Council announces new appointments to Whanganui & Partners Board
Published on 13 March 2018
13 March 2018
Whanganui District Council has announced new appointments to the Board of Whanganui & Partners which will complement the organisation’s governance team.
Stephen Lee and Phillip Bedford are the new appointees and current board member Jonathan Russell has been re-appointed.
Mayor Hamish McDouall says a Governance Manual for Council-Controlled Organisations was adopted by the Council in 2017 and this set out a robust process for the Council to follow when making board appointments.
He says, “We had great candidates to choose from and I’m very pleased with the resulting mix of skills and experience we will now have contributing to the Whanganui & Partners Board.”
Phillip Bedford is currently employed as the CEO of the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy. Prior to this he was Commanding Officer at the base headquarters at Ohakea. He has an MBA (with distinction) from Massey University and was involved in the initial working groups relating to the Regional Growth Study, which was then formalised as Accelerate 25, the Manawatu-Whanganui Economic Action Plan. He has held executive level management positions and serves on boards including the Trustee RNZAF Welfare Fund, Chair Base Leadership Group Ohakea and as a Trustee of Carncott School.
Stephen Lee is currently General Manager of Manuka Farming NZ Ltd. Prior to this he held positions in foreign affairs, trade and marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Marketing from the University of Canterbury. In his current role he reports to the Board of Directors of Manuka Farming. He has also held the position of Chair of the Shepherd’s Arms Foundation, a charitable trust which runs a children’s home in the Philippines.
Myles Fothergill, Chair of the Whanganui & Partners Board says he welcomes the new appointees.
“I am very much looking forward to the knowledge and experience they’ll bring, as well as their evident passion for Whanganui and its future growth. We have an excellent board and our new members will bring additional strengths to the team.”
Mr Fothergill says Philippa Ivory recently took up her position as General Manager for Whanganui & Partners and already a new energy and focus is apparent in the Whanganui & Partners team.
“No time is being wasted. Philippa’s team is delivering brilliant results already. Nine new businesses have been supported to start up in Whanganui and a ten-day Pop-Up Business School has been held, with over 30 aspiring entrepreneurs graduating from this free course.
“Whanganui is on a roll and there’s real optimism out there. I’m confident that Whanganui & Partners is ready to make a valuable difference and will be maximising every opportunity to grow our fantastic district.”