Cardrona-Treble Cone general manager Bridget Legnavsky has been promoted in a recent realignment of parent organisation Wayfare Group.

Bridget is promoted to the new position of chief experience officer with responsibility for all Wayfare Group experiences, Wayfare chief executive officer Stephen England-Hall said.

“Bridget is a visionary leader, with an incredible talent for building team culture to deliver an outstanding guest experience and we want to continue to ensure this is developed further across the group,” he said.  

She will lead, coach and mentor a team of general managers responsible for Wayfare’s tourism and ski experiences across their brands Real Journeys, Go Orange, the International Antarctic Centre and Cardrona Alpine Resort.

Wanaka-based Bridget will still have overall responsibility for "the Cardrona/Treble Cone Experience”, but there will be a new ski experience general manager (yet to be announced) reporting to her.

Bridget Legnavsky

Bridget’s new role was one of several announced today (Tuesday June 22) designed to bring the diverse capabilities from across the Wayfare Group to work together to build a more sustainable business, Stephen said. Wayfare’s operations stretch from Christchurch to Stewart Island and include International Antarctic Centre, Walter Peak TSS Earnslaw in Queenstown, Milford and Doubtful Sounds day and overnight trips, Go Orange rafting and Cardrona/Treble Cone skifields.

In the wake of Covid-19’s impact on tourism, the realignment of the Wayfare Group has meant refocusing its purpose and accelerating the move towards sustainable tourism by delivering the most memorable experiences, Bridget said.

“It’s a very bold purpose towards change,” she said, and she will be relying on “people capable of being visionaries” to achieve it.

“I feel incredibly privileged to be asked to lead this step-change [in purpose], designing what’s sustainable but also the parts that can be regenerative...and working with others to bring it to life,” she said. 

Wayfare’s changes have opened up a number of new leadership opportunities within the company and have not resulted in any job losses, Stephen said.

Real Journeys general manager Paul Norris, who was presented with the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to tourism and conservation last month, has been promoted to chief conservation officer to lead conservation and sustainability initiatives across the group. 

PHOTOS: Supplied