New leadership team announced at Skills Active

The newly announced leadership team for New Zealand training agency Skills Active has been described as presenting “a mix of new faces and longstanding staff”.

Following the appointment of long-time staffer Maren Frerichs as Chief Operating Officer in July, the organisation is announcing further promotions and new hires in the senior management team.

Resource Development Team Leader Jenni Pethig, who has been with Skills Active for eight years, has been promoted to the position of Learning Solutions General Manager.

Senior staffer Todd Maddock is now General Manager of Delivery, having had the scope of his role expanded to oversee both the technical and field staff involved in arranging training.

Skills Active was also recently joined by People and Finance general manager Anthony Cox, and Chief Executive for sister company Qualworx, Graham Hill.

Completing the team is long-standing Kaihautū Ron Taukamo.

Advising that she is thrilled to see highly experienced staffers Pethig, Maddock and Taukamo championing their important roles while also having two new faces onboard, both of whom will bring fresh ideas and energy, Frerichs stated “we are ready to tackle the months ahead of us in 2020.

“It’s been such a tough time for our industries during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they continue to face a lot of uncertainty with the recent return to higher alert levels. Our main goal is to support them through whatever challenges are ahead.

“As well as an ongoing pandemic, we’ve got a vocational education reform underway. We’re working with our industries right now to make sure this reform process works for each of them, and that we come out with a system that’s better than ever.

“With the new team in place and settled in, we are busy applying ourselves to these priorities, as well as our core business of working with industry to develop qualifications and get staff trained up and qualified.”

Image (clockwise from top left): Todd Maddock, Anthony Cox, Ron Taukamo, Maren Frerichs, Jenni Pethig, Graham Hill.