelton, QC, found Mr Doyle sexually harassed two of his colleagues, former councillor Tessa Sullivan and councillor Cathy Oke. Dr Freckelton concluded that Mr Doyle grabbed Ms Sullivan's breast in May 2017 when the pair were in a chauffeur-driven mayoral car.