Bay of Plenty Branch
The Bay of Plenty Branch of the Institute of Directors serves over 650 IoD members from an area including Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupō, Whakatāne, and Tairāwhiti. Branch manager Megan Beveridge and the branch team host networking events with local and national guest speakers, bi-monthly forums across the bay and workshops for emerging members.
We also host the Emerging Directors award and forum, and mentoring programmes. We want to share knowledge, inspire our emerging members with governance best practice, and support them on their governance journey. Our leading directors are lifelong learners who share knowledge and give back through mentoring and thought leadership.
The Bay of Plenty branch serves one of the most culturally diverse IoD memberships. We support and embrace this increasing diversity in the boardroom with growing knowledge and understanding of our cultures.
Megan is available to discuss how your IoD membership can help you on your governance pathway.
Branch Manager
Megan Beveridge
+64 21 358 772
Megan.Beveridge@iod.org.nz
I have worked as the IoD Waikato Branch Manager for the past 13 years, and am looking forward to supporting our Bay of Plenty members in the same way. I have over 13 years experience in event management, working with boards and directors. I enjoy assisting members with their governance journey, so please get in touch with me if you are interested in becoming an IoD member or would like any information on the services we provide.
The Bay of Plenty Branch of the Institute of Directors Emerging Director Award is open to Bay of Plenty Branch members in the very early stages of their governance journey. Applications for 2025 have now closed. Find out more about the award and past recipients below.
- Are you beginning to engage on a directorship path and aspire to enhance your governance pathway?
- Can you demonstrate a commitment to governance development and a high level of integrity?
- Are you ready to commit to the development of your governance pathway?
The focus of this award is to identify executives, managers and directors as individuals with potential and to foster the discipline of good governance through the acquisition of technical knowledge in addition to creating opportunities for networking via branch events and functions.
Sam is a senior public sector leader, director, tribunal member and lawyer. He is currently Group Manager – Organisational Performance & Innovation at Rotorua Lakes Council, where he leads strategy, governance, performance reporting, communications, legal services and organisational transformation.
Sam is Chair of the Bay of Plenty Branch Committee of the Institute of Directors and sits on the IoD National Council, with a strong focus on developing emerging governance talent. He previously served as Deputy Chair of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union and continues to be heavily involved in sport governance as a member of the New Zealand Sports Tribunal, New Zealand Rugby Judiciary and a Trustee a Sport Bay of Plenty.
His governance roles span the small business, not‑for‑profit, education and sporting sectors, and he is a passionate advocate for practical, values‑led governance.
Georgia Mischefski-Gray CMInstD
Georgia Mischefski-Gray is the Institute of Directors Bay of Plenty Branch Emerging Director Award recipient 2022. She is an Intern Director with the Elms Tauranga and on the committee of the Institute of Directors Bay of Plenty branch.
Georgia currently serves on a variety of other boards, Reap Eastern Bay, Horizon Energy Group as an associate director and the Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers management committee. Previously, Georgia has been the Vice President of Otago University Students Association for two terms, Tatai Ora and the Otago waste governance group. Within these boards, Georgia has a key passion for sustainability, social justice and youth voice.
She is currently employed as farm manager in Manawahe on her family's beef farm. Here, she manages the everyday operations of the farm alongside the data management and leading the emission reduction plans.
Eleanor Tait CMInstD
Eleanor's governance career has spanned the health, sport, and primary industry sectors. She received the Emerging Director Award in 2024, which marked an early milestone in her governance journey.
With a background in physiotherapy and exercise physiology, she brings a strategic approach to governance that considers the full organisational landscape—from frontline delivery through to long-term direction. This is shaped by her experience as a business owner and co-founder of Mountside Physiotherapy + Wellness. As Chair of Sports Medicine New Zealand, she has led constitutional reform and supported significant organisational change, she is also a board member of Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, contributing to the governance of provincial sport.
Brian Staunton CMInstD, CMC, MBA
Brian is an experienced independent director and commercial executive with 30+ years’ leadership across travel, aviation, technology, fintech, and tourism sectors. He brings governance expertise across listed multinationals, high-growth ventures, and public-sector organisations, with strengths in strategy, international growth, digital platforms, and stakeholder alignment.
He serves as Executive Director & Commercial Director at Eversource, contributing at board level to strategy, governance, and risk oversight, while leading global commercial growth and international expansion across ANZ, Asia, Europe, Canada, and the UK.
