MPE Ltd managing director Chris Hughes was elected after former president Reece McDonald died last month after an unexpected medical event.
"I feel very honoured and privileged to be given the opportunity to lead the board and the wider chamber team and to continue ... the great work of the past presidents," he told the Otago Daily Times this week
Mr Hughes is a "born and bred" Southlander who has worked in management positions for several companies in the engineering industry.
He is currently chairman of the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and a member of the Institute of Directors.
"Certainly for my role as the chairman of the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce, this [appointment] complements it quite nicely as far as the leadership perspective, giving continuity across the business, not only in South, but also New Zealand as well, ultimately adding value to our member businesses."
He was proud of his Southland roots and believed the business community was very resilient, and its members "get on with the job".
Along with the strong agriculture, food and manufacturing industries across the region, he believed those characteristics made the region a good place compared to the rest of the country.
"Certainly all businesses have felt the pinch with the cost of living crisis and with the inflationary increases, but I'd like to think that we're coming out of that now.
Regarding the Southland economy, he said "we're punching well above our weight as far as GDP per head of population".
"I think we top New Zealand on that, so we're a very high-producing province and it’s looking to build on that even further and really supercharge our economy down this way."
In his new role, he wanted to give stability to the business community and continue to enable the good work the chamber’s team had been doing in the region.
He was very impressed with the commitment and hard work of the team, Mr Hughes said
