The hub, under the direction of the Southland and Otago Regional Engineering Collective (Sorec), will be driven by a board across Southland and Otago, with the recent appointments of NZ Aluminium Smelters’ CEO Stewart Hamilton and head of FI Innovations’ Gareth Dykes.
It is understood FI Innovations is likely to be one of about 10 industrial beneficiaries of the latest round of funding.
They join Farra Engineering CEO Gareth Evans and United Machinists CEO Sarah Ramsay, of Dunedin.
Yesterday, the new board also confirmed Southland-based Ceri Macleod as Sorec’s new general manager.
Ms Macleod, the economic development co-ordinator at the Gore District Council, will start ‘‘knocking on doors’’ from her start date in February, with a focus on helping engineering and aligned firms tap into funding and educational opportunities.
The collective has listed more than 20 engineering and manufacturing firms since it received a $495,000 tranche of funding from the PGF last month to kick-start the city’s engineering hub.
Mr Dykes said Ms Macleod had already been instrumental in the development of several PGF grants in her current role.
‘‘This knowledge and extensive government, tertiary and stakeholder experience will be put to good use with immediate effect across Sorec members.’’
Ms Macleod, who will continue to be based in Gore, was excited about the potential scope of the role.
‘‘This is a high productivity sector with huge potential, so I am delighted to be able to support the creation of diverse jobs and help promote sustainable growth across the Southland and Otago regions,’’ she said.
