Media Statement

Land Transport New Zealand leadership team appointed

Several key appointments have been made to the management team of Land Transport New Zealand, the government agency formed on 1 December 2004 from the merger of Transfund New Zealand and the Land Transport Safety Authority.
Land Transport NZ’s objective is to contribute to an integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system, working in partnership with central, regional and local government and others to help develop land transport solutions.
Work has been underway for several months to develop an organisational structure which will maximise Land Transport NZ’s effectiveness as a service delivery agency. Chief Executive Wayne Donnelly is pleased to announce the following appointments to the leadership team of Land Transport NZ:

General Manager Corporate Services – Noel Lee
General Manager Policy and Planning – Simon Whiteley
General Manager Regulatory Services – Ian Gordon
General Manager Partnerships & Programmes – Richard Braae
General Manager People & Culture – Carolina Gartner

“I believe this is a team that has the skills and drive to assist myself and the Board in leading Land Transport NZ to become a high-performing organisation,” Mr Donnelly said.

A brief profile of each General Manager follows. All will formally take up their new positions on Monday 13 June.

Simon Whiteley - General Manager Policy & Planning
Simon has held senior policy positions in both Transfund and the Land Transport Safety Authority, most recently as Policy and Strategy Manager for Transfund and then Land Transport New Zealand. From 1996 to 2002 he was Manager Safer Vehicles Policy at LTSA and led the development of its strategic framework for current vehicle standards policy in New Zealand. Before taking up that position Simon worked in the UK in a number of key government transport roles. As Head of Division (Assistant Secretary) Transport Policy and Management Division with UK Government Office for London, he played a key role in developing the first multi-modal transport strategy for London, aimed at balancing economic, social and environmental objectives. Simon was principal private secretary for three Secretaries of State Transport: Cecil Parkinson, Malcolm Rifkind and John MacGregor.

Noel Lee – General Manager Corporate Services
From 1994 to 2004 Noel was General Manager Corporate Services at LTSA and has retained that position in Land Transport New Zealand. At LTSA he played an integral role in several major initiatives including the introduction of a new Driver Licensing Regime in 1999. He previously held positions in both central and local government in the finance area. A chartered accountant, Noel has a BCom and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Information Systems.

Carolina Gartner – General Manager People & Culture
Carolina has more than 25 years’ experience in leading and managing change in the public sector, at both a strategic and operational level. Most recently, she has been Director Support Services at the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services. Previously, she held senior management positions at Land Information NZ including General Manager Strategic Development and Acting General Manager Business Support. Former career milestones include marketing management positions in DOSLI and the Department of Lands, New South Wales. Two years ago, she established the Leadership Development Centre which delivers senior management and leadership development programmes for the public sector. Carolina holds a Master of Letters in Geography, a BA in Regional Science and a Diploma in Marketing.

Richard Braae – General Manager Partnerships & Programmes
Since 2002 Richard has been Manager Planning and Evaluation for Transfund and subsequently Land Transport New Zealand. In this role he is responsible for development of the National Land Transport Programme including the regional allocation of land transport funding and liaison with Transit and the Ministry of Transport. His background includes management roles with the Commerce Commission and Pharmac. Before joining the public sector, Richard co-directed his own micro-economics consultancy, E-DEC Ltd, for six years. He holds an MA in Development Economics from the Hague and a BCom (Hons).

Ian Gordon – General Manager Regulatory Services
For the last 18 months, Ian has led Land Transport New Zealand’s Vehicle Certification Unit (VCU). This involves managing the regulatory framework for vehicle standards and nationwide compliance of the vehicle inspection industry. He previously spent 25 years in the military, rising to the rank of Colonel after holding the positions of Chief of Strategic Planning and Chief of Logistics. Academic qualifications include an MA (Hons) in Strategic Studies and Military History and a Diploma in Strategic Studies.

ENDS

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