Coinciding with the Government’s budget announcement, The Icehouse has announced that current Chief Growth Officer Olivia Blaylock will take the reins as Chief Executive Officer from July 1. The announcement will be made this morning at the Icehouse Alumni Conference.
David Downs, The Icehouse Board Chair, says that Olivia is stepping forward at a time when the business landscape is quickly evolving.
“A recession is in full swing and the new budget is here. The current state of play means our business leaders need impactful advocacy, mentorship and support from a team who gets it,” says Downs.
Ms Blaylock is an Icehouse Owner Manager Programme alumni and brings 25 years experience leading and growing businesses. She says her personal purpose has always been to, “improve the lives of New Zealanders.”
“I think New Zealand is the greatest country in the world, and I want to make it better for New Zealand businesses,” says Blaylock.
“All of my career has been aligned with this purpose. Now the opportunity to impact business leaders everyday at The Icehouse is something I don’t take lightly.”
Liz Wotherspoon has been The Icehouse CEO for the past two years, and will return to her previous role at The Icehouse as Chief Customer Solutions Officer.
Downs says this change will set in motion a new era of impact for The Icehouse.
“Having Olivia’s experience, skills and heart in the CEO role, with Liz remaining at the forefront of the delivery of our programmes, is the ideal scenario for this new phase,” says Downs.
“For 23 years, The Icehouse has listened to and mentored 4,000 Kiwi business leaders to achieve an average post-programme growth of 250% within their businesses. As the business landscape is in an important period of change, the entire Icehouse team is focused on delivering up-to-the-minute nationwide support of owner managers.”
With the Government’s Budget announcement today, Blaylock says The Icehouse alumni community’s biggest hope is a sense that the economy is on its way up again.
“What we are hearing is that leaders of small and medium sized businesses are more interested in hearing the Government’s plan for economic growth, than any individual policy announcement.
“Many business leaders have had a pretty tough few years, so they will be keeping a close eye on expected economic activity. They will be eager to see signs of when interest rates might start coming down.”
Olivia Blaylock, David Downs and Liz Wotherspoon are available for interviews and can speak to midsize business leaders’ reactions to the Budget and insights from an Alumni Conference Survey. Olivia Blaylock can speak to her leadership style and vision for The Icehouse.
The Icehouse
Set up in 2001, The Icehouse exists to help grow the engine room of the New Zealand economy. They primarily support SME businesses with annual revenue between $1 million and $50 million by building the capability of business leaders. Icehouse alumni span all industries, with dedicated Kiwi business focused programmes, workshops and one-to-one advisory services taking place nationwide.
As a registered charity, The Icehouse is a constant voice and advocate for the midsize business industry in Aotearoa.
