Smyth, who has been chair since 2017, today welcomed Hawksworth’s appointment.
“Vince’s deep experience running large-scale businesses with significant workforces, customer bases, and capital investment profiles will be a valuable asset as Spark continues to execute its strategy and deliver value for shareholders.”
Justine Smyth (right) with Spark’s CEO, Jolie Hodson. Photo/NZME
Hawksworth said Spark had a “proud history, talented people, and a clear strategy focused on delivering long-term value for customers and shareholders”.
“I look forward to working alongside the board and management team as we continue to improve performance and deliver stronger returns for shareholders over time.”
Spark reports its full-year results on Thursday. The Herald reported this morning that Spark employees were bracing for another round of potential redundancies as part of the business unit split to connectivity and digital services.
Spark chief marketing and corporate affairs officer Leela Ashford said it had recently completed consultation with its senior leaders to “align leadership roles with this new structure”.
Earlier, the Herald asked Salt Funds’ managing director Matthew Goodson if he expected a leadership change at Spark.
“I’d expect that will be on the agenda for the next chair,” he said.
“Jolie Hodson has had over seven years as CEO and has had senior roles at Spark since 2013, so it would be a natural time to transition to a new leader.”
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