Chiefs may compete for agency role

WHO will become the chief executive of the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) is shaping up as a corporate slugfest.

The new agency brings together a host of organisations, including Grow Wellington, Positively Wellington Tourism and Positively Wellington Venues, all of which have existing chief executives.

WREDA chairman Peter Biggs said he hoped the gaggle of chiefs – Grow’s Gerard Quinn, Tourism’s David Perks, and Venues’ Glenys Coughlan – would apply for the role, which will be top of the agenda at the agency’s first meeting next month.

‘‘We are very lucky with those ceos, they are all terrific . . . and I’d like them very much to be in the mix. But we are going to look more widely because we want to be sure we’ve got the best people we can get for that role.’’

Biggs said it may take until April, or even longer, to land the right person for the position, which will be publicly advertised.

‘‘That talent will be in an existing job, I’m sure . . . and then there will be notice periods to negotiate.’’

A positive to merging organisations under one umbrella is that savings can be made throughbackroom efficiencies’. This sometimes includes staffing reductions.Biggs said he had not even considered whether there would be job cuts.

‘‘The priority is to build a really, really robust and inspirational strategy and then put together an organisation that will deliver on that strategy. I don’t know at this stage what the shape of that organisation would be like.

‘‘The CEO, whoever she or he is, will have to shape the entity the way they want to.’’