Graeme Hawkins to step down from Ports of Auckland Board

Graeme Hawkins to step down from Ports of Auckland Board

Deputy Chair Rodger Fisher will take over as Acting Chair from 1 August 2015

Chairman Graeme Hawkins has announced he will step down from the Ports of Auckland Board at the end of July. Mr Hawkins has been a Board member since September 2009 and Chair for the last 18 months.

In his time on the Board the company has undergone a transformation from an underperforming business to the top performing container port in Australasia. The port dividend has increased over 400% and last financial year the dividend was $66.6m, or $128.38 per ratepayer which is 5% of the average Auckland rates bill.

Mr Hawkins has health issues and has been considering his position for some time. “Now is a good time for me to pass on the baton, as the company moves to a new phase, from transformation to growth,” he said.

“I would like to thank all the staff and management for their support during my tenure. Port CEO Tony Gibson has put together a great team and I wish them, the Board and the company all the best for the future. Thanks to their efforts, Ports of Auckland has been transformed into a great asset of which Aucklanders can be proud,” he said.

Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson said “I would like to thank Graeme for his work and support during a period of change for the company. It has been a challenging few years and without a strong Board we would not have been able to achieve as much as we did. Graeme has been a key part of our success.”

Chief executive of Auckland Council Investments Limited (ACIL), Gary Swift said that Mr Hawkins had made a significant contribution to the port company, and ACIL accepted his decision to proceed with a well-signalled intention to step aside this year.

He said that a search was underway to fill the directorship vacated by Mr Hawkins.

Mr Swift said that ACIL was confident that POAL’s board would continue to lead a strong financial performance by the port company as it navigated the strategic challenges facing the port in the coming years.

ENDS

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