Wellington Branch

The Wellington Branch of the Institute of Directors Emerging Director Award is open to Wellington Branch members in the early stages of governance.

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

The focus of this award is 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 achieve success and recognition in governance positions.

The Wellington branch did not run the Emerging Director Awards 2022.

2021 award recipient

• Fiona Bradley (2021)
  Fiona Bradley has been announced as the Institute of Directors Wellington Branch Emerging Director 2021. Read more

Past recipients

• Julia Fink (2019) 
• Shaun Twaddle (2018)
• Michele Frey (2017)
• Jason McDonald and Melanie Templeton (2016)
• Sunil Surujpal (2015)
• Carol Robertson (2014)
• Dr Megan McKenna (2012)
• Jackie Lloyd (2011)
• Karl Wixon (2010)
• Elaine McCaw (2009)
• Dr Marie Bismark (2007)
• Barbara Kuriger (2006)
• Samantha Sharif (2005)

Suse Reynolds MInstD

Suse Reynolds is Wellington Branch Committee Chair, representative on the National Council and has been on the AANZ Council since its inception in 2008 where she took up the executive director role five years ago, transitioning to executive chair in 2020. Angel Association NZ is the industry representative body for early stage investment. Currently, the AANZ has 47 members including 13 angel networks spanning the country, four funds, two equity crowd-funding platforms and three investor-led tech incubators. In 2005 Suse helped to found AngelHQ, the Wellington region’s angel network and remains on the board. Today AngelHQ has over 90 members and has invested over $45m into 80+ high-growth startup companies. Suse is an active angel investor with about 20 ventures in her portfolio. Suse is on the board of CreativeHQ and a Trustee for Project Crimson Trust. She has a small portfolio of advisory board and governance roles with a handful of startups. Prior to her roles in angel investment, Suse was the chief operating officer and general manager Investment at Grow Wellington. Before taking up these positions, she was the executive director of the Trade Liberalisation Network. This followed a 10 year career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade which included working for the Foreign Minister and a posting in London representing New Zealand’s trade and economic interests. Suse has a Bachelor of Commerce and an Honours Law Degree, both completed at Victoria University.

Anne Urlwin CFInstD, BCom, FCA, ACIS, MAICD

Anne Urlwin is a Chartered Fellow of the IoD and a representative on the National Council. A professional director, Anne divides her time between Wanaka and Wellington. Her governance experience is in a diverse range of sectors including energy, construction, health, telecommunications, infrastructure, regulation and financial services, and in different organisations including private, publicly listed, Crown and local authority companies and statutory entities. She is a director of Summerset Group Holdings Ltd, Vector Ltd, Precinct Properties New Zealand Ltd and Ventia Services Group Ltd.  Her other directorships include Queenstown Airport Ltd and City Rail Link Ltd, and she is also the independent chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu’s Audit & Risk Committee. Anne is a former director of Tilt Renewables Ltd, Chorus Ltd and Steel & Tube Holdings Ltd, and a former chair of national commercial construction group Naylor Love Enterprises Ltd and of the New Zealand Blood Service.

Nives Botica Redmayne MInstD, Associate Professor, PhD, MSc, BSc, AFAANZ, CAANZ

Nives is an Associate Professor at Massey University School of Accountancy, Palmerston North. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and the Immediate Past CAANZ President. She is a member of the New Zealand Accounting Standards Board and a member of the New Zealand Financial Market Authority Audit Oversight Committee.  Along with previous service on the CAANZ Board, she has also served on a number of Manawatu community organisations and charities governing bodies.

Nives’ doctoral research was an investigation into the effects of political risk and corporate governance on audit effort in the production of audit services in the NZ public sector.  Her main area of research and expertise is assurance, in particular the economics and production of assurance services. 

Nives' other area of research and expertise is in financial reporting and assurance; in particular, financial reporting in for-profit and not-for-profit/public sector, assurance services market regulation, varying levels of assurance and assurance in public and not-for-profit sectors as well as governance in for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.

Nives contributes to the development of professional standards, guidance and policies for practicing auditors and accountants in New Zealand by informing regulators, based on her research and expertise in financial reporting and auditing.

Mike Devonshire CMInstD

Mike Devonshire has had an extensive career in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and USA encompassing management, leadership and direction roles across a broad range of sectors including Agri- business, Property, Construction, Wholesale Banking, Sport, Energy and Infrastructure. Upon returning to New Zealand in 2002, Mike established an advisory business focused on Business Strategy, Governance, Restructuring, Acquisitions and Divestments, and Private Equity Investment. He also acts in the capacity of a Professional Independent Director. Hawkes bay based, Mike currently is the Chair of the Hustler Group ( An agricultural exporting group);Chair of Resource Development Consultants Ltd; Chair of Central Districts Cricket Association; Chair of Te Mata Park; a Director of the Te Awanga Estate Ltd and  Hawkes Bay Wine Company Limited. Since 2006 Mike has been actively involved in the Hawkes Bay promoting the IoD and co-ordinating the local membership. He has led the project to establish a sub branch within the East Coast region and is the inaugural Chair of the sub branch committee. Mike has since 2009 been a member of the flagship New Zealand Trade & Enterprise Beachhead Advisory Board, the programme is focussed on growing NZ businesses internationally. Mike is also a Young Enterprise Trust Judge and mentor, and serves on the committees of local Cricket and Polo clubs. With three secondary school aged children, it doesn’t leave much time for Mountain biking which he tries to enjoy most days. Mike is a graduate of the University of Canterbury, has a Diploma in Export Management (Institute of Export, United Kingdom) and is a finance alumnus of Insead Business School (Fontainebleau, France). He is also a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

Rachel Farrant CMInstD, CA, B.Com, Post Graduate Diploma – Finance & Management

Rachel Farrant is a partner at BDO Wellington Ltd and has over 20 years’ experience in chartered accountancy and business advisory services. She currently holds the following governance roles: director and Audit Committee chair– Fulton Hogan Group Limited; trustee and Audit Committee chair – Experience Wellington; director and Audit Committee chair – Fairway Resolution Limited, director and Audit Committee chair – The Property Group Limited, cirector – Papa Rererangi i Puketapu Limited (New Plymouth Airport), chair of the Central Region General Practitioners Fees Review Committee.

