Annabel Berry wants to ensure the district is in a stable financial position to take advantage of new tourism opportunities.
At the opening of the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony's new spectator stand this week, former Tourism Waitaki general manager Annabel Berry was named the board's new chairwoman.
The appointment was made after the departure of former chairman and long-serving board member Tony Caldwell, whose 15-month tenure ended last week.
Mrs Berry said she was "thrilled" at the chance to continue to support the district's tourism industry.
She was keen to see the community support tourism for the region.
"Strong leadership and ensuring we are fiscally prudent in both our structure and through the utilisation of new technologies will ensure that we maximise the investment the community puts into tourism and brings real economic growth to the region."
The creation of the new penguin colony stand and the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail were just two potentially "exceptional tourism experiences" the district had to offer, Mrs Berry said.
She was keen to ensure other tourism initiatives were supported to ensure the district remained a "leader in tourism in New Zealand".
The board is a subsidiary company of the Waitaki District Council.
Mrs Berry's appointment was one of two official appointments made to the boards of council-owned companies this week.
Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Otago, Dr Jim Reid, was appointed to the board of Waitaki District Health Services Ltd, which operates Oamaru Hospital.
Both appointments followed an annual review of company directorships conducted by the council.