Brian’s governance portfolio includes current roles with Tourism Bay of Plenty / Tāpoi Te Moananui ā Toi (Trustee, Audit & Risk), Enterprise Angels Nominee Ltd, CSC Buying Group Ltd, and Pharmacy Wholesalers (Bay of Plenty) Ltd, with prior roles at House of Science NZ, RealAML / Realyou Ltd, and TheAtlas NZ Ltd.
His executive career spans WEX Inc., eNett, Travelport, and Atlas, with exposure to NYSE-listed governance environments and global partner ecosystems. A CMInstD and CMC, he focuses on supporting export-led, internationally focused organisations to deliver sustainable growth, digital innovation, and long-term value.
Carla Muller MInstD
Carla won the Waikato IoD Emerging Director award in 2018 and has been on the Waikato branch committee since. Following a recent move to Whakatane with her family she joined the Bay of Plenty branch committee in 2024.
She has been involved in governance since 2015 when she joined the local Life Education Trust Board in Hamilton where she was a trustee for approximately three years. She became an elected board member for the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management in 2016 where she served two consecutive three year terms including two years as president (2019-2021).
The Waikato IoD Emerging Director award included an associate position on the Wintec Board in 2018 until the Reforms of Vocational Education meant the governance system was restructured. She joined the PrimaryITO board in 2019 and remained through to the end of 2022 when they transitioned to Te Pukenga.
She has also previously been a Trustee for Te Waka (the Waikato Economic Development Agency), an associate director for Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd and a board advisor for CyclingNZ for three years.
Carla works as a Principal Consultant for Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd where she specialises in agricultural and environmental economics. She has a range of recognitions to her name including a 2017 finalist in the Westpac Women of Influence Finalist: Rural and Young Leader categories, a recipient of 2016 AGMARDT Leadership Scholarship and a finalist in the 2024 Zanda McDonald Award and runs a podcast on rural mental wellbeing.
Warren Banks MInstD, MNZM, ED, JP
Warren Banks has been in Tauranga for 41 years. He has served in several senior management positions of companies in Tauranga and Auckland related to the Chemical Industry. He has been on the Board of these companies including as the Chair.
He attended the IOD Company Direction course in 2000. In other Governance roles he was a founding member of Priority One where he is a Life Member and Chair of the Tga Chamber of Commerce. He was also the Chair of TCAL, a TCC CCO for 5 years. Currently he is focussed on body Corp governance and has Chaired one organisation for 17 years. He is also a Director of Saffron Consulting and Training, a Company he jointly owns with his wife Julia.
In a related yet separate commitment he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, ResF where he has served for 49 years including an operational deployment.
In 2004 he was awarded the NMZM and in 2007 won the Tauranga Westpac Business Leader of the year.
Warren is looking forward to bringing his experience to the IOD local committee and organisation.
Henrik Arlund CMInstD
A Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand (CMInstD) and a partner, entrepreneur, strategist, advisor who loves to find and understand purpose and direction in ventures and organisations. Highly professional and experienced executive and director with over 25 years of experience building and leading organisations of all types and sizes.
Henrik is an accomplished strategist who has dedicated his career to placing the human element and customer experience at the forefront of his work. He possesses a wealth of experience in marketing, sales, organisational design, and tactics, and has a proven track record of successfully creating and implementing winning strategies that deliver exceptional results. Henrik understands how to effectively align organisations with a clear purpose, objectives, and value proposition, in order to drive increased customer value while optimising resources.
With more than 25 years of industry experience, Henrik has held key roles in strategy development, value proposition design, consultancy, audit, business analysis, management, software architecture, and marketing, both as an internal team member and as a consultant for leading firms such as KPMG and BlueOcean. He has earned a reputation for his meticulous attention to detail and has been instrumental in helping companies of all types to maximise investments, cut spending, and increase efficiency.
Kaycie O'Connor MInstD
Using a blend of creative and strategic expertise, Kaycie is a professional with experience in communications, marketing management, commercial photography, brand-building, and advising on strategic direction. She has also actively contributed to various committees and boards, utilising her skills to achieve meaningful outcomes. In her spare time, Kaycie engages in artistic projects, participates in various sports, attends motorsport events, and enjoys outdoor activities like mountain biking and walking.
Ana Morrison MInstD
Ana Morrison (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Pākehā) is an experienced governor and executive leader with expertise in Te Ao Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Equity within governance and organisational practice. She is an alumni of NZIoD's Mentoring for Diversity programme.
With 16 years of governance experience across local, regional, and national organisations in Aotearoa, Ana brings a wealth of knowledge in corporate services, tertiary education, legal risk management, and health & social services.
She is the Chair of Hāpaitia Limited (a shared services entity in the tertiary education sector), and a Commissioner and the Chair of the Rotorua District Licensing Committee.
