Welcome to Touchstone, our new electronic magazine. In this issue, we:
Update on our Transformation programme
In May, I instituted a review to look at how we could better structure our organisation to achieve our goals and to identify what we need to do differently. A key focus for the review was how we can make best use of our team by examining new ways of working together – a recognition that none of us is as good as all of us. 
Following a valuable consultation process with our staff, we have implemented a new, flatter structure that is more focused on outcomes, and on meeting our stakeholders’ and customers’ needs. We now have four business units:
- Solutions – responsibilities for committee members, relationships with sponsors, and industry and sector groups, for the development of Standards solutions, and co-ordination with national Standards bodies
- Strategic development and Innovation – responsibilities for relationships with the Crown, our monitoring agency (MED), and regulatory best practice and policy. The Innovation Centre is an investment focused on qualifying emerging product and service opportunities, and strategic development
- Customer services and sales – responsibilities for customers, industry training organisations, and training providers
- Corporate services – responsible for providing support services across the organisation including Human resources, Finance, IT, and strategic corporate marketing and communication
Four general managers lead these business units:
- Solutions – Cas Cinque
- Strategic development and innovation – Rob Warner
- Customer services and sales – Shona Weller
- Corporate – Michelle Wessing
As we are a small organisation, we need to make the most of our resources to develop and maintain strong relationships with our stakeholders and to ensure there is a senior point of contact within our team who will focus on making things run smoothly.
To support this, the general managers and I also have responsibility for championing the needs of one or more sectors within our organisation and maintaining close relationships with key decision makers:
- Debbie Chin – Health and oversight across all sectors at Chief Executive level
- Cas Cinque – Building and construction sector (including the sector and industry advisory boards) and oversight of activity at ISO/IEC level to support the Standards Council’s International Strategy
- Michelle Wessing – Energy and safety sectors (including the fire protections and the sector and industry advisory boards).
We have also identified two significant key themes relevant to all sectors that we believe require specific attention. The general managers who will champion these themes are:
- Rob Warner – Environment issues and opportunities
- Shona Weller – Education issues and opportunities
Visit our website to find out more about our senior leadership team
2008 Staff distinction awards
We recognise Standards New Zealand employees who have demonstrated outstanding achievement or contribution to Standards New Zealand. Distinction Award nominations are called for each year and a formal nomination process is followed. I was delighted to present awards to our winners recently; Jenny Robertson, Manager Solutions – 2008 Highly Commended Distinction Award, and Stuart Ng, Senior Manager Solutions – 2008 Distinction Award.
Both Jenny and Stu are key members of our team – both have displayed the organisation’s values throughout their time with Standards, and both are well respected and valued by everyone. Congratulations, Jenny and Stu.
Debbie Chin
Chief Executive