Bernard Teahan - the longest-serving chief executive in Trust House history - is back at the helm and returns armed with a doctorate in community-owned organisations. Mr Teahan took up the post on Tuesday and his appointment comes after the resignation of brother Patrick Teahan late last year. Trust House chairman BrianBourke said there had been wide interest in the position and "we made the best selection out of the candidates that applied". "Bernard has completed a PhD after five years of in-depth study of community-owned businesses and how they may best serve the community. "He will bring to bear the fruits of his academic efforts and we are very pleased to have him back," Mr Bourke said. "He will bring to the position not only great knowledge of the Trust but also his research into similar community enterprises in New Zealand and around the world." Mr Teahan said his studies revealed the surprising growth across the globe of community-owned organisations working for their communities. "The five years away has been in the nature of a wonderful sabbatical where I was able to reassess what we had previously achieved with the Masterton Licensing Trust, Trust House and its associated trusts, and context those achievements against other successful community enterprises. "What I found was quite startling. Rather than seeing the demise of these types of organisations that are committed to improving the well being of their communities, I found a worldwide renaissance of growth," Mr Teahan said. "During an era of privatisation, this was even more remarkable and reinforced what I have long believed ? community enterprises like Trust House have a great deal to offer their communities. "I achieved a good deal in the past but we can and must do better. "I am looking forward to building on what has been achieved to date."
