Horowhenua Company gets new chief executive

The Horowhenua Company has appointed Catriona McKay as its new chief executive.

Currently the principal regional adviser at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, McKay has a background that combines the private and public sector.

The Horowhenua Company director Cam Lewis says the Company was looking forward to McKay continuing the strong progress that the organisation had made over the past three years.

“Horowhenua has potential, and people like Catriona go a long way in enabling us to unlock this potential and leverage the significant opportunities that we have to offer.”

Lewis says that McKay brings significant experience to the role; including knowledge of the region, well established networks and senior leadership experience in both the private and public sectors.

“With 14 years of experience in Central Government, and private sector experience as a commercial lawyer and corporate law, Catriona has worked with companies from startup to maturity,” he says.

“In her current role, Catriona’s mandate is to be collaborative and bring people together to achieve more than they can individually — this is key for economic development and we are excited to see this put to use for the benefit of the people of Horowhenua.”

McKay says that as a proud resident of Horowhenua, she sees the role as an opportunity to work even more closely with her local community.

“This is a very exciting opportunity to make a difference for the community that I serve. I’m really proud to be part of the team going forward, bringing both my networks and experience together to unlock more opportunities for Horowhenua.”

McKay replaces Shanon Grainger who will be leaving the position in early July. She will begin her role with The Horowhenua Company in the same month.

Grainger said that he believes Catriona will be perfectly placed to take the team forward.

“After working with Catriona on several projects during her time at MBIE, I am really excited to see her bring her networks, experience and skills to The Horowhenua Company, and to continue her work within our community.”

Grainger has been the CEO of the Company since its inception in October 2018, through the development of the Horowhenua Business Park and various other milestones; including securing funding from the Provincial Development Unit for Get-Go, and establishing a partnership with Electra.