New CEO For ALAC

PRESS RELEASE
12 FEBRUARY 2007

Gerard Vaughan today took up his position as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC).

Mr Vaughan says he is excited by his new role and is looking forward to further developing ALAC’s leading edge programme designed to change New Zealand’s drinking culture.

“I am really keen to work in an area where I can make a difference, and I look forward to working with the extremely professional and capable team at ALAC to reduce the social and economic problems associated with New Zealand’s binge drinking culture.”

Mr Vaughan believes he brings to ALAC a skill set that can enhance the social marketing programme introduced by ALAC two years ago. He came to ALAC from the Public Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health in Wellington where he was national project manager for Like Minds, Like Mine – a social marketing campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. His role included strategic leadership for the community-based programme and project management of over four million dollars annual funding for the national campaign.

“There will be some similarities in the work but there will also be major differences. So my first priority will be ‘learning the business’ and meeting with the large number of stakeholders and partners that collaborate with ALAC on the programme.

“Changing the drinking culture is ALAC’s number one goal but of course no single organisation can achieve that on its own. ALAC has worked hard to get collaboration across a wide number of organisations and I will be working hard to foster those relationships.”

ALAC’s Chair Peter Glensor welcomed Mr Vaughan to ALAC. “ALAC’s programme aims to change attitudes and behaviours around drunkenness which is by far the greatest cause of alcohol-related harm in New Zealand. Significant progress has been made in getting New Zealanders to understand the extent of the problem and the harms that result and I look forward to working with Gerard towards the ultimate goal of behaviour change.”

Ends

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