SkyCity loses second top female executive in weeks

Jane Freeman

SkyCity Entertainment has lost its second woman business leader in less than a month.

The only female director - Jane Freeman - stepped down yesterday after two years on the board for the listed company with casinos in Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Adelaide and Darwin.

And SkyCity Cinemas' general manager, Jane Hastings, has changed her mind and opted to stick with new owners for the cinema chain, rather than returning to SkyCity.

Freeman - whose other directorships include Air New Zealand, Delegat's and Pumpkin Patch - announced yesterday that she would be leaving.

Freeman has held senior marketing and management positions at Telecom's esolutions, BankDirect, Clear Communications and ASB Bank.

Chairman Rod McGeoch said yesterday she was leaving for personal reasons.

"Jane has made a valuable contribution to the board, including chairing the human resources committee. She will be missed."

Freeman took up the SkyCity directorship in March 2008 alongside former Saatchi & Saatchi global chief operating officer Peter Cullinane.

The two were the first new brooms on the board, whose financial performance had been criticised by investors.

In management, Jane Hastings is credited by some for the success of the SkyCity Cinemas business with an aggressive focus on marketing.

With the sale of SkyCity Cinemas to Amalgamated Holdings on February 18, she was expected to return to SkyCity Entertainment. Instead she opted to stay with the cinema business.