NZISM Announces Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

By NZISM Secretary

Hi all NZISM members,

You will have been following the progress of NZISM going through the recruitment process for a CEO for the organisation. I am delighted to announce that Selena Armstrong has accepted the role as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 21 August 2017.

Selena comes to us from the Goodfellow Unit at The University of Auckland, where she was General Manager. The Goodfellow Unit develops CPD for primary healthcare professionals namely GPs, nurses and pharmacists. Selena was responsible for a major increase in membership to the Goodfellow Unit, doubling the sponsorship, income and attendance at the annual Goodfellow Symposium and turning the unit around financially, securing substantial recurring revenue streams.

Prior to that Selena established the national project office for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and managed international joint ventures and strategic projects for the Institute. She worked at Telstra Australia, on multiple cross functional projects including project managing technical support of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.


"I am really honoured to be the first CEO of NZISM. With recent changes in health and safety legislation and the release of the report of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety, it is more important than ever to ensure H&S professionals have access to the very best accreditation programmes, continuing professional development opportunities and the support that membership to NZISM provides".

"We are at the beginning of a major shift required by New Zealand businesses. Where health and safety must not be a matter of compliance, but instrumental in creating a culture of putting the safety and wellbeing of staff at the forefront of strategic goals and business practices. NZISM is positioned well to support this shift, working together with our members and partners to ensure this transition takes place and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead".


Selena was an outstanding candidate whose experience and fit for our organisation was evident during the selection process. Her experience leading member based organisations will be of great benefit to us.

As National Manager I welcome Selena to NZISM and I know that both myself and the rest of the leadership group are looking forward to working with her during the next phase of the organisations development.

Greg Dearsly

NZISM Manager