Waikato Branch

Each year the Waikato Branch of the Institute of Directors calls for applications for the Waikato Branch Emerging Director Award.

• Are you newly engaged on a directorship path and aspire to enhance your governance?
• Can you demonstrate a commitment to development and a high level of integrity?
• Are you committed to the development of your governance pathway?

The focus of this award is to identify executives, managers and directors 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. 

2023 award recipients

• Amanda Hockley and Andrew Corkill 
  
  

Past recipients

• Claire van der Most (2022)
• Greg Johnston (2021)
• Kelvyn Eglinton (2020)

• Megan Campbell (2019)
• Carla Muller (2018)
• Daniel Shore (2017)
• Alison Shanks (2016)
• Maree Haddon (2016 - Winner for the Disability Sector)
• James Yearsley (2015)
• Sarah Morton-Johnson (2014)
• Paula Baker (2013)
• Simon Lockwood (2012)
• Erica Amon (2011)
• Pam Roa (2010)

Simon Lockwood MBA, CFInstD

Simon Lockwood is a Chartered Member of the IoD, the Waikato Branch Committee chair, a representative on the IoD’s National Council and is a member of the Policy and Practices committee. He has worked in insurance for 24 years in both the UK and New Zealand and is Regional Branch Director of Crombie Lockwood Insurance Brokers Ltd, a director on the boards of Work Outcomes Ltd and a member of the University of Waikato Audit & Risk Committee.  Simon is deputy chair of Enrich+ and Chair of Enrich+ Property Trust.  He is a member of the Finance and Risk Committee of Habitat for Humanity (Central North Island) Ltd, a trustee of Wintec Student Resident Trust, a member of the Council of Wintec and a presiding member of the Lottery Regional Grants Committee.  Simon holds a degree in International Management, Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and an MBA from Leicester University.

Rachel Afeaki-Taumoepeau CMInstD

Rachel is an experienced independent strategic and business director for FaceNorth Promotions overseeing key relationships across the Pacific region and internationally in both the public and private sectors in the various governing roles she holds. Her broad commercial experience includes numerous projects between New Zealand and the Pacific region concerning trade and investment promotion and facilitation, international research expeditions, public relations, marketing management, government and NGO advisory. Rachel delivers consultative management services to a national NGO raising the awareness of child abuse and neglect across New Zealand and is also currently delivering social direction advisory for a significant residential housing development in South Auckland. She currently sits on the boards for Pacific Island Trade and Invest, Pacific Business Trust, NZ Christian Network and was recently appointed the South Pacific Regional Director for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Women’s Commission and Vice Chair for the bilateral NZ Tonga Business Council. Rachel holds a Masters of Commerce from the University of Auckland.

Paul Bennett CFInstD

Paul is currently CEO of Braemar Hospital Ltd (BHL). He has strategic and operational oversight of one of the largest private surgical hospitals in New Zealand. He has recently led a two stage $45million land acquisition and hospital construction project. Paul has held CEO or general manager positions in several different industries, both profit and not-for-profit, in New Zealand and Australia. His experience covers plastic manufacturing and exporting, the export meat industry, public and private health sectors, and the cordage industry. In those roles he has reported directly to the board and gained a wide perspective of governance issues. Paul has completed the Governance Development Programme, is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and deputy chairman of the Waikato branch of the IoD. Other governance roles in the health sector include: Director of Linkage Ltd, Director of Keys Social Housing Ltd (both part of the Wise Group), and Chair of Enrich +, Chair of Work Outcomes GP Ltd, Deputy Chair of Enrich+ Spectrum Energy.

Jason Cowan MInstD

Jason is a Corporate Manager with BNZ, responsible for managing the Bank’s largest clients in the Waikato. Jason was raised in Waihi and graduated from Wintec Business School in 2004. Jason commenced his career with BNZ Waihi in 1996 as a Retail Banker which laid a great foundation to his current role in Corporate Business Banking. Jason has worked around the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty before settling in Hamilton in 2003.  Jason is a Member of the IoD and is an Associate Member of Finsia (Financial Services Institute of Australasia). Jason is enthusiastic and is looking forward to bringing new ideas & energy to his role on  the Waikato IoD Branch Committee. Jason has a partner who is a Midwife and two children aged 11 and 15.

Natasha Harvey CMInstD

Natasha Harvey is a Chartered Accountant with a professional career spanning accounting and commercial finance across a variety of sectors. She is also actively involved in the not-for-profit sector and is currently chair for the Hamilton Multicultural Services Trust and director with Habitat for Humanity Greater Auckland. Natasha was a participant on the IoD Mentoring for Diversity programme in 2017.

Carla Muller

Carla Muller is an environmental economist who is actively involved with the NZ primary sector. She is an elected director and vice chair for the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management. Carla was the 2018 winner of the Waikato IoD Emerging Director Award and is spending a year as an associate director with Wintec as part of this. She has previously been a trustee on local not for profit groups. Carla is a previous finalist in the Westpac Women of Influence Awards and a recipient of Hamilton City Council’s ‘30 under 30’ awards. 

