Christchurch City Council has announced the appointment of Abby Foote as the new Chair of Christchurch City Holdings Limited (CCHL).
The CCHL Group includes the city’s major infrastructure companies, Christchurch Airport, Lyttelton Port Company (LPC), Orion Group, Enable, EcoCentral and Citycare Group. The Group employs more than 3,000 people across Canterbury and around New Zealand.
After an extensive search and consideration of a number of experienced governance candidates with the appropriate skills and background, the CCHL Appointments Committee recommended that Council appoint Abby Foote as Chair, the Council said in a statement today.
Ms Foote has over a decade of governance experience in both NZX listed and Crown companies. With qualifications in both law and accounting, her executive career has focused on corporate finance and commercial transactions.
As a professional director, she has experience in a wide range of areas including strategic development and implementation, mergers and acquisitions, treasury, risk management, health & safety and ESG issues. As Chair of Z Energy, a role she held from 2019 – 2022, Ms Foote provided leadership to navigate regulatory impacts, a changing competitive landscape and an effective change in ownership.
She is currently on the boards of KMD Brands Limited, Freightways Limited and Sanford Limited. As well as Z Energy, where she was a board member from 2013, her extensive prior governance experience has also included directorships with Transpower, LGFA, TVNZ and Te Papa.
Ms Foote says she is looking forward to taking on the new role, as CCHL takes a firm focus on the future.
“I’m excited to be playing a part in the opportunities ahead for CCHL, and to be joining a dynamic and capable team that is focused on investing in, and managing, key infrastructure while delivering a wide range of vital services and other benefits for the people of Ōtautahi Christchurch, Canterbury and wider New Zealand,” she said.
“I’m particularly pleased to be able to join CCHL at a key point in its ongoing development, as it considers its role and approach through the Strategic Review.”
The CCHL Strategic Review will take up to 12 months and be considered as part of the next Long Term Plan 2024 – 34.
Ms Foote says the community has a unique asset in CCHL and the wider CCHL Group, which has an important role to play in the future of the region.
“We have some big challenges ahead – from the cost-of-living crisis and the recovery from the pandemic, to building community resilience and tackling climate change. CCHL will be an important part of this for our community and our region and I’m thrilled to be able to support this,” she says.
She will take up the role of Chair of the CCHL Board, effective immediately; and will also join the Appointments Committee to help appoint the remaining four independent directors to the CCHL Board.
