It was a hectic day for Mrs Lawson as she spent the day settling in and meeting as many of the council's 140 employees as possible.
"It has been a busy, but very enjoyable, day," Mrs Lawson said.
"I have been looking forward to it."
She took the time to have a brief chat with the employees she met.
When she spoke to staff from the horticulture team, she told them she would be happy to meet them again within the next few weeks to see some of their work at sites such as Queenstown Gardens.
Mrs Lawson (51) was appointed to the $250,000 job in December.
She succeeds Duncan Field, who held the position for 12 years.
She is originally from the United Kingdom.
Mrs Lawson moved to New Zealand to join her Scottish-born husband, who has been working in New Zealand for five years.
Her career has included several executive positions, including 17 years as chief executive for Wandle Housing Group in London.
On a visit to Queenstown two weeks ago, Mrs Lawson was given an introductory tour of the district by Queenstown Mayor Clive Geddes to give her some background knowledge of the area before she started her job yesterday.
