Three new directors have been appointed to the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) board of directors.

The new directors, who were confirmed at the QAC’s annual general meeting on October 30, are Anne Urlwin (Wanaka), Andrew Blair (Arrowtown), and former Air New Zealand chief marketing officer Michael Tod (Auckland) - who was made redundant from Air NZ in May.

Anne is a professional director with executive and governance experience across a range of sectors from energy, infrastructure, construction, IT, health and financial services. 

She is currently deputy chair of Southern Response Earthquake Services and the independent chair of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu’s Audit & Risk Committee. 

The new directors were approved for appointment during a public-excluded session of October’s Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) full council meeting, with a shareholder resolution submitted to the AGM jointly with Auckland International Airport Ltd.

The new directors replace Michael Stiassny and Norm Thompson, who both retired after serving on the board since 2014, and fill a gap presented by the resignation in July of former chair Prue Flacks.

They bring “experience and knowledge of governance, finance and the airline industry, as well as local insight, to their positions”, the QAC said in a statement. 

Adrienne Young-Cooper, who was originally appointed in 2017, has been re-appointed for a further four-year term and remains board chair. Mark Thomson has also been re-appointed as the director nominated by Auckland International Airport Ltd.

Queenstown Lakes District mayor Jim Boult thanked the outgoing members for their time on the board, saying this year “has been extremely challenging for anyone involved in the aviation industry”.

“There are undoubtedly still challenging times ahead for the industry as we have yet to really grasp the full extent of COVID-19 on global travel and the world’s economy. Times like these need strong leadership and people with the skills, knowledge and experience to think innovatively and to make some difficult decisions,” he said.

Queenstown Airport is a council-controlled trading organisation (CCTO) with two shareholders - Queenstown Lakes District Council (75.1 per cent) and Auckland Airport (24.9 per cent). It is managed by QAC and governed by a board of directors.

PHOTO: Supplied