Former Porirua mayor Nick Leggett has been appointed to replace Ken Shirley as Road Transport Forum chief executive.
Shirley, who has been in the role since 2010, will retire at the end of the year.
Leggett served two terms as mayor of Porirua from 2010. He was first elected to council in 1998 aged only 19 and in 2010 was the youngest mayor in New Zealand.
For the past year he has been executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council.
Road Transport Forum chairman Neil Reid says he looks forward to working with Leggett “who will have responsibility for leading the national body of the New Zealand trucking industry in a time of significant change for the sector”.
“There are both significant challenges and exciting opportunities facing the road transport industry in the coming years across the political, regulatory and business environments,” Reid says.
Leggett says he is looking forward to the challenge of leading a group that he has long admired for their strong and effective advocacy.
“The Road Transport Forum and its constituent associations have a proud history representing a sector that is at the heart of so much economic activity.
“I am excited to carry on that good work and assist road transport operators to get the most out of their businesses and meet the challenges coming their way,” Leggett says.
Out-going chief executive Ken Shirley says he has thoroughly enjoyed the past eight years working for the industry that literally drives the New Zealand economy.
“I wish Nick and the industry every success in the future,” Shirley says.
