Four senior appointments for WorkSafe New Zealand announced
Media release
25 October
2013
Four senior appointments for WorkSafe New Zealand announced
Four appointments have been made to WorkSafe New Zealand’s leadership team.
Mike Hargreaves will be WorkSafe NZ’s Chief Legal Advisor, Wayne Verhoeven will be General Manager Corporate/Chief Financial Officer, John Tulloch will be General Manager Communications, and Janine Hearn will be General Manager Human Resources.
WorkSafe NZ Acting Chief Executive-Designate, Geoffrey Podger, said the appointments were another sign of the good progress in WorkSafe NZ’s establishment, which is expected to be 16 December.
“These are high calibre appointees and I am pleased that we have been able to attract such talent to WorkSafe NZ. They will bring valuable skills and extend the level of expertise in the Health and Safety Group leadership which will transfer into WorkSafe NZ,” Mr Podger said.
Mike Hargreaves is currently Manager, Legal Services (Litigation) at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Mike joined the Department of Labour in 2002. In 2006, he became a senior solicitor and, in 2009, Mike was promoted to Director Litigation for DoL. Over the years, Mike has led the successful prosecution of many high profile cases. Mike was previously in private practice.
Wayne Verhoeven is
currently General Manager Corporate/Chief Financial Officer
for Education New Zealand. His previous roles include CFO
at the Families Commission, CFO at NZ On Air, and Deputy
Director Finance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade. He is a Chartered Accountant.
John Tulloch has
been External Relations Manager at New Zealand Post for 3 ½
years. John has worked in roles across journalism, the
business sector, central government and international NGOs
for the past 20 years. John spent five years in Parliament
as a political journalist and Ministerial communications
manager. He also spent five years with the Red Cross,
guiding communications for major emergency operations
including the 2004 South Asian Tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan
earthquake.
Janine Hearn has been Director, Human
Resources at the New Zealand Fire Service for five years.
Her work experience has included senior HR leadership
positions with the Ministry of Education, New Zealand
Immigration Service, and Ministry of Justice.
The four
appointees will start with WorkSafe NZ progressively from
early next month.
WorkSafe New Zealand will be the new workplace health and safety regulator for New Zealand. It will be a stand-alone Crown Agent. About 300 MBIE Health and Safety Group staff will transition into WorkSafe New Zealand on its establishment.
ENDS