The Whakatāne District Council has appointed a highly-experienced former marketing executive to the role of Business Services Manager.

Roslyn Mortimer, a Bachelor of Commerce and Postgraduate Diploma of Commerce graduate from Otago University, has held a number of senior marketing roles, most recently as DTR’s national Marketing and Merchandising Manager. She was previously Head of Marketing for the Noel Leeming Group and Marketing Manager for Progressive Enterprises’ Countdown supermarket chain.

Ms Mortimer grew up in Whakatāne and moved back to the area in November last year for lifestyle reasons and to be closer to family. She was looking for a role in an organisation that has strong values, a fun environment and career potential, hence her decision to take on a fixed-term contract role with the Council.

“I’ve really enjoyed the experience and it has provided me with the opportunity to get a feel for local government. Positions such as the Business Services Manager role don’t come along that often, so I decided to put my name in the mix and was delighted to be offered the position.”

She says the Council’s business services incorporate an exciting portfolio of activities and is looking forward to leading a “team of people with a great range of complementary skills”.

“I think there are some massive opportunities in marketing and promotion for the Whakatāne District and I can’t wait to get involved and advance some key projects.”

Council Strategy and Economic Development General Manager Julie Gardyne says the District is fortunate to have found such an able successor to Aaron Milne, who leaves the organisation this week for business and family reasons. “Under Aaron’s leadership, our capacity in the business development arena has been transformed and I look forward to continuing improvement in the performance of the Council’s business assets and delivering much-needed economic growth for the Whakatāne District.”

Ms Mortimer will take up her new role on 2 March.