New chief executive for CHB District Council

New CHB District Council chief executive Monique Davidson

A new Central Hawke's Bay District Council chief executive appointment has been made to replace John Freeman who was set to finish in the role on April 7.

CHB mayor Alex Walker this morning announced that current Horowhenua District Council group manager for customer and community services Monique Davidson would fill the position starting on June 6.

Ms Walker said the council had gone through a rigorous recruitment process and that senior staff and councillors had been impressed with Mrs Davidson's strong leadership, management and planning skills.

"Council is delighted that Monique has been appointed to the chief executive role. We are confident that she will ably lead the organisation during an exciting period for the district."

Mrs Davidson holds a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University in Wellington, and she is a member of the Local Government New Zealand governance and strategy advisory group.

In regards to her appointment she said she was honoured to be appointed.

"I am very excited about the opportunity, and look forward to working collaboratively with elected members to lead Central Hawke's Bay District on the next stage of its journey.

"The local government sector is rapidly evolving and it's an exciting time to be given the challenge to lead an organisation through that."

Mrs Davidson will be moving to Central Hawke's Bay with her husband and two children.