BestStart Educare names Tony Ryall as new Chief Executive

EMBARGOED UNTIL 5AM TUESDAY 24TH JULY 2018

23rd July 2018

ANNOUNCEMENT

New Zealand’s largest provider of Early Childhood Education, BestStart Educare, today announced that Tony Ryall will be joining the company as Chief Executive, effective 1st August 2018.

Wayne Wright, Founder and CE of BestStart for over 22 years, is stepping back from operational leadership and will remain chair of the BestStart board.

BestStart is a registered charity and a significant operator in the early childhood sector, with 280 early learning centres across the country, serving over 18,000 families.

Mr Wright says: “We’re excited to have Tony join our BestStart team. Tony will lead our 4,500 dedicated, passionate teachers and staff who work tirelessly for the wellbeing and education of tamariki and families. He brings a long and successful track record including, most recently, heading public policy at a major commercial law firm. Tony previously has held multiple large and complex ministerial portfolios.”

Tony Ryall is keenly anticipating his new role. “The opportunity to help give children a great start in life is really exciting. Making a difference in a child’s early life has such a positive impact on their long-term future. I’m looking forward to working with the BestStart team that every day makes that critical difference through the power of education.”

Wayne and Chloe Wright have grown BestStart from one centre in Tauranga in 1996 to its leading role in early childhood education today. In 2015, the couple transferred the business to the registered charity Wright Family Foundation, which supports organisations focused on the educational development of New Zealand children.

Tony Ryall steps into the organisation at a time of increasing collaboration with the health sector, including beginning the national rollout of Dr. Lance O’Sullivan’s iMOKO health programme, allowing teaching staff to digitally upload children’s health concerns to a health professional for diagnosis and treatment. BestStart has also recently included in all centres’ curriculums its Hauora wellbeing programme, recognising the lifelong benefits of tamariki’s regular exercise and healthy eating.

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