7 February 2012

New appointments to Wellington organisations

Wellington City Council has made a number of appointments, and reappointments, to several key Council-controlled organisations (CCOs) in the city.

Council-controlled organisations are separate entities which have been set up by the Council to independently manage facilities, or deliver specific services and developments to help achieve the Council’s goals for Wellington.

The Council openly advertised for appropriately qualified Wellingtonians to register their interest in serving on a CCO board. The advertisements, and a review of current vacancies on CCO boards, provided the context for the latest round of appointments.

A shortlist for each vacancy was compiled from a comprehensive database, including people who responded to the public announcements, and all of the appointments were considered and recommended to the Council by its Appointments Group. This Group comprises the Chair of the Council-controlled Organisations Performance Subcommittee, Alan Isaac, Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon and Council Chief Executive Garry Poole.

The appointments were confirmed at the Council’s meeting on 16 December.

The following new Council representatives have been appointed for 3 year terms:

• Basin Reserve Trust: Sir John Anderson
• Wellington Cable Car Limited: Anthony Briscoe
• Positively Wellington Venues: Lorraine Witten, Michael Egan and Samantha Sharif
• Positively Wellington Tourism: Howard Greive

The following current Council representatives have been reappointed:

• Wellington Cable Car Limited: Roger Drummond for 2 years
• Positively Wellington Venues: Chris Parkin and Linda Rieper for 3 years, and Sam Knowles for 1 year
• Wellington Museums Trust: Philip Shewell for 1.5 years
• Positively Wellington Tourism: Peter Monk for 1 year

Councillor Paul Eagle was reappointed to Wellington Venues Limited for 2 years

The Council gratefully acknowledges the services provided by:

• Kim Wicksteed during his tenure as a director of Positively Wellington Venues, and as a trustee of Positively Wellington Tourism
• Stephen Whittington during his tenure as a director of Positively Wellington Venues and for his service to the St James Theatre
• Jeremy Ward during his tenure as a director of Wellington Cable Car Ltd
• Roger Miller during his tenure as a trustee of the St James Theatre Charitable Trust
• Pele Walker during her tenure as a trustee of the St James Theatre Charitable Trust
• Derek Fry as the WCC officer appointment to the boards of the St James Theatre Charitable Trust and Positively Wellington Venues
• Glenn McGovern as the WCC officer appointment to the board of the Basin Reserve Trust

Deputy Mayor and Governance Portfolio Leader Councillor Ian McKinnon says we are fortunate to have such experienced individuals willing to serve our city in this way.

“By opening up the process a number of Wellingtonians offered to serve the city in this way,” says Cr McKinnon.

“This enabled the Council to appoint those specifically most suited to the needs of each CCO.

“CCOs are responsible for the delivery of important, cost-effective services for the people of Wellington. They are responsible for areas of Wellington close to the hearts of all Wellingtonians, including the Waterfront, Cable Car, City Gallery and the Museum of Wellington City and Sea and the Zoo.”

Profiles of appointees

Sir John Anderson:
Sir John Anderson is a well-recognised business leader in New Zealand with an extensive background in finance and banking, as well as other diversified interests involving sport and other sectors of the community. He is currently the chairman of PGG Wrightson, Capital & Coast District Health Board, the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund and the Wellington Regional Strategy Committee. He was formerly chairman of New Zealand Cricket and New Zealand's representative director on the International Cricket Council. He is a current trustee on the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust.

Sir John has held advisory and governance roles for successive governments through the 1980s and 1990s, received the 1990 Commemoration Medal for Services to New Zealand and was knighted in 1994. In 1995 he was awarded NBR "New Zealander of the Year." In 2003 he received the Deloittes Top 200 Company Award as "New Zealand's Most Visionary Leader." In 2005 he was the inaugural winner of "The Blake Medal" for leadership contribution to New Zealand.

Anthony Briscoe:
Anthony Briscoe has spent the last 14 years as General Manager of Telecom New Zealand International. He is the former chairman of Telecom New Zealand USA Ltd, Telecom New Zealand UK Ltd, Telecom New Zealand Japan Kabushiki Kaisha and Telecom New Zealand Singapore Pte Ltd, and is also on the board of Airways Corporation of New Zealand Ltd. Anthony was formerly the chairman of Hort Research (a Crown Research Institute) where he successfully helped develop their commercial, marketing and sales capabilities and until recently was a Director and Chairman of Southern Cross Cables Ltd. He is also a trustee on the New Zealand Science and Technology Roadshow Trust.

Lorraine Witten:
Lorraine Witten has 20 years’ experience in a range of senior management, finance and director roles. She was General Manager of Telecom Mobile for five years and then executive chairman and major shareholder of telecommunications company, Callsouth. Lorraine is currently the deputy chair of Kordia Limited, an international telecommunications and media company, and has also served as a director of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and as chairman of Sapphire Currency Fund. She is the Managing Director of Simply Security Limited; a company she founded in 2007. Lorraine is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Michael Egan:
Mike Egan is a well-known Wellington restaurateur and is currently the national president of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand. He is a co-owner of the Monsoon Poon restaurants in Auckland and Wellington, as well as Boulcott St Bistro and Osteria Del Toro in Wellington. He is a former trustee of the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust and serves currently as a director of Te Papa’s Crescent Group and the Terrace Villas Serviced Apartments.

Samantha Sharif:
Samantha Sharif is the director of Industry Affairs for the Civil Air Navigation Services Association (CANSO), overseeing the company’s global work programmes and workgroups, including having managed events in each region of the world over the last five years. Her former legal experience includes corporate legal work and General Counsel for Airservices Australia. She brings 20 years of senior management and governance experience, including directorships with Flight Safety Foundation Asia Pacific, Aviation New Zealand, the Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, Surf Life Saving Wellington Region and the Airways Operating Board. She has previously won the Aspiring Directors Study award from the Wellington branch of the Institute of Directors and has been a finalist for the Australian Corporate Lawyer of the Year award.

Howard Greive:
Howard Greive has 25 years’ experience as a creative director in the advertising, branding and marketing sector. In 2003 he became a founding partner of the communications company, Assignment, and is a current director of the Antipodes Water Company. Howard spent 16 years as a senior manager with Saatchi and Saatchi Wellington where he was directly involved in a number of their most famous campaigns, including the Toyota Hilux ‘bugger’ series. He is currently an advisor to the New Zealand International Arts Festival, Film New Zealand and Visa Wellington on a Plate, and is a trustee on the Wellington Jazz Festival Trust.

ENDS

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