Kingsgate Brydone Hotel general manager, Carey Lister, was named as the trust's general manager, while Smith McCoy Alford partner, Kate Alford, based in Oamaru, will provide accounting services.
Mr Lister came to Oamaru in June to manage the Kingsgate Brydone Hotel with Millennium Hotels and Resorts, and acknowledged he faced a challenging role as the trust's general manager.
The trust's financial performance has come under public criticism after it recorded a $512,000 loss in the 2009-10 financial year, along with its management which had been contracted to the Ashburton Licensing Trust for the past five years.
Earlier this year, the trust decided to end that contract and return management to Oamaru.
The financial performance of the trust in recent years had "not been great", but over the past few months had shown an improvement compared to the corresponding months last year, Mr Lister said in an interview with the Otago Daily Times yesterday .
He viewed his major role as improving the trust's performance.
"I'll let the numbers do the talking," he said.
Mr Lister (37) has been in the hotel industry since he was 18, starting in Rotorua as a banquets waiter.
His last role was general manager of the Millennium Hotels and Resorts' Copthorne Durham St hotel. It was damaged in Christchurch's September earthquake but repaired, reopening five floors. In the February earthquake it was damaged beyond repair.
Mr Lister came to Oamaru at the end of May to "fill a gap" managing the Kingsgate Brydone.
He was appointed the hotel's general manager in June.
Trust chairman Ali Brosnan said yesterday Mr Lister would manage the hotel and the overall operations of the trust.
