Announcement of new chairman and board members

MEDIA RELEASE 22/7/09

Announcement of new chairman and board members

The New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation is delighted to welcome Vero Insurance Chief Executive, Roger Bell as its new Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Having led his workforce at Vero to gold award status in the 2008 New Zealand Business Excellence Awards, Roger is in a prime position to take on the Chairmanship at the NZBEF.

Also joining the board are Director of Finance at Ford NZ, Patrick Baker and Patrick Jones, GM of Orica NZ and Dulux NZ.

The NZBEF provides a best practice business framework to organisations who aspire to being world class. It is the only New Zealand body to offer an awards system aligned to the internationally recognised US Baldrige criteria. Organisations achieving a gold award in the New Zealand Business Excellence Awards can truly claim to be among the best in the world.

Newly appointed NZBEF Chairman, Roger Bell says "In these uncertain times, now more than ever, all NZ organizations would benefit from using a framework that drives excellence. The Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence can uniquely aid leadership and staff to drive world class practices that bring countless benefits, not least to the bottom-line. All organizations should make use of any tool that could make them better. The NZ Business Excellence Foundation is uniquely qualified to assist.”

Roger Bell is the second board member to have led his organisation to world class levels of performance through the NZBEF. New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Ltd won a gold award in 2007, the first gold awarded in 12 years. General Manager Paul Hemburrow joined the board last year.

"To have two business leaders on the board who have led their organisations to World Class performance is a huge asset. Roger is a great inspiration and has a tremendous and infectious enthusiasm for best practice" says NZBEF, CEO, Mike Watson. "Through his new role as Chairman he will be invaluable in assisting to promote the benefits of striving for excellence through the use of a best practice framework.”

Rear Admiral David Ledson who recently retired from the Royal New Zealand Navy has stepped down from the NZBEF board. Rear Admiral Ledson served on the board from 2004-2009.

The remaining Board of Trustees are Jo Brosnahan, Chair of Leadership New Zealand; Neil Whittaker, Managing Director of Fuji Xerox NZ; Helen Robinson, Executive Director of Markit; and Dr Jan White, CEO of ACC.

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