Venture Taranaki welcomes appointment of two new directors

Venture Taranaki welcomes appointment of two new female directors

Venture Taranaki Trust (VTT) has welcomed Dr Joanna Breare and Gillian Cagney to the regional promotion and development agency’s governance team. Joanna is the Chief Executive of Todd Energy and Gillian is the Chief Executive of Worley New Zealand.

Board Chair Robin Brockie and Gavin Faull both retire from the Board, while current Board members Jamie Tuuta, Kevin Murphy and Hinerangi Raumati Tu’Ua have each been reappointed for a further three-year term, and David Downs and Hemi Sundgren both continue their terms.

Jamie Tuuta replaces Robin as the Board’s Chair and is looking forward to continuing the Trust’s work to grow the region’s economy and enterprises.

VTT is a Council Controlled Organisation and New Plymouth District Mayor Elect Neil Holdom thanked Robin and Gavin for their hard work and said it will be great to see some fresh insights on the Trust.

“Venture Taranaki remains a crucial part of the work we’re doing to keep the Taranaki economy humming while preparing for a low emissions future with the Tapuae Roa strategy and the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap.

“We know there are some big challenges ahead as we lead New Zealand on its net-zero emissions journey and it’s fantastic to have two expert energy leaders on this Board, which fits nicely with the skillsets of other Directors.

“I’m also delighted that Jamie Tuuta has been appointed as the new Chair, he’s a top quality leader for what is a high calibre team all round.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Robin and Gavin for their leadership and commitment over many years,” says the Mayor Elect.

Mr Brockie said he was proud of the achievements of the Trust during his time on the Board.

“It has been a privilege to work with my Board colleagues, the Venture Taranaki and New Plymouth District Council teams, our stakeholders and the people of Taranaki. The testimony to that is what continues to make the region a great place to live, work, play and invest in,” Mr Brockie said.

“I leave the Board with the knowledge and confidence that the region is on a strong and positive trajectory as it continues to be resilient to its challenges and pursues its opportunities.”

The Board of Venture Taranaki is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Trust, which delivers a range of regional development, promotion and enterprise support services to the region, including funding delivered via the Major Events Fund. It also spearheads Tapuae Roa – Taranaki’s Economic Development Strategy and published the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap which sets out the vision for our region’s transition to a low emissions economy.

All changes came into effect at the Trust’s Annual General Meeting on 15 October, where the Trust’s annual report for 2018/19 was also finalised and released.

Highlights for the 2018/19 year included significant progress against the Trust’s projects under Tapuae Roa, progression of the Taranaki 2050 Roadmap, as well as working with 6,064 clients across a diverse range of enterprise and sector growth services. The Trust’s services gained a 90.7 percent satisfaction rating from its clients and Trust staff gained a 95.6 percent satisfaction rating for the 2018/2019 financial year.

Venture Taranaki’s 2018/2019 Annual Report is available here: https://venture.taranaki.info/VT.Venture/media/Publications/Venture-Taranaki-Annual-Report-2019.pdf

About Dr Joanna Breare

Joanna is the Chief Executive of Todd Energy and Vice President, New Zealand Upstream Energy for Todd Corporation, based in New Plymouth. Joanna currently chairs the Taranaki 2050 lead group and the Petroleum Exploration and Producers Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) and is a member of various local working groups and sports organisations. Joanna is a geologist and business advocate, familiar with cross jurisdictional business operations, regulatory engagement and management, and interaction with government at many levels.

About Gillian Cagney

Gillian recently moved to Taranaki as Chief Executive of Worley New Zealand and Vice President E&C Services. Gillian has global experience working in Ireland, Canada and Australia and brings a strong network beyond New Zealand to the Trust. A qualified Mechanical Engineer, Gillian is responsible for delivering a sustainable New Zealand business for global project delivery and asset services company Worley.

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