End-of-Year Drinks & Fireside Chat

Networking

Speaker(s): Michelle Henderson, Scott Mason
Date: 5:00pm — 7:00pm, 7 December 2026
Venue: The Langlands Hotel
Location: 59 Dee Street
Price members: $0.00 incl GST
Price non-members: $25.00 incl GST

Overview

Join us for a relaxed end-of-year catch-up with fellow IoD members in Invercargill as we wrap up 2026 with good conversation, a drink and a special fireside chat.
Our Branch Chair, Scott Mason, will sit down with Michelle Henderson, former Otago Southland Branch Committee member and General Manager of Rio Tinto New Zealand Aluminium Smelters at Tiwai, for an informal conversation about her leadership and governance journey, her return to Tiwai, and some of the experiences and insights she has gathered along the way.

We’ll also take the opportunity to celebrate Michelle Henderson’s achievement as a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors, with the presentation of her Chartered Fellow certificate during the evening.

Michelle Henderson brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across engineering, asset management and operations. Alongside her executive career, she has held governance roles with Meridian Energy, South Port, New Zealand Post and Fulton Hogan, and has strong connections across the Southland community.

This is a casual end-of-year gathering, and you’re very welcome to bring a friend or colleague along. It’s a chance to reconnect with local directors, hear from one of Southland’s respected business and governance leaders, and enjoy some end-of-year drinks and conversation before 2026 draws to a close.

Michelle Henderson

CFInstD

Michelle brings a wealth of experience and leadership to Tiwai, with a career spanning over two decades in senior executive positions at Rio Tinto where she held roles in engineering, asset management, and operations leadership. Michelle started her career at Tiwai as a graduate engineer, and progressed to shift Crew Leader and then Superintendent, before working globally for Rio Tinto. Michelle is a former Chief Operating Officer at PowerNet, and since 2019, has held numerous governance roles, including as an independent director at Meridian Energy, South Port, and New Zealand Post and previously as a director of Fulton Hogan. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors NZ and was recognised as Leader of the Year by the NZ Safeguard Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum in 2019, reflecting her strong commitment to safety and sustainability. Based in Southland, Michelle is deeply connected to the local community through her governance roles and volunteer work, including as a former trustee for Youthline Southland.

Scott Mason

CFInstD

Scott is a professional director based in Dunedin.  He has been a specialist tax and commercial advisor to HNWI and owner-managed businesses across many industries for over 30 years, and is a senior partner at Findex.  However, these days Scott spends 80% of his time in governance, again across a wide range of industries mostly in the private sector. He is also the Chairperson of the CA ANZ Tax Advisory Group which advises Government on tax policy matters, as well as being a trained mediator, undertaking expert witness roles, an investor in early-stage companies, and a keen (albeit frequently broken) sportsman.

Additional information

By registering for this event, you are confirming that you agree to adhere to our event terms and conditions.

Should you have any dietary, mobility, cultural or other requirements, you can let us know on the registration form.

Accessibility and companion tickets

If you have a disability or accessibility requirement, we can provide a complimentary ticket for a support person to attend with you. Please register as usual through the IoD website, then email the Otago Southland branch Manager at Michelle.Branford@iod.org.nz to arrange your companion’s complimentary registration.

Branch event cancellation policy

Regrettably, registration fees cannot be refunded when cancellations are received within two working days prior to any branch event. See our standard terms and conditions for more information.