South Port - Chief Executive Officer
South Port is New Zealand’s southernmost commercial deepwater port, playing a vital role in enabling regional and national trade. Publicly listed on the NZX and operating critical, long-life infrastructure, South Port is entering its next phase of growth and transformation.
The port is situated to service Southland’s significant export and import industries, including aluminium, timber, fisheries, dairy, meat, wood chips, stock food, cement, fertiliser, and petroleum products. South Port provides a full suite of marine services, including pilotage, towage, and berthage; cargo facilities servicing bulk, break bulk, container, project cargo, and warehousing, including both cold and dry storage.
The Role
The Chief Executive of South Port will provide visible and dynamic leadership for the organisation, working alongside key stakeholders to deliver on the vision, strategic objectives, and commercial performance of the Port. The Chief Executive will champion a strong culture of health and safety across the business. They will also be highly attuned to the market dynamics affecting the Port and the broader stakeholder environment.
About You
The ideal candidate should possess the following mix of skills, experiences, and attributes:
Proven executive leadership experience in large and complex environments, specifically in the port, infrastructure, transport or logistics sectors;
Experience in leading a strong culture of health and safety;
Developing and leading a committed organisation through the executive leadership team;
Strong commercial capability and aptitude;
Strategic thinking ability and experience in leading an organisation in achieving operational excellence;
Proven ability to build and manage a wide range of stakeholder relationships whilst maintaining a strong customer focus; and,
Building and maintaining trusted relationships with shareholders, customers, iwi, unions, partners, and the wider Southland community.
How to Apply
Kerridge & Partners is managing this appointment. To apply or express interest, contact Sam Webster at sam.webster@kerridgepartners.com or +64 9 969 9900. Applications close at 5pm on 20 March 2026.