In a statement yesterday, Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said the council was recommending the appointment of Auckland company director and New Zealand Tourism Industry Association board member Grant Lilly and Todd Energy former managing director Richard Tweedie, of Wellington.
Mr Lilly has a strong affiliation with the airline industry, having previously served as a director with Jetconnect Ltd and Jetstar Airways Ltd.
Mr Tweedie, who has a background in law, has been chairman of Liquigas Ltd, Maui Development Ltd and Greymouth Coal Ltd. He remained chairman of Cue Energy and was a Queenstown Lakes district ratepayer, Ms van Uden said.
"Collectively, these two gentlemen bring an enormous depth of knowledge to the board table.
We are absolutely delighted with the prospect of having them contribute to the ongoing success of Queenstown Airport." Earlier this month, the council announced professional director John Gilks had been appointed board chairman, replacing chartered accountant Murray Valentine, of Dunedin.
Mr Valentine was appointed interim chairman in April after the resignation of Mark Taylor in April, following a council resolution to remove him from the board if he did not agree to resign within seven days.
Mr Taylor was head of the board when the controversial strategic alliance between Auckland International Airport Ltd and Queenstown Airport Corporation was announced in July last year, resulting in Queenstown Airport creating and selling a 24.99% shareholding to Auckland for $27.7 million.
Ms van Uden said the airport board would also be asked to consider a recommendation Mr Valentine, who was due to retire at the annual meeting, be reappointed for a further year.
Mr Valentine had served "very ably" as interim chairman and with the resignation of Queenstown Airport Corporation chief executive Steve Sanderson it was "important that we allow for a level of continuity when it comes to this important asset", she said.
The recommendation was endorsed by the airport's minority shareholder, Auckland International Airport Ltd.
The approval of the recommendation would take the membership of the board to six for a period of one year. Existing directors are chartered professional engineer James Hadley and Kiwibank and TVNZ director Alison Gerry, who has a background in finance and treasury.
