The good, the bad and the ugly

Panel Discussion

no longer available

Date: 7:00am — 9:00am, 16 April 2021
Venue: The Northern Club
Location: 19 Princes Street, Auckland
Price members: $65.00 incl GST
Price non-members: $120.00 incl GST

Overview

At our first keynote breakfast of 2021, panellists Doug McKay, Cathy Quinn and Rob McDonald will discuss some of the challenges they have faced in their board roles during 2020 as well as any positive outcomes and learnings from their experiences.

Liz Coutts

Liz Coutts has been on the board of key New Zealand organisations across a diverse range of sectors for over two decades. Her ability to work within complex and challenging environments and her attention to detail has made her an outstanding asset, and she now undertakes chair roles.

Having grown up on a dairy farm in Matamata, Liz is equally at home in her gumboots. While studying for her Bachelor of Management Studies degree in Business Finance and Marketing at the University of Waikato, a holiday job introduced her to forestry which led to a graduate accountant role at Tasman Pulp and Paper in Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty. Liz went on to be Chief Executive of the Caxton Group in Auckland at just 31 years old.

Just three years later she was appointed to her first board, Trust Bank New Zealand. Liz’s governance career grew from there with several government roles including Commissioner with the Commerce Commission and Earthquake Commission, Chair of Industrial Research and Deputy Chair of Public Trust. Liz is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Chartered Fellow and immediate past President of the Institute of Directors. In June 2016 she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Governance.

Doug McKay

Doug McKay has been a director of BNZ since 2013 and was appointed Chairman of BNZ in August 2015. He is also a non-executive director of National Australia Bank (NAB).

His previous roles include CEO or Managing Director roles with Auckland Council, Carter Holt Harvey Limited, Goodman Fielder New Zealand Limited, Independent Liquor (NZ) Limited, Lion Nathan Limited, Procter & Gamble Limited, and Sealord Group Limited.

Doug is a director of Fletcher Building, Genesis Energy Limited and IAG New Zealand. Doug is Chairman of the Eden Park Trust Board and a chartered member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

Cathy Quinn

Cathy is a former senior corporate partner and Chair of MinterEllisonRuddWatts.

Cathy now holds a number of governance roles serving as a non-executive director of Fletcher Building, Fonterra, Tourism Holdings and Rangatira. She is also chair of Fertility Associates and is a member of the Auckland University Council.

Cathy was previously a member of the Securities Commission for nineyears and the only lawyer appointed to the government’s Capital Markets Development Taskforce. She was an inaugural member of the Commercial Advisory Board to the New Zealand Treasury and has served on the Advisory Board of the New Zealand Treasury since 2016. Cathy was a founding member of the New Zealand China Council and served on the Council for seven years.

Cathy retired from her MinterEllisonRuddWatts partnership at the end of 2019. During her time as a full-time practitioner, she won numerous legal awards for her work as a leading corporate, mergers & acquisitions, and private equity lawyer. Cathy was named Verve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year in 2010.

Cathy was made an officer of the NZ Order of Merit in 2016 for services to the law and women.

Rob McDonald

Rob McDonald is Chair of Contact Energy and a director of Fletcher Building, AIA Sovereign Assurance and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

He had previously spent 24 years with Air New Zealand with the last 14 years as Chief Financial Officer. He played an integral role in helping to expand Air New Zealand’s network and was one of the architects behind its successful fleet simplification strategy that has delivered improved cabins, lower operating costs and was instrumental in helping shape Air New Zealand into the airline it is today.

Additional information

A table of ten booking is available for $800.00, subject to availability at the time of booking.

Any enquiries, or to book a table for 10, please email Natalie Spratt, Auckland Branch Coordinator.

COVID-19

We have been monitoring government updates regarding COVID-19 and are keeping up to date with Ministry of Health guidance with regard to events and public gatherings.

For the latest updates on face to face courses and our safety planning see our response to COVID-19 page