Media statement Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

New chief executive appointed to EMA

The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) has a new chief executive.

EMA president Graham Mountfort announced today that after a thorough international search, Mr Kim Campbell has been appointed the association's new chief executive. He will take up the position next Monday, October 3rd.

"The EMA Board is very pleased that someone of Mr Campbell's professional, business and international calibre has made himself available," Mr Mountfort said.

"Mr Campbell is extremely well qualified to lead EMA. It's a coup for us and New Zealand business to have someone of his international experience head up our organization."

Mr Campbell said: "My focus will be to assist New Zealand reaching its potential over the longer term.

"I believe business can deliver a great outlook for all New Zealanders.

"There are a number of major areas we need to improve, particularly the prospects for young people with training and education; providing world class infrastructure; and sustainability, which offers the greatest business opportunity in a generation. New Zealand can lead in this area.

"To deliver first world living standards to the next generation of young people we must build an economy that requires busy minds rather than busy hands," Mr Campbell said.

"Investment in infrastructure is vital to provide employment opportunities as well as to improve communications within New Zealand and to the outside world.

"It's essential to improve our competitiveness to where isolation is no longer a limit to growth.

"With good communications we are in the middle of the world right here."

Mr Mountfort said: "Mr Campbell has had a distinguished career in New Zealand and overseas working in manufacturing and exporting businesses in a variety of industries and geographies including ICI, Trigon Plastics, Masport and New Image in New Zealand, and the Hong Kong based Zuellig Group for the past 13 years.

"For five years he was chief executive of PSM in Auckland (later to become API Manufacturing), a major consumer health care company then part of the Zuellig Group which is a large, privately held, global investment company. He then moved to Sydney to become CEO of Soul Pattinson Manufacturing also part of the API group (at the time associated with Zuellig). He was then appointed CEO of Zuellig Equipment Distribution Incorporated which includes CB Norwood in New Zealand.

"Mr Campbell has recently returned from the Philippines where, among other duties, he was executive chairman of Pharma Industries Incorporated, a pharmaceuticals manufacturing group employing over 1,700 staff in the Philippines and Thailand.

"Before heading overseas Mr Campbell was a director of EMA, and has been a President of the Export Institute (now Export New Zealand), a councilor of Business New Zealand, and a founding director of the (now disbanded) Auckland Regional Economic Development Strategy Board (AREDS), He has served on numerous private and public boards over a career spanning 35 years, and remains an Honorary Life member of the Philippines New Zealand Business Association."

ends

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