Ngāi Tahu Holdings appoints Chief Executive

Friday 13 December 2019

Ngāi Tahu Holdings board member and former Tainui Group Holdings Chief Executive Mike Pohio (Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Pikiao) has been appointed Chief Executive of Ngāi Tahu Holdings.

Ngāi Tahu Holdings chair Mark Tume made the announcement today (13 December 2019). Pohio will stand down as a Ngāi Tahu Holdings board member and start in the chief executive role on 6 January 2020.

Pohio’s appointment comes after Ngāi Tahu Holdings’ chief executive of seven years, Mike Sang, announced in August that he was stepping down. Sang will step back from the role but remain with the company until 20 March 2020 to support a smooth handover.

Now a professional director, Pohio led the commercial arm of Waikato-Tainui for nine years and has also held senior executive roles for several high-profile organisations.

“It is a great privilege and an honour to work for my iwi and to tackle this key role during such an important period,” he says.

“I am sure I will draw on all my executive experience, especially from my role as Chief Executive of Tainui Group Holdings, as I commit to doing my best to deliver all that is required of me over the next 18 months.”

Pohio’s position is fixed term until June 2021.

Tume says the board needed to appoint someone knowledgeable about the Group as Ngāi Tahu Holdings repositions itself for its next phase following a period of growth.

“The company is making good progress and building momentum, and appointing an experienced chief executive who is already familiar with the business and stakeholders is the best way to maintain this,” he says.

“We are pleased to be drawing on the extensive executive skills and depth of experience that Mike Pohio will bring to the role.

"We are also grateful for the energy and commitment that was demonstrated by some exceptional candidates for this role. The process has served to reinforce that we have strong talent inside the organisation, and that Ngāi Tahu Holdings is an attractive employer for some of the most senior commercial leaders in Aotearoa and further afield.”

ENDS

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