Last month, the Otago Southland Employers’ Association and the Otago Chamber of Commerce merged to form Business South: Otago Chamber and Southern Employers.
Ten people were nominated for the eight positions on the board.
Seven of eight elected to the new board were previously on either the OCC or OSEA Boards: Grand Casino Dunedin chief executive Dominique Dowding; Allied Press chief executive Grant McKenzie; Otago Polytechnic research projects co-ordinator Lesley Brook; Jack’s Mitre 10 Mega Dunedin chief executive Neil Finn-House; Firebrand managing director Rebecca Twemlow; University of Otago legal adviser Will Martin; and Central Lakes Flooring co-owner Andrew Leys.
The newcomer was David Kinney, Kiddey Consulting managing director, and former chief executive of Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Silver Fern Farms' enterprise architect Darryl Munro and Transition to Work Trust chief executive John Guthrie were nominated but missed out.
The new board will meet for the first time on November 16, when a chairman will be nominated.
The appointment of the board is an important milestone for the organisation, Business South chief executive Mike Collins said.
“It’s wonderful to have such high-calibre directors whose expertise will provide invaluable governance support and help determine the future directions for Business South.”
One of the board’s first jobs would be developing an overarching strategy.
