Allergy New Zealand takes leap forward

26 April 2005

Allergy New Zealand takes leap forward

Allergy New Zealand will be moving to another level with the appointment of its new chief executive. Penny Jorgensen took over the position early this month and brings with her a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector. “We are confident Allergy New Zealand will continue to go from strength to strength under her leadership,” said the organisations’s chairman, Mark Coyle.

“Penny brings strong management, governance and leadership skills to the organization, which will help Allergy New Zealand to move to another level in helping make New Zealand a safer more enjoyable place to live for people with allergies and their families,” he added. Ms Jorgensen has held a number of senior management and board roles over the last 20 years, including co-ordinator of the Parent and Family Resource Centre, and chairman of the TalkLink Trust. Other roles include being the inaugural Strengthening Families co-ordinator for Auckland City, which gave her a unique perspective into the workings of government departments.

More recently, as executive officer, she established the Auckland Regional Migrant Resource Centre and Charitable Trust. She was acknowledged last year by the Human Rights Commission for her contribution to Race Relations; and has also received the Oranga Kaupapa Award for services to the community. “I am very excited about joining Allergy New Zealand and am most impressed with the extent of work it has done for people with allergies,” Ms Jorgensen said.

“Allergies have been increasing over the last 10 years for reasons we don’t really know, so the organisation has an extremely important role in society to both offer support to allergy sufferers and to raise awareness so sufferers can lead a relatively normal and safer life.” Ms Jorgensen added she is looking forward to working with Allergy New Zealand as it goes through a growth phase, the result of the board’s strategic planning over the last six months. Ms Jorgensen replaces Natalie Lloyd, who has been involved with the organisation for over nine years and was its president and more recently its chief executive.

Ms Lloyd has left Allergy New Zealand to spend more time with her young family and will be missed by the organisation. “Natalie has made a huge contribution over the years,” Mr Coyle said. “A large part of the development of Allergy New Zealand into a strong national organisation has been as a result of her efforts.”

ENDS

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