Callaghan Innovation deputy chair Robin Hapi announced today that chief executive Mary Quin is resigning from from her position.

Hapi thanked Quin for her contribution to the organisation. “As the inaugural chief executive, Mary provided the leadership and vision the organisation needed through its start-up phase and has established an enduring foundation for its future,” Hapi says. 

Quin has recently been appointed to the Board of Westpac New Zealand. 

She says it is the right time for her departure from Callaghan Innovation.

“This is the ideal transition point for new leadership, and gives me the flexibility to pursue other professional and personal interests both in New Zealand and overseas.” 

Quin’s last day will be 31 July. The Callaghan Innovation Board is in the process of appointing an interim Chief Executive, while starting the search for a permanent replacement.

Quin returned to New Zealand after 37 years away in 2013 to lead Callaghan Innovation. The organisation is the biggest attempt by the government to accelerate the creation of globally-ready, high-value New Zealand companies. 

She is originally from Palmerston North and in 1998 was part of a group of Western tourists taken hostage by Yemeni militants. She appeared as a witness in 2014 against radical cleric Abu Hamaza, who was accused of providing a satellite phone and advice to the kidnappers.