David Pilkington, CFInstD

From a Hawkes Bay farming family background David graduated with a BSc and BE (Chem) from Canterbury University. He then completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology at Massey University, prior to joining the New Zealand Dairy Board in 1976. David began his career in the technical Division of New Zealand Dairy Board before moving into technical sales and market development roles, followed by a wide range of management positions both in New Zealand and offshore. These included President of NZMP (Japan) based in Japan and CEO NZMP (North America) based in California, USA. In 2000, prior to the formation of Fonterra, David was appointed Managing Director of New Zealand Milk Ltd, the dairy industry’s global foodservice and consumer products business. He continued in this role until May 2004 whereupon he left Fonterra and formed Excelsa Associates Ltd. He took up company directorships with a variety of companies including Ballance Agri-Nutrients Ltd, Zespri Group Ltd, Port of Tauranga Ltd (Chair), Northport Limited (Chair), Primeport Timaru, Restaurant Brands Ltd, Douglas Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Rangatira Limited, Tuatara Brewing, Heller Tasty (Chair), Contract Resources, Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (Chair) and Prevar NZ Ltd (Chair). David also served as an independent appointee to the Wellington City Council Audit and Risk Management Subcommittee for three trienniums.

David recently retired as Chair of Port of Tauranga after 17 years on the board.

David’s current governance roles include, Rangatira Limited (Chair), Douglas Pharmaceuticals (Chair) and New Zealand Community Trust where he chairs the National Grants Committee. David has completed the Advanced Management Programme (AMP) at Harvard University and attended London Business School. In 2019 he was awarded The Deloitte Top 200 “Chairperson of the Year”  award.

Samantha Sharif LLM (Hons), LLB (Hons), Grad Dip CSP, CMInstD

Samantha is a professional director with key strengths in investment, infrastructure, logistics and safety critical industries. She has a background in CEO and leadership roles in the commercial aviation industry globally, as well as previously practising internationally as a commercial lawyer and with post-graduate qualifications in finance and governance.

Her current governance roles include: Director New Talisman Gold (ASX, NZX listed), Deputy Chair NZ Shareholders Association, Director SIL/MFL Mutual Funds, Director Motor Trades Association Group, Director MOTAT, Director Flirtey Ltd and External Member of the Dept of Corrections Audit & Risk Committee. 

Sam Robinson CFInstD

Sam, a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors lives in Hawkes Bay where he has farmed a Sheep and Cattle hill country block all of his working life. The business is now operated on a share-farming arrangement.

He is currently a director of Silver Fern Farms Ltd representing Shanghai Maling on the operating board. He is also a director of Brownrigg Agriculture and is an independent director of NZ Young Farmers. Previous directorships include AgResearch (chair), Cooperative Bank, AsureQuality, Farmlands, Port of Napier and AgMardt (chair).

The 32^nd Annual General Meeting of the Wellington Branch of the Institute of Directors will be held at 7:00am on Wednesday 16 February 2022 at KPMG, Level 9, 10 Customhouse Quay, Wellington.

Agenda

1. Welcome and apologies
2. Minutes of the 31^st Annual General Meeting held on Friday 19 February 2021
3. Chair’s Annual Report – Rick Christie
4. Wellington Branch Annual Accounts (tabled)
5. Wellington Branch Committee confirmed
6. General Business
7. Close of meeting
8. Guest speakers: Following the AGM formalities, we will join the livestreamed senior directors’ panel discussion on Board Character with Tony Carter, Pip Greenwood and Sir Rob McLeod, facilitated by Susan Paterson.

Members are invited to join the Wellington Branch Committee and fellow members for a light breakfast from 7am, prior to the Annual General Meeting commencing.

Branch Committee nominations

Our constitution requires that one third of the Wellington Branch Committee shall retire by rotation each year, but shall be eligible for re-election without nomination.  Committee members Mike Devonshire (Hawkes Bay representative) and Suse Reynolds are standing for re-election at this year’s AGM.  Rob Campbell, (Manawatu representative) has announced he is stepping down from his committee appointment at the AGM.

The committee has a diverse range of experiences and skills representing our broad member base. To ensure that remains balanced, we welcome nominations from members preferably with iwi, sport or legal governance experience.  Strong sector and regional networks, along with a good understanding of tikanga Māori are also desired.

If you would like to stand for the 2022 Wellington Branch Committee, please contact the Wellington Branch Manager to obtain a nomination form.

The nominee, nominator and seconder, must all be financial members of the Institute of Directors. Nominations for election must be lodged with the Wellington Branch Manager by midday, Friday 4 February 2022.

If necessary, voting papers and nominee bios will be distributed to all members prior to the Annual General Meeting.