AUCKLAND, New Zealand, March 18, 2021 – Crown company Network for Learning (N4L) is today announcing the appointment of Kim Hegarty to the newly created role of Chief People Officer, with effect from March 22.
A returning New Zealander, Kim joins N4L following a decade delivering people strategies that support organisational growth and transformation across the telecommunications, construction and renewable energy sectors in the UK.
Most recently, Kim spent five years leading HR strategy at Balfour Beatty, the UK’s largest construction company. She has held other senior senior HR roles at the technology division of British Telecom and at The Crown Estate, a multi-billion-dollar real estate company managing Crown-owned property.
In New Zealand, Kim has filled HR roles with Whakatane District and Bay of Plenty Regional Councils.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be coming home to New Zealand and joining Network for Learning, a growing organisation with such a strong social purpose with bold ambitions to boost digital equity,” said Ms Hegarty. “I look forward to supporting the development of the organisation’s people and culture so they can continue to reach new heights for the business and their career.”
N4L expects employee numbers to rise by 20% before the end June 2021, in response to its expanding role supporting schools and kura through its new Security Operations Centre, which is part of the Ministry Education’s Te Mana Tūhono programme and also involves upgrading school ICT network equipment nationwide.
Speaking about the new appointment, N4L CEO Larrie Moore says: “We are delighted to welcome Kim to N4L and we can’t wait for her skills and experience to feed into our strategy, where our people and culture are paramount to our success.
“She joins the company at a significant and exciting time of organisational growth that coincides with more flexible ways of working accelerated by the global pandemic.”
Around 50% of staff are in an N4L office on any given day, with employees based in offices or at home across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and major towns across the country.
“Our success as a technology company working with schools and kura is credited as much to the capabilities of our highly skilled people as it is to the relationships they form with our partners in education, technology and government,” continues Mr Moore. “We need to keep growing our people and culture so we can do the very best for our teachers, students and school communities.
Prior to a career in HR, Kim was a teacher in Japan. Originally from Nelson, Kim credits her father, a retired high school principal, for sparking an early appreciation of education careers.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in HR and Strategy from the University of Canterbury,
She has recently shifted to Auckland and is looking forward to exploring the city and swapping her previous running route along the Thames river to one that follows the Eastern Bays.
ENDS
About Network for Learning (N4L)
N4L connects all ākonga to smart and safe internet for learning. Today, all Aotearoa New Zealand schools and their 860,000 students and teachers have access to a safe and reliable online learning environment through N4L. The Crown company works alongside government, education and technology partners on ways to provide safe connectivity for students, including those living without home internet access so they can carry on learning with their whānau, beyond the school gate. See www.n4l.co.nz.