Ports of Auckland has elected a new chair and has appointed two new directors.
Jan Dawson was elected by the Board of Directors as the new chair of the Ports of Auckland following the retirement of the previous incumbent, Bill Osbourne. Mr Dawson was appointed to the board on 31 August 2021.
Her previous roles have included being the chair of Westpac New Zealand and the Deputy Chair of Air New Zealand.
She thanked her predecessor, adding, “I am delighted to be taking on this role and I look forward to working with the board and management of the Ports of Auckland, which is so important to Auckland and New Zealand’s supply chain.”
“My priorities are to complete the work already underway to implement the recommendations of the CHASNZ review into health and safety, to deliver its automation project, to lift productivity, improve customer service and to deliver a reasonable return to our shareholder, Auckland Council.”
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New directors
Ports of Auckland has also announced the appointment of two new directors, Geoff Plunket and Stephen Reindler. Both men will join the board from November 1 this year.
Mr Reindler is currently a director of Z Energy and Steel and Tube. He is also a previous director of the Port of napier, Meridian Energy and Worksafe NZ.
“He has extensive experience working in industries where staff operate in higher risk roles and a rigorous approach to safety is needed. Stephen will strengthen our ability to focus on improving safety while bringing his engineering experience to the projects the port has underway,” Ms Dawson said.
Mr Plunket is the former CEO of Port Otago and has nearly 30 years of experience in senior roles in that company.
“Geoff’s knowledge of port operations and the supply chain and his belief in the importance of customer service will be invaluable as we work to safely improve our operational and financial performance,” she said.
Ports of Auckland is owned by Auckland Council.
Commenting on the new appointments, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said: “We have now substantially changed the composition of the Ports of Auckland board and we will by early next year have a new chief executive. This will provide impetus for a new and different approach which is aimed to improve the Port’s performance.”
“We look forward to the new board fully implementing the recommendations to change the culture of health and safety at the Port following the independent review; meeting the challenges posed by COVID-19 and its impact on supply chains, overseeing the implementation of automation at the Port, and improving the Port’s financial performance and competitiveness.”
