Council Appoints New Infrastructure Head

A new head of Infrastructure has been appointed by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
“I am very pleased to announce that a formal appointment to the position of GM Infrastructure has been made,” said QLDC CEO Debra Lawson. “Tim James will be commencing his duties in the role at the end of the year after a period of notice with his current employer.”

A chartered transport engineer by profession, Mr James is currently employed as a Deputy Director in the Welsh Government where he was responsible for the infrastructure and public services portfolio. This included roads, public transport, the rail network, ports, airspace and more recently, communication. With a team of 160 people and a budget of 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars per annum to manage, Mr James summarised the focus of his previous role as “delivering excellent infrastructure and frontline services for the people and businesses of Wales.

A keen rugby fan with a young family, Mr James is no stranger to New Zealand having been involved with the Ultra Fast Broadband project here and said he was very much looking forward to joining the team at the QLDC.

Mayor Vanessa van Uden said Mr James had a lot to offer the district.

“Tim brings with him a considerable skill-set and a wealth of experience,” Ms van Uden said. “I’m sure he will be able to make a significant contribution both to Council and the community.”