Today, three appointments were made to the Tourism Bay of Plenty Board. Laurissa Cooney is the new chair and Clare Swallow and Oscar Nathan the new trustees, appointed by Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Mayor Tenby Powell said the appointment of trustees to council-controlled organisations (CCOs) is an important council function, as it is the trustees who are responsible for ensuring agreed outcomes are effectively delivered.

'I'm confident that as a result of these appointments, the Board will be well-placed to deliver Tourism Bay of Plenty's destination management strategy,” he said. 'Laurissa, Clare and Oscar have the skills and experience to meet the needs identified by the appointment panel and I have no doubts that their appointments will help Tourism Bay of Plenty meet its strategic goals.

'I worked closely with Laurissa during the aftermath of Whakaari/White Island eruption and was very impressed with her strong leadership skills, so I'm particularly pleased that she will be chairing this team,” said Tenby.

Laurissa Cooney
Laurissa joined the Tourism Bay of Plenty Board as the Institute of Directors Emerging Director in January 2018. Laurissa was formally appointed as a trustee by the councils in June 2018 and has been acting chair since August 2019.

Former chief financial officer at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi and a fellow of the Institute of Directors, Laurissa was recently appointed to the board of Air New Zealand. She is also an independent director with Nga Tangata Tiaki (Wanganui Iwi Settlement entity) and Ngai Tai Ki Tamati. A chartered member of the Institute of Directors, Laurissa brings strong links to the Whakatane community and eastern Bay of Plenty tangata whenua.

Clare Swallow
Clare is well known to many in the Bay as the former general manager at Cucumber. With considerable experience in digital strategy/marketing, technology, transformation, customer experience and innovation, Clare consults to a number of large public and private sector boards. Clare was a finalist in the Westpac Millennial Woman of Influence Award and the Institute of Directors' Emerging Director Award. Clare is also a trustee on a not-for-profit trust and sat on the Export Bay of Plenty Advisory Board for eight years.

Oscar Nathan
Oscar has considerable experience in both domestic and international tourism management and is a former general manager of Destination Rotorua. Currently a destination management consultant, Oscar is also a director of Waka Digital, a leading Māori information technology firm offering precision data analytics. Governance experience consists of board roles on Regional Tourism NZ, NZ Māori Tourism, Tourism Industry Aotearoa, NZ Māori Arts & Crafts Institute (Te Puia), Waiariki Institute of Technology and Rotorua Chamber of Commerce.

Laurissa is delighted to welcome Clare and Oscar to the Board.

'They bring vast and diversified experience and fantastic connections across the region and the sector. The board is looking forward to working with them both as their skillsets complement those of our current board and will further enhance the contribution that the tourism sector brings to this region,” said Laurissa.

Tourism Bay of Plenty is a trust and CCO, jointly controlled by Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council. The new appointments will commence from 10 March 2020.