Former Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Arcus. Photo / Supplied
Half the senior leadership team at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and Business Central left the organisation in the six months leading up to the CEO’s shock resignation.
Simon Arcus resigned from his position as chief executive on Friday afternoon, effective immediately. The move was announced in a statement from the organisation’s board.
“We’re grateful to Simon for his service and helping the chamber to navigate the challenges of the past few years”, the statement said.
He had held the position since 2021.
An online archive of the chamber’s website shows in late January there were six members of the leadership team, including Arcus.
The website now shows a team made up of four leaders.
Amanda Wood maintains her position as executive and member services manager but has also taken on the role of acting chief executive. Kacie Lewton remains as executive assistant.
Jeremy Markham, an external senior consultant from Allen + Clarke, is a new face on the team. He describes himself as a “change, benefits and process improvement specialist”.
Conor Whitten is also still listed as corporate affairs and advocacy manager, although the Herald understands he has recently resigned from the organisation.
The two organisations represent thousands of businesses between Gisborne and Nelson and bring in millions of dollars in revenue.
In response to questions from the Herald about the reduced senior leadership team, the board refused to confirm who had left or give reasons for any departures.
“The board has nothing further to add to the statement we provided on the resignation of our Chief Executive Simon Arcus last Friday”, a spokeswoman said.
A spokesman for parent organisation BusinessNZ confirmed Arcus is also “no longer on the BusinessNZ board”.
Arcus has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Herald about his resignation.
He has however made a series of posts on his personal LinkedIn page, inferring he needed better support amid burnout and somewhat critiquing the way the board announced his departure.
On Saturday he posted saying the job was “a tough assignment at times”.
“You have to work where you are appreciated and wellbeing is a priority; today’s leaders should not baulk at requiring that same level of care their teams do.”
This was followed with another post saying, “any change can seem sudden to those who didn’t know in advance and leaving is a very personal moment”.
On Sunday, Arcus posted “a clarification” for those who had been concerned about him.
“The wording from our chair in a media statement when I left was well intended but reflected a lack of media savvy and a gap in understanding how it would be read.
“It should be easy to say, but is not, that I have experienced symptoms of burn out. I own it and want to rest and get well. In granting me time to recover by leaving early the board had given me the breathing space needed and recognised my need to rest. Onward and upward.”
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce and Business Central recorded a $432,000 loss in its most recent annual report, which cited a “difficult year” for 2023/2024, blaming an “extremely challenging economic environment”.
“The beginning of the financial period saw changes in management roles and the team was preoccupied with restoration of various functions and operating processes in membership and learning and development”, the report states.
In the 2023 report, the chamber and Business Central also reported a sizeable loss, recording a deficit of $486,000.
The 2022 report recorded a surplus of $229,000. Earlier annual reports are not publicly available.
The board is undergoing a recruitment process for a replacement CEO.
Ethan Manera is a New Zealand Herald journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 as a broadcast journalist with Newstalk ZB and is interested in local issues, politics, and property in the capital. Ethan can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.