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. Many of our award recipients have gone on to have successful governance careers.

2021 award recipient

• Greg Johnston (2021)
  Greg Johnston has been named the Institute of Directors Waikato Branch Emerging Director 2021. Read more

Past recipients 

• Kelvyn Eglinton (2020)

• Megan Campbell (2019)
• Carla Muller (2018)
• Daniel Shore (2017)
• Alison Shanks (2016)
• James Yearsley (2015)
• Sarah Morton-Johnson (2014)
• Paula Baker (2013)
• Simon Lockwood (2012)
• Erica Amon (2011)

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.

Margaret Devlin BA (Hons), CH Enviro, FIWO, CFInstD

Margaret is a Chartered Fellow of the IoD and a member of the Waikato Branch Committee. Margaret is Chair of Watercare, Lyttleton Port, Women in Infrastructure and Hospice Waikato. She is a director of Hamilton Airport, IT Partners, Aurora Networks and Met Services and a Ministerial Appointment to Councils of the University of Waikato and WINTEC.

Margaret has extensive governance experience with a particular focus on audit and risk, and is a passionate advocate of the value of diversity and inclusion.

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.

Mark Renner LLB, MInstD

Mark is a Partner of Tompkins Wake Lawyers who specialises in corporate and commercial law. With experience in New Zealand and the United States, Mark has particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions and all aspects of public and private debt and equity financing, structuring and complex commercial agreements.

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

Kelvyn Eglinton CMInstD

Andrew Johnson CFInstD