Earl Rattray CFInstD

Earl Rattray is a Charted Fellow of the IoD. Mr. Rattray is currently an independent non-executive board member of several medium sized companies in agribusiness, rural infrastructure construction and agri tech sectors. He is currently serving as independent chairman of Animal Breeding Services (NZ) Ltd and is a non-executive director at Inframax Construction Ltd, Dairy Farms NZ Ltd, Waikato Innovation Park Ltd,  and Dairy Farms of NZ. Mr Rattray holds interests in several medium and large scale dairy farming companies, in New Zealand, Chile, USA, Australia and India. He is managing director at Dairy Link Ltd in New Zealand, a private dairy industry consultancy, specialising in New Zealand and Asia dairy sector insight and analysis. He was a founding board member of Fonterra, and chaired the New Zealand Dairy Companies Association from its establishment in 2003 until 2008. Mr Rattray has previously served as an external monetary policy advisor at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. His professional background is in agricultural economics, farming and agribusiness governance.

John Wilkinson CMInstD

John is a commercial manager with ASB Bank where he manages a diverse portfolio of customers in retail, manufacturing, professional services, import/export, rural support services as well as property investment and development. 

John has a Diploma in Business, is a Fellow of the FINSIA (Financial Services Institute of Australasia) and Chartered Member of the IoD. He is a director of SODA Inc., a Waikato based business incubator and chair of the Graeme Dingle Foundation (Waikato). He is married to Ellie, has two adult children and three grandsons with another due later in 2020.

Originally from North Canterbury, John began his banking career in Palmerston North in 1980. Through his career he has gained experience in all aspects of banking including retail and rural business, having been in the Waikato since the early 1990’s.

John brings his extensive banking and life experience together with wide and diverse networks to the committee and is passionate about developing greater diversity in the governance space.

Ken Williamson OStJ, QSM, JP, DistFInstD

Ken and his partners built Law Mooney Williamson into one of the largest New Zealand owned general insurance brokerages. They sold to Crombie Lockwood in 2007 and Ken is now employed in their Hamilton office. Ken is a trustee of the Lion Foundation, Waikato Diocesan School Proprietors Board (also chairing their Foundation), the University of Waikato Foundation, the Order of St John Ambulance Central Region, the McKenzie Centre, and chairs Te Rau Aroha Papakainga Trust. He is a life member of St Peters Tennis Club, a Justice of the Peace, and a founding trustee of MS Waikato. He is a director of the Rezlab Group, Magic Netball and of several property companies. Ken is a Chartered Fellow of the IoD and is a strong advocate for SME’s creating boards with independent directors.

Megan Campbell CMInstD

Megan is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has worked in public policy, political and government relations roles. She currently oversees the qualitative research programme for Curia Market Research and provides mentoring services to senior leaders in business. Megan is the current Chair of the Rototuna Indoor Recreation Centre Trust, and a trustee of Te Kuranui o Rototuna (junior and senior high schools). Megan has served as a trustee or board member on the Home of Cycling Trust Board, Medical Radiation Technologists Board, Medical Sciences Secretariat, Psychotherapists Board, Sport Waikato and other boards. Megan received the Waikato Emerging Director award in 2019 and as part of the award served as an intern director of St John New Zealand. 

Kelvyn Eglinton CMInstD

To make a difference in our community, is at the heart of Kelvyn’s role as CEO of Momentum Waikato Community Foundation. Momentum Waikato’s two objectives are to build a regional endowment of $300M by 2045, and to generate returns to invest in transformational impact projects including the $80M Waikato Regional Theatre project and the Houchen Wellness Village.

On return to NZ in 2016 Kelvyn was General Manager of City Growth for Hamilton City Council leading the Council’s response to development growth and the economy. 

Prior to returning to NZ, Kelvyn was the Chief of Staff in Jakarta for Newmont Mining Corporation and oversaw the negotiation of the contract of work with the Government of Indonesia and corporate social responsibility programmes of the operation on Sumbawa Island. For six years Kelvyn was based in Perth as Asia Pacific Director for External Affairs overseeing government and development programmes across operations in five countries. Prior to this Kelvyn was the External Affairs Manager for Newmont Waihi Gold in Waihi.

He continues to provide advice to global mining companies on social performance, is a board member of Surf Lifesaving NZ and Chairman of NZ Surf Lifesaving Foundation and the Braemar Trust and former Trustee of the Waipa Communities Facilities Trust, Hospice Waikato, Indo- and US Chamber of Commerce.

Prof. Brad Jackson MInstD

Dr Brad Jackson is Professor of Leadership and Governance and Programme Director of the Community Enterprise Leadership Foundation (CELF). He co-teaches the Governance and Responsible Engagement course on the Waikato MBA programme with Simon Lockwood

Prior to joining the University of Waikato, Brad was Professor of Social Innovation at the Griffith Business School based in Brisbane, Australia; the Head of School Government and the Head of School of Management at Victoria University of Wellington; and the Fletcher Building Education Trust Chair in Leadership at the University of Auckland Business School.

Jackson has published eight books including two books on governance: The Board as the Nexus Between Leadership and Governance and Responsible Leadership in Corporate Governance.

He has served as the Vice-Chair of the Akina Foundation and the International Leadership Association and has been a board member of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government; Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School, Volunteer Wellington and the Kupe Leadership Scholarship Advisory Board.

Kate Searancke 

Kate is a Partner at Tompkins Wake, where she specialises in commercial property transactions and local government project work.

Of Ngāti Maniapoto descent, Kate has a strong focus on her own iwi interests and the wider Māori community and is a representative for her hapu Ngāwaero on Waipa District Council's consultative committee Ngā Iwi o Toopu o Waipa.  Kate is also a director for the Waikato Regional Airport group and a trustee of the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust.