UNICEF NZ welcomes Vivien Maidaborn as Executive Director

23 July 2014

UNICEF NZ welcomes Vivien Maidaborn as Executive Director

UNICEF New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of Vivien Maidaborn as Executive Director, replacing Dennis McKinlay who will retire on 25 July after thirteen years with the children’s charity. Ms Maidaborn will take up the position on 28 July.

Ms Maidaborn brings 15 years of experience to UNICEF NZ from CEO roles in the community, disability support and health sectors. In previous roles, Ms Maidaborn has been CEO of CCS Disability Action and is the founder of the social enterprise Lifemark. Most recently she held the position of Director of Business Strategy at Loomio, an open-source web application.

Ms Maidaborn, who has been involved in the community sector for more than ten years, said of her new appointment, “I am passionate about innovating and supporting social change, so I am very excited at the prospect of joining UNICEF NZ. I look forward to being part of a global organisation that is a leader for children’s rights both here in New Zealand and internationally.”

Graeme Sinclair, Chair of UNICEF NZ’s Board of Trustees welcomed the appointment. He said, “The UNICEF NZ Board of Trustees went through a very rigorous and competitive recruitment process and are extremely pleased to have appointed someone of Vivien Maidaborn’s exceptional calibre to lead UNICEF New Zealand. Ms Maidaborn has proven expertise, excellent leadership skills and a strong motivation to create social change - the Board are extremely confident that UNICEF NZ will continue to flourish under her direction.”

Outgoing Executive Director Dennis McKinlay joined UNICEF NZ as a volunteer in 1998 and was appointed Executive Director in 2002. Mr Sinclair commented, “Our outgoing Executive Director Dennis McKinlay leaves behind a fantastic legacy of work for children here in New Zealand and around the world.

“During his tenure, Mr McKinlay has strengthened the office’s advocacy capacity for children in NZ and overseas while increasing the office’s fundraising from less than $1m in 1998 to over $10m in 2013. We thank Mr McKinlay for his thirteen years of commitment for children and wish him all the very best for his retirement.”

Dennis McKinlay commented, “It has been a privilege to work for an organisation like UNICEF and have the opportunity to improve the lives of children in New Zealand and around the world.

“For the past 13 years I have had the pleasure of seeing the generosity of New Zealanders make a tangible difference to children’s lives - from development work in the Pacific to rebuilding entire communities after emergencies like those in Haiti and the Philippines. It has been an amazing experience to oversee this work and I look forward to seeing UNICEF’s continued progress for children.”

About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.nz

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