Graham Smeaton
The opportunity to forge more solid links between Kiwi companies and the World Bank has proved too much for Graham Smeaton to resist. Client manager consultancy and services at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), Smeaton has just become the first New Zealander to be made private sector liaison officer (PSLO) to the World Bank Group. Staying with NZTE and adding the PSLO work to his portfolio of economic development, Smeaton says he’s attracted to the role “because of opportunities that the World Bank offers both the New Zealand consulting community and goods and other suppliers”.
The World Bank currently procures about $40 million worth of consultancy services and goods from New Zealand companies and Smeaton says his job will be to build on that. Smeaton’s appointment provides valuable link from New Zealand’s commercial community to the World Bank and will open up more opportunities for New Zealand businesses to get involved in major international projects.
His main challenge, he says, will be to increase existing two-way dialogue between the New Zealand commercial community and the World Bank by focusing on activities both with groups of companies – “one initiative will be the creation of regular newsletter to New Zealand companies” – and with individual companies.
He’s off to training conference in Washington DC in May. “Priorities will emerge after that.”
Smeaton has spent most of his career working for NZTE and its predecessors. He was the first New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Saudi Arabia and his offshore service has included Bahrain and Turkey. He has held international marketing manager positions for the Middle East and Asia and undertaken short term assignments in Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Korea and Washington DC.
David Tse
Tse has been appointed as the new head of StorageTek’s business in New Zealand. Prior to joining the data storage and solutions company he was managing director for sales and marketing consultancy Voltage.
Arthur Morris
Auckland-based Diagnostic Medlab has appointed Morris as its new CEO, succeeding long time CEO Frank Tuck who is retiring. Morris is leading pathologist in microbiology and long-serving member of Diagnostic Medlab.
Nicholas Lewis
Lewis, chief operating officer of Energy Intellect since 2004, has been promoted to CEO. He replaces the company’s co-founder Dean Gowans who held the CEO post for eight years, and is now chief strategy officer for the company. Prior to joining Energy Intellect, Lewis, an American, was the head of power and utilities investment banking at CIBC World Markets in New York.
Wendy Pugh, Stephen Sylvester
First Assistance has two new managers. Pugh, previously key account manager for Post Haste’s Castles Parcel brand, is the company’s new client services manager. Sylvester, as network manager, will be responsible for developing and maintaining the First Assistance provider network for roadside and property assistance throughout New Zealand.
Jo Vivian
Wizard Home Loans has appointed Vivian, former Westpac manager, to the newly created position of regional manager for the southern region based in Wellington.
Andrew McMaster, Neil Wilson
Freightways has announced two senior appointments, McMaster (top) as general manager of Fieldair Holdings, and Wilson as general manager of the company’s courier business Messenger Services.
Allan Freeth
Freeth succeeds Rosemary Howard as chief executive of TelstraClear. He has been member of the TelstraClear Advisory Committee for the past year and is former CEO and managing director of Wrightson.
Malcolm Johns
Johns, InterCity Group’s general manager of sales and services since February 2004, has been promoted to CEO. He succeeds David Strange, who after 14 years with the group, and as CEO since 1996, has retired.
Paul Archer
Archer, the North Island area general manager for the Accor Group, has been elected chair of the Auckland region of the New Zealand Hotel Council (NZHC), an industry association that represents the interests of over 100 international chain, independently-owned and boutique hotels throughout the country.
Penney Daly
Infrastructure maintenance company Transfield Services (NZ) has appointed Daly as learning and development consultant, responsible for creating and implementing development training programmes to NZQA standards. She was previously trainer with Academy NZ, private training establishment.
Ross Kendrew
After 42 years with The Salvation Army in the Pacific, most recently as territorial commander of the New Zealand Fiji and Tonga and Australia Southern Territories respectively, Kendrew has returned to New Zealand and been appointed to the board of SEED NZ. He is also serving as an NZIM mentor.
Ben Unger, Owen Kinnaird
Cardlink has appointed Unger as its CEO responsible for New Zealand business processing and the international components of the business. Kinnaird has been appointed general manager of FleetSmart, Cardlink’s Fleet and Fuel Management Solutions business unit.
René Wilson
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s new Auckland office. which opened late February, is headed by Wilson. Previously director of the Ministry’s Pacific division in Wellington,Wilson has also been New Zealand’s high commissioner to South Africa and former deputy secretary-general of the South Pacific Forum.
Neil Bell (pic)
Bell, formerly Solution 6 New Zealand general manager, takes up the position of Enprise chief executive, replacing Mark Loveys who has been appointed as chairman of the Enprise board.
Peri Finnigan, Boris van Delden
Finnigan and van Delden, both insolvency managers with insolvency and recovery specialist McDonald Vague since 2001, have been promoted to partners. Founding partners John Vague and Graeme McDonald have retired from the partnership, but will still be actively involved in the business in consultancy roles.
Samantha Gain
Phillips Fox has increased its corporate and financial services practice with the appointment of Gain as senior associate in its Wellington office. She joins the commercial law firm from London position as an executive for the Local Government Association’s Public Private Partnership Programme.
Steve Aburn
Aburn has been appointed to the Pod senior management team as human resources manager responsible for the HR function of Pod’s four fashion management companies – Designer Textiles International, Mollers Homewares, Logan Textiles and Michelle Ann.
Andrea Pettett
Pettett has been appointed as The New Zealand Health Information Technology Cluster first fulltime chief executive. She was previously executive director of Health Funds Association of New Zealand Inc, and spent four years as CEO of the NZ General Practitioners’ Association.
Cameron McCahill
McCahill joins New Zealand Crane Hire as co-owner and its new managing director. His appointment signals the Auckland-based company’s intentions to capitalise on current opportunities within New Zealand. He was previously operations manager at Titan Cranes.
