Ivan's wealth of experience, commercial acumen and management skills will be a huge asset to Connect in its future development. Ivan recently returned to New Zealand from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Business School in Switzerland where he designed and facilitated strategy development and change programmes for leadership teams from multinationals such as Nestle, Carlsberg and Visa.

Ivan will take up his new position on the 27th August. Click here to read the media release announcing Ivan's appointment.

With the agreement of the Boards of both Connect New Zealand and Kea, Ivan has been appointed as CEO of both organisations, an arrangement we believe will be of huge benefit to both entities. Both organisations will remain distinct legal and operational entities.

Ian McDonald is leaving Connect New Zealand to pursue other opportunities. Ian's experience and drive and his focus on adapting Connect to meet the needs of early stage technology companies in New Zealand has given Connect an accelerated start. The Connect Springboard programme has made a significant impact on early stage companies to improve their go-to-market and investment readiness.

Exciting times are ahead for both Connect New Zealand and Kea, each with a fully committed and enthusiastic team in place. We are now even better positioned to support the growth of New Zealand's knowledge-based companies.