Movers and shakers: Mandy Kennedy at Paper Plus Group and Chris Buxton at Statistics NZ

Mandy Kennedy is the new CIO at Paper Plus Group, which has over 120 stores nationwide. Kennedy will be reporting to the CEO. She came from The Warehouse Group Financial Services, where she was programme manager. She has worked at Complete Entertainment Services Limited and Westpac, as well as Accenture and Ernst & Young.

Chris Buxton is now Statistics New Zealand’s Chief Digital Officer (CDO), stepping up from chief technology officer. Prior to joining the Statistics New Zealand, Buxton was the Chief Information Officer with the Government Communications Security Bureau, New Zealand’s foreign intelligence agency.

Aaron Overington is now ICT manager at Te Roopu Taurima O Manukau Trust. His previous roles included IT manager for Spectrum Care Trust Board, and IT manager at Colmar Brunton. When he was with Spectrum Care, he took a three-month secondment for the same role in another charity, SILC Charitable Trust (Supported Individualised Lifestyle Choices) in Tauranga. Like Spectrum, the charity provides services to people with disabilities.

David Chalmers is the new CFO at Spark New Zealand, reporting to managing director Simon Moutter. Chalmers will succeed Jolie Hodson, who is moving from her current CFO role to CEO of Spark Digital, the business unit supporting Spark’s corporate and government customers.

Chalmers was CFO for Mediaworks where he recently assumed the role of interim Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Mediaworks, he held a number of senior financial and general management roles with iSelect, DuluxGroup Limited and Macquarie Capital.

Andrew Fox is now country manager for Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

Maren John joins e-Spatial as a senior analytics consultant. She came from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) where she was a senior analyst (Consulting) in the Finance and Economics team. Prior to PwC, Maren was employed as a Statistical Analyst at Statistics New Zealand and a Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Economic Development. She has also worked on a range of operational and strategic projects in Germany and South Africa.

Melanie Morris is appointed Xero’s Head of Bookkeeping in New Zealand.

As an ambassador to New Zealand bookkeepers, Morris will take advisors on the journey of implementing new online practice tools to grow their practice and help their clients succeed.

Morris was Xero’s first Xero Bookkeeping Gold Partner globally, and is an active member of both the New Zealand Advisory Council and Global Advisory Council.

“We believe bookkeepers add massive value to small business and accountants,” says Rod Drury, Xero CEO. “Melanie has been alongside Xero since the beginning and we're excited to invest in this key role to continue to grow the industry.”

Meet the Social Media Awards finalists

The exceptional calibre of entries for this year’s #SMCAKLs show just how much New Zealand organisations – both in the private and public sector – have embraced the use of social media, says Vaughn Davis, #SMCAKL’s organising committee member and CEO of award sponsor, The Goat Farm.

The awards will take place on Wednesday, 17 August at Auckland’s Maritime Museum.

The 34 finalists were decided by an independent panel of judges, including Ken Freer, Marketing Director at House of Travel; Simone McCallum, Senior Digital Content and Social Media Manager at ‎ASB Bank; Sara Philips, Social Media Marketing Manager at ANZ Bank; and Tom Bates, Social Influence Director at Contagion.

The finalists are:

IAG Most Effective Social Media Campaign Award

#BlacktoBlack (Rugby) - NZME

ANZ: Fortune Favours The Brave - Whybin/TBWA

Co-Operative Bank Good Kiwis Campaign - Socialites

Powershop - Baby Trump - Special Group Limited

SKY #24hourrugbypeople - Fuse

Waikato Civil Defence - Waikato Civil Defence Group

Most Effective Social Media Campaign Under $20,000 Award

JUCY Destination NSW Instameet - JUCY

Sealord Frozen Salmon: From Facebook to NZ's Freezers- Bloggers Club

Take Charge, Do More (Warehouse Stationery Recruitment campaign) - Prominence

The Rhythm & Vines Story - Mish Guru

Jamie's World "They Let Me Write a Book" launch - Interlike

NewsTalk ZB Engagement Two Cow Economy - NZME

Best Use of Social Media in a New Product or Service Launch Award

Burger King Chicken Fries have arrived in New Zealand - Y&R New Zealand

Create Your Taste; Reigniting the Magic of McDonald's - Fuse

Jetstar spreads its wings - Spark PR & Activate

Sealord Frozen Salmon Launch: From Facebook to Kiwis' Freezers - Bloggers Club

Spark Samsung S6 Edge Good Winter Campaign - Socialites

Spark iPhone Launch the World's Smallest Queue - Sherson Willis

Best Not-for-Profit Social Media Campaign Award

2016 Maori Language Week Gifs - Vodafone New Zealand

Kea: Every Kiwi Counts - Kea

Evita Auckland - Morgahna Godwin Creative

Macular Degeneration Awareness Week - Cadence Communications

Anti-Smoking Snapped Out Campaign - Motion Sickness and Richards Partners

Most Creative Use of Existing or Emerging Social Platform(s) Award

Vodafone 360 Video Easter Egg Hunt - Vodafone New Zealand

Xero Budget Day Q&A - Xero

NZ Police Running Man Challenge - New Zealand Police

VNZMAs Snap Star Awards - Vodafone New Zealand

Spark Social Top-Up - Sherson Willis

Waikato Civil Defence - Waikato Civil Defence Group

Microsoft New Zealand Community Building and Management Award

Sovereign 21 Day Challenge - Socialites

Auckland Council Biodiversity - Auckland Council

Chicks in Bowls - Chicks in Bowls

Vodafone Digi-Parenting - Vodafone New Zealand

Mitre 10 Facebook Page Community - Socialites

Send news tips and comments to divina_paredes@idg.co.nz

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