Event Hospitality and Entertainment Limited has revealed Jane Hastings will be the next Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the company.
She succeeds David Seargeant, who will step down on 30 June 2017 after more than 29 years with the Group, the last 17 of which he served as an executive director.
Hastings re-joined Event as Chief Operating Officer in August 2016, having previously held the role of General Manager of Event Cinemas (2010-2012) and General Manager SkyCity Cinemas (2008-2010).
Hastings will commence in her new role on 1 July 2017 and her appointment is the culmination of an extensive search process conducted by the Board, following the announcement of Seargeant’s intention to step down in November 2016.
Hastings’ experience in the tourism, hospitality and entertainment sectors spans more than 20 years, having started her career with Air New Zealand as a management trainee.
She later spent more than eight years in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan in senior leadership roles consulting to companies including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Shell, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts and Mars Inc through her positions at ICLP, WPP, Interpublic and Omnicom Groups.
She returned to New Zealand in 2007 and joined the SkyCity Entertainment Group as a Group General Manager.
More recently, Hastings held a number of senior positions with APN News and Media Limited, including CEO of The Radio Network (2012-2014) and CEO of New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) (2014-2016). Jane led the formation of NZME group, merging and transforming APN’s multi-faceted New Zealand businesses into a fully-integrated media company.
Event Chairman, Alan Rydge, said: “We are delighted to announce Jane’s appointment as Managing Director. Jane is an outstanding choice to lead Event with an extensive track record in entertainment and media.
“Jane’s history at Event, together with the strong and capable executive team built by David Seargeant, will ensure continuity of the operating performance and capital discipline which David has achieved, whilst bringing her own unique perspective and a continued dynamism to the exciting brands which David has created.”
Rydge also acknowledged again the extraordinary contribution of Seargeant during his long tenure, commenting: “David has been an outstanding Managing Director whose passion and talent have been instrumental in creating the strong and proud Company we have today.
“We look forward to an ongoing close relationship with David and on behalf of the Board and our employees, I thank David for his enormous contribution and congratulate again him on an outstanding career.”
Seargeant said: “I feel privileged to have led Event and I’m very proud of our achievements in the past 17 years, a period when the Group has grown significantly and developed several new and iconic brands. I also feel confident that the right foundations have been laid for the years to come. I’m delighted that Jane has been appointed to the role, she is a proven leader and I have every confidence handing responsibility over to her.”
Seargeant will be discussing his career and the future of the Australian hotel scene in a keynote speech at AHICE in Melbourne next week. For tickets visit www.ahice.com.au