Michael Skeens will be responsible for leading Tower’s operational hubs, teams, systems, and processes.
Michael Skeens.
Tower has appointed Michael Skeens to the newly created position of chief operations officer, effectively immediately, Tower chief executive Paul Johnston announced today.
As COO, Skeens will be responsible for leading Tower’s operational hubs, teams, systems, and processes. He joined Tower in 2024 as head of customer contact centre, charged with leading customer sales and service and scaling up the insurer’s Fiji operations.
Tower CEO Johnston said the internal promotion reflected Tower’s focus on developing and progressing the company’s talent.
“Mike has a strong track record of leading change in complex, customer-focused environments, and I’m delighted to welcome him to the Tower executive. He is a values-led leader who creates a culture where people can do their best work for our customers.
“Under Mike’s leadership, we’ve strengthened our customer experience, expanded our service hub in Suva, and invested in a new AI-enabled contact centre – helping reduce call times by more than two and a half minutes on average over seven months.”
Skeens said he was privileged to join the Tower executive leadership team at this point in the company’s 150-year history. “There’s a strong legacy, an exciting period of growth, and lots of runway as we continue to deliver on our strategy.”
Skeens began his career as a flight attendant, spending 11 years flying long-haul, before taking up operational leadership roles with Qantas, Air New Zealand, and later One New Zealand (previously Vodafone).
Of Cook Island Māori, Tahitian French, and Scottish heritage, Skeens grew up in Henderson and Mangakino and attended Kelston Boys’ High School in West Auckland, before studying travel and tourism at The International Travel College of New Zealand and business management papers at Auckland University of Technology.
This is supplied content and not commissioned or paid for by NBR.
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