Marlborough District Council has appointed a new chief executive after an extensive national advertising campaign and thorough recruitment process.

John Boswell will join the Council on 1 August.

Mayor Nadine Taylor said she was very pleased to welcome John to Council.

“John joins us after a very successful military career, reaching the position of Major General and Chief of Army, the most senior officer in the New Zealand Army. John wants to continue to serve the public in a positive values-based organisation after his impressive career in the Army.”

“John impressed us straight away with his vision, strategic thinking, leadership skills and extensive experience of running a large, complex, people-focused organisation. He also has a good knowledge of Marlborough’s issues and opportunities and how local government works.”

“He brings a collaborative and empathetic leadership style as well as strong communication skills which I know will work well for Council and the Marlborough community. He and his wife will be moving to Marlborough, a place they have explored as visitors, and love.”

John’s previous roles include Director of Army Training, Chief Staff Officer Operational Plans and Head of Strategy Management. He holds masters’ degrees in Management, Defence Studies and Philosophy.

Mayor Taylor said 46 applications were received from around New Zealand.

“We had an extraordinarily high calibre of candidates - Marlborough District Council has a great reputation and Marlborough, as we all know, is beautiful, has fantastic public facilities and is just a great place to live. All councillors were involved in the recruitment and appointment process.”

“My sincere thanks to Mark Wheeler who is retiring. Mark has been an outstanding chief executive since 2015, and prior to that was deputy chief executive and assets and services manager from 1998.”

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