Ms Baker replaces Lisa Buckingham, who stood down from the role after this year's festival.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd said Ms Baker, who had a wealth of experience delivering major events overseas and in New Zealand, would start in the role on October 16.
Edinburgh University's head of entertainment and events for eight years, Ms Baker was responsible for the year-round delivery of all events, including ''Freshers Week'', which hosted more than 400 events over eight days.
She also established and operated her own music festivals and worked on other major events, including the MTV Europe Awards and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
More recently, Ms Baker had been working with the Tauranga City Council as its event delivery manager and was on the board of the Auckland Fringe Festival.
Originally from Scotland, Ms Baker spent six months in Queenstown.
''The Queenstown Winter Festival is one of New Zealand's hallmark events, and I'm so excited to be returning to live in Queenstown to lead the team in bringing this well-loved festival to local residents and visitors alike,'' she said.
The 2018 Queenstown Winter Festival will be held over the weekend of June 23 and 24.
