Sutton's appointment was widely praised and welcome from all sectors of society, with the popularity gained by Sutton's reaction to the way power was restored, staff praised and information communicated after the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said that Sutton "would be very popular". The CEO of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce, Peter Townsend, said it was the "most important Government appointment of the year" and that Sutton had all the right attributes for the job. The Central City Business Association manager Paul Lonsdale said that Sutton had shown through his reaction to three earthquakes (this counts the Boxing Day aftershock as a separate event) that he is very pragmatic.