The State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie announced the appointment of Lou Sanson to the position of chief executive and director- general of Conservation, (DOC). Source: Wellington Scoop
Sanson is currently the chief executive of Crown entity Antarctica New Zealand and he has been appointed to this role, his first in a core public sector chief executive role, for three years.
Commenting on the appointment, Rennie said that throughout his career, and in particular in his work with Antarctica New Zealand, Sanson has built and maintained effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders and been involved with a number of organisational structural shifts.
‘I consider Mr Sanson to have the intellectual capability, strategic leadership, policy experience, change management skills, and personal qualities to be successful in the role.
“With a proven commitment to conservation, he possesses the focus to roll out the new business model and required shift in culture and practice, while maintaining delivery of the wide range of DOC services,” Rennie said.
The chief executive and director-general of Conservation leads a department of approximately 1700 staff located in 99 locations around New Zealand.
The Department’s budget is approximately $335 million and Sanson will be required to manage around $5 billion in capital assets, including 8.5 million hectares of land and 3.7 million hectares of marine areas.
Sanson begins his role on 14 September 2013. The current DOC chief executive Al Morrison is leaving to take up the role of deputy commissioner, Corporate Centre at the State Services Commission.
