Carolyn Young has been appointed Retail NZ’s new CEO, succeeding Greg Harford who will step down on July 21.

Young was most recently the CEO of Special Olympics New Zealand and Netball Central Zone. She has a background in marketing, finance and accounting which gained from her previous roles.

President of Retail NZ, Liz Wheadon, said Young’s appointment was made following a “robust national search process”.

“We had extensive interest in the role, and Retail NZ looks forward to a continued successful and impactful future under Carolyn’s leadership.”

Outgoing chief Greg Harford will take up a new role as CEO at the Canberra Business Chamber.