Since losing his job running three skydiving operations, Queenstown-based Clark Scott’s landed two new adventure tourism gigs.
Scott — known as ‘Scotty’ — last week became CEO of Queenstown’s Canyon Swing.
He’s now also a shareholder/director of a company that’s bought multi-award-winning ziplining attraction, Rotorua Canopy Tours.
After running Queenstown’s Shotover Jet for almost 10 years, Scott became New Zealand skydive boss for Aussie company Experience Co — which owns drop zones in Queenstown, Glenorchy and Wānaka — in 2016.
When the company decided to restructure late last year — in its own words, ‘‘to better suit the Covid recovery’’ — he and a number of others at his level lost their jobs.
‘‘Of course it was disappointing,’’ he says, having felt he’d successfully carried on the legacy created by his long-time friends, Robynne and Lindsay Williams, who’d started NZONE Skydive in 1990.
Scott was then tapped for the Canyon Swing job by his friend, local-based chair Adrian Januszkiewicz.
Scott jumped at the chance to work for owners Hamish Emerson and Chris Russell, both old mates, and to follow in the footsteps of previous CEOs, Matt Hollyer and Stu Cordelle.
He also feels privileged to be able to take care of a third successive major adventure tourism activity.
‘‘We’re delighted, he’s going to be fantastic,’’ Januszkiewicz says.
Meanwhile, Scott’s joined the latter, local accountant Duncan Fea and three others in acquiring Rotorua Canopy Tours — ironically, co-founded by Queenstown-raised Andrew Blackford.
Januskiewicz, chair of the new consortium, says it links well with other guiding businesses he’s involved with — Fox Glacier and Mt Cook Glacier Guiding and local canyoning company, Adventure Group.
‘‘It’s a very high-quality business, it’s got an amazing team culture — everyone’s remaining.
‘‘We’ll have our own ideas, of course, but we’re not coming in to change anything dramatically.’’
Ironically, he, Scott and Wānaka -based Rob Jewell are all Shotover Jet alumni.
Scott says ex-Shotover Jet owner, former local mayor Jim Boult, had a chuckle when he heard that.
