After serving a tenure of just over nine months, Michael Pryor has resigned from his position as the chief executive of the Marketing Association due to personal reasons.
Pryor first stepped into the role in July 2014 as a replacement for outgoing Sue McCarty, inheriting an organistaion that represents over 6,000 New Zealand marketers.
According to the Marketing Association’s chair Debra Hall, Pryor originally joined the organisation after making the decision “to leave corporate life” after working as a marketer for over 20 years.
As chief executive of the Marketing Association, Pryor was accountable to the Marketing Association Board for the overall executive management and performance of the Marketing Association and represented the interests of over the 400 marketers that made up the Association’s membership.
Although Pryor’s stint has been relatively short, Hall says that he has laid some important groundwork for the organisation.
“He has redone the strategy and reshaped the team by bringing in new staff in key disciplines, and the Marketing Association now has a clear path for the future … We’re really grateful for all he’s done. It’s only disappointing that he won’t be here to execute the whole plan … staff will certainly miss his style of management.”
Pryor is set to continue with the Marketing Association for the next two months, completing several tasks.
“He will be completing a short list of deliverables just to ensure that everything is on track,” says Hall.
She describes Pryor as “a responsive leader” who took listened to the feedback from the board and members and took steps “to champion the profession of marketing and ensure that the organisation delivered value for the members.”
A key part of his strategy was to facilitate educational courses to help marketers fill any gaps in their capabilities.
The Marketing Association has not yet announced a replacement for Pryor, but Hall says the recruitment process will start shortly.
“We’re not going to rush into anything,” she says.
Hall says that Pryor is planning to travel to Europe with his family later in the year.
Having endured several family bereavements over the course of the last year, Pryor has decided to take a break from the industry and spend time with his loved ones.
Pryor is also set to take up a part-time position at a yet-to-be announced company in Auckland in the future.
