Vodafone has appointed senior executive Russell Hewitt to lead its Christchurch business recovery efforts.

The new role will see Hewitt work with Christchurch civil authorities to understand the local recovery needs and to align these with Vodafone’s own business recovery plan.

Vodafone New Zealand CEO Russell Stanners says this is a key appointment for Vodafone.

"Rebuilding Christchurch is going to take a long time and we want to make sure that we are doing the right thing by our people, our customers and the city,” he said.

"Appointing an executive of Russell Hewitt's calibre, reporting directly to me, demonstrates just how seriously we take our role in the recovery of Christchurch."

Hewitt will focus on ensuring the company’s Christchurch-based employees are fully supported, the needs of customers in the region are met, and challenges facing Vodafone and the local community are addressed both now and into the future.

Hewitt is the former CEO of Vodafone Australia.