New Secretary of Defence appointed

Defence Minister, Jonathan Coleman, says the newly appointed Secretary of Defence will bring valuable skills and experience to the job.

The State Services Commissioner announced today that Helene Quilter will take over as Secretary of Defence on December 1st 2012.

“I am very pleased with Helene Quilter’s appointment. She is well qualified for the job. Ms Quilter is currently Deputy Commissioner at the State Services Commission were she played a leadership role with the central agency team responsible for Defence White Paper reforms,” said Dr Coleman.

“One of her current roles with the State Services Commission is managing the performance expectations of Chief Executives in Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice and intelligence agencies,” he said.

Ms Quilter is replacing the current Secretary of Defence, John McKinnon, who is starting a new role as Executive Director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

“It has been a pleasure working with John McKinnon who has had an exemplary career with the public service. His depth of knowledge and experience will be missed but we wish him the best for his new appointment”, said Dr Coleman.

The Secretary of Defence is in charge of the Ministry of Defence and is the government’s principal civilian advisor with responsibilities for policy advice, acquisition of equipment, and assessment and audit.