Wellington City Council (WCC) has appointed Kym Fell to the role of Chief Customer and Community Officer, responsible for a wide range of operations and services including parks, sport and recreation, city housing and arts and events.

Mr Fell joins from Whanganui District Council (WDC), where he has been Chief Executive since January 2016, during which time the council won a number of national awards for innovation and transformation.

He oversaw major projects such as the $40m rebuild of the wastewater treatment plant, a recalibration of WDC’s council-controlled organisations, and a $50m redevelopment of the Sarjeant Gallery.

WCC Chief Executive Barbara McKerrow is delighted with this latest addition to her Executive Leadership Team. “Kym brings with him significant experience and is a highly-respected local government leader,” she says.

“Whanganui District Council has enjoyed considerable success during his time there and the city has benefitted greatly as a result. We look forward to him joining us at a crucial time as we face the challenge of delivering our bold and ambitious Long-Term Plan for the next 10 years.”

Mr Fell says that first and foremost his priority is always putting the customer first.

“The Chief Customer and Community Officer is a great opportunity which I could not turn down. I am really looking forward to building on the great work of Wellington City Council, particularly when it comes to creating a ‘customer-centric’ environment where staff are empowered to deliver outstanding customer service.

“From day one at Whanganui, my focus was to make the Council more user-friendly and accessible to the community, which involved change and a shift away from bureaucracy and resistance.

“I am also excited to be joining an executive leadership team who are forward-thinking, innovative and solutions-focused, and to be leading a number of high performing teams within a larger, more diverse metropolitan environment.

“The timing for this move was right, as I made a commitment to Mayor Hamish McDouall that I would see through the adoption of Whanganui’s Long-Term Plan 2021-2031, before exploring opportunities outside of the region.

“The skills, experiences and challenges Whanganui has provided me will definitely support me in this new role.”

Mr Fell will take up his new position on 1st November.

© Scoop Media