Friday 14 August, 2020

To all staff of Unitec and MIT

KEY APPOINTMENTS

Today, NZIST Chief Executive Stephen Town will announce that Merran Davis has been appointed to the role of Deputy Chief Executive, Transformation and Transition with NZIST. This is a key role in the development of the new national institution.

Merran has done an outstanding job at Unitec. Her focus and drive has been clear. Her passion for people is obvious, as is her commitment to partnership and a values led style of leadership. Merran leaves Unitec in a far better state than when she took on the role as Interim Chief Executive. It is in a far better financial position and is poised to regain its Category 1 status as tertiary education institution.

I wish Merran every success as she takes on her new role with NZIST on 31 August.

With Merran’s move to NZIST, the Board of Unitec and MIT has thought hard about how we ensure that Unitec continues to be led effectively and is equipped to respond to the significant challenges that we face over the next period.

In addition to the need to secure Category 1 status through the EER Review, we must be able to deal with the quite real prospect that we will get no new international students in 2021, and at the same time respond to the potential for rapid growth in domestic student numbers as a result of the economic challenges from COVID-19 and the Government’s fees free initiatives. The Board has also been very mindful of its brief from NZIST to bring Unitec and MIT closer together.

Since commencing its role in April, the Board has come to understand that Unitec and MIT are quite different. They have different cultures, different history, and differing mixes of provision. The strength that comes from that diversity is critical to ensuring that we can together meet the vocational education needs to Auckland.

Having considered a range of options, the Board is very pleased to today announce the appointment of Gus Gilmore as Chief Executive of both Unitec and MIT. As many of you will know, Gus has led MIT at a time of great challenge and change. We are confident that Gus has the skills, experience and style needed to take on the leadership of both institutions over the next period.

A key focus of Gus’s approach at Unitec will be to listen and learn and get to know what is special about its people and way of doing things. He will also be working to support staff to achieve the best possible outcome from the EER review.

Gus will formally start at Unitec on Monday 31 August, but expect to see him around over the next two weeks as he works to gets to know people.

Please join me in congratulating Merran as she moves to her new NZIST role and Gus as he takes on the responsibility for leading Unitec, as well as MIT.

Ngā mihi nui

Peter Winder
Chair of the Board of Directors of Unitec and MIT