The appointment of Scott O’Donnell to the KiwiRail board will bolster its freight expertise.
Minister for Rail Winston Peters said railways have no shortage of potential for New Zealand, and he expected to see sustained growth in earnings, revenue, volumes, reliability, and safety to turn this business into something extraordinary.
“Mr O’Donnell, new Chair Sue Tindal and the Treasury have established a conflict-of-interest management plan which will be reviewed and monitored. The company’s road freight operation is primarily south of Oamaru, and as such, Mr O’Donnell will recuse himself from KiwiRail activities in this part of New Zealand,” said Peters.
“Mr O’Donnell has resigned as chair of HW Richardson-owned Dynes Transport but remains on its board, noting this company is receiving Government co-investment for a rail siding into a new Mosgiel road and rail freight hub.”
Scott O’Donnell is a Director of the HW Richardson (HWR) Group and was previously Managing Director of the Group from 2006 to 2015.
The Group owns 46 companies, employing 2000 people across six sectors, including road freight.
In addition to his directorship, he spearheads the HWR Group Property portfolio that is responsible for various projects across New Zealand.
O’Donnell has led HWR Group through a decade of considerable growth, in both company size, business growth and diversification. His expertise in both operational and governance aspects of property management, transport, freight, and logistics, as well as his commercial acumen, will provide critical strategic insights to KiwiRail’s business.
More local news here
