Back to business for recovering 2degrees

The 2degrees Board met in Auckland yesterday, vowing it will be a case of back to business as the company recovers from the loss of CEO Eric Hertz.

With board members arriving in New Zealand following the tragedy, the meeting was designed to acknowledge the loss of Eric and Kathy Hertz, review support for their families and 2degrees staff and address issues of interim leadership.

To provide continuity and support, 2degrees have agreed chairman and senior vice president of Trilogy, Stewart Sherriff, will assume the interim role of CEO, effective immediately.

Sherriff, who has 35 years of telco industry experience, and board member Brad Horwitz, CEO of majority shareholder Trilogy International Partners, met with the company’s management team and issued the following statement:

“We have all taken comfort from the comments and heartfelt sympathies from around the world expressed about Eric and Kathy,” Sherriff said.

“Eric was a veteran in the wireless industry and brought that experience to bear in the New Zealand market."

At the time of the media release, the New Zealand Police dive squad were desperately attempting to locate the missing bodies of both Hertz and his wife, believed to be somewhere off the Raglan coast.

But with the depth of the wreckage some 60 metres below water, police have said the recovery process is taking longer than hoped, despite locating the wreckage yesterday evening.

The company promised to maintain Hertz's good work however, with Horwitz echoing the comments of director of corporate affairs Mat Bolland on Monday.

"He has built a great team and his passion for excellence and exceeding customer’s expectations have been instilled into the entire organization," Horwitz said.

"The board has complete confidence that the 2degrees team will continue to drive change and innovation into the New Zealand market."

In addition, 2degrees is liaising with Eric and Kathy’s families in the US and continues to provide support for their daughter.

Staff have been offered support and an online tribute page will be added to the 2degrees website later this afternoon, so those wishing to post a message about Eric and Kathy can do so.