Transition Chief Executive appointed for the New Zealand Earth Sciences Institute

David Smol, Board Chair for the New Zealand Earth Sciences Institute has announced the appointment of John Morgan as the Transition Chief Executive. This appointment is effective from 1 July 2025 and will continue pending the recruitment and appointment of a permanent Chief Executive Officer.

David also announced the appointment of Chelydra Percy, the current CEO of GNS, as Integration Executive. Chelydra will work closely with John to implement the merger transition plan, ensuring a smooth transition and continued progress in earth sciences research. Their combined expertise and vision will be invaluable during this period of change.

John has advised that he has plans to ultimately move into governance roles and will not be available for consideration as the permanent CEO. The recruitment process for the permanent role will commence shortly and further announcements will be made in due course.

The Board extends their gratitude to John and Chelydra for supporting the critical work ahead as we bring the organisations together to create the New Zealand Earth Sciences Institute.

For information about what this merger will mean for our customers, suppliers and stakeholders, click HERE (PDF, 50 KB)