Rosanne Meo receives New Year Honour

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra board chair Rosanne Meo today added another accolade to her long list of achievements when she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to business.

Dame Rosanne, who has been APO board chair since 2004, is also chair of the Briscoes Group, and a board member of Overland Footwear and AMP Services.

Previous roles include chair of Television New Zealand and board appointments/directorships with Forestry Corp, Mercury Energy, Sky TV, Baycorp Advantage and Ports of Auckland. In 1991 Dame Rosanne became the first female president of the Employers’ Federation.

Dame Rosanne is equally known for her philanthropic work, and played a central role in establishing the AMP Scholarship Programme, which each year donates $200,000 to young New Zealanders.

Barbara Glaser, Chief Executive of Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, paid tribute to Dame Rosanne’s contribution to the orchestra. “Rosanne’s experience and clear-headedness are essential components of the APO’s success, while her vision has been key in enabling the orchestra to develop and consolidate its position as the leading performing arts organisation in Auckland. Everyone at the APO is delighted for Rosanne; this honour is deserved recognition for an exceptional career.”

The APO’s musicians were equally pleased for Dame Rosanne.

“Rosanne’s leadership provides a foundation for the APO that can’t be overstated,” said Jonathan Baker, the APO’s Principal Tuba, who has been a member of the orchestra since 1993 and the players’ representative on the board for the last three years. “As musicians, it’s heartening to know that the details of running a complex organisation like ours are in such safe hands and that we can just get on with doing what we do best: playing music for the people of Auckland and beyond.”

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