IoD recognises five new Distinguished Fellows

Congratulations to five of our new Distinguished Fellows who have been selected from across the motu, nominated by their regional branch committees with final approval by the IoD’s National Council.

Considered the Institute of Directors’ highest accolade, our Distinguished Fellows make up just under 1% of our national membership. This prestigious award recognises those who have made a significant contribution to business and society in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For 2025, our Distinguished Fellows are members of branches in Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Otago Southland, with backgrounds spanning energy, construction, civil engineering, dairy, transport, textiles, the environment, iwi governance, education, sport and more.

The recipients are: 

Dr Patrick Strange (Auckland) is synonymous with the energy sector as an executive and director who has contributed to Mercury Energy, Mighty River Power, Contact Energy, NSW Networks (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy). He was an independent director of Contact Energy and chair of the advisory board for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering [at the University of Auckland], and was appointed to the Transgrid board in 2023. His board roles outside of energy include NZX and WorkSafe New Zealand. He recently stepped down as chair of Auckland International Airport (2024). He remains a director of Transgrid, a private equity-owned New South Wales transmission company. Patrick was named New Zealand Energy Executive of the Year in 2011 and led Transpower to success as Energy Company of the Year (2013). He was named New Zealand Chair of the Year (2022) and has twice been a finalist in the Executive of the Year awards.

 

Warren Dalzell (Auckland) has a background in investment banking and more than 50 years’ experience as a chartered accountant with an executive career spanning textiles to engineering and animal health. His extensive governance roles have covered sectors including retail, manufacturing, construction, brands and licensing, merchandising, export/import, distribution, transportation, healthcare, shipping, boat building, metal fabricating, professional services and publishing, and governing organisations such as Stainless Fabrication Group, Narrow Fabrics Association, Guaranteed Flow Systems, 30 Seconds Group Ltd and Heat Treatments Ltd. He was a director of InterCity Management Ltd and a trustee of Microwise Employment Generation Fund, where he also chaired the HR committee and the professional committee. He has also been chair of the Whangārei Tourism Trust and continues to give his time to the volunteer space as a national councillor and volunteer facilitator for the IoD, with other roles in education (as a lecturer and trustee), Royal New Zealand Navy, and more broadly, within the regional economic development space, social finance, and sports.

 

Jerry Rickman (Waikato) has been an influential presence in governance and leadership across commercial and public sectors, helping to shape regional development, sustainability and public good in New Zealand, with industry experience in construction and infrastructure, education, aviation and environmental protection. He was a long-serving board member of Tidd Ross Todd Ltd and H. G. Leach and Co Ltd and has also served on the boards of Inframax Construction, Waikato Regional Airport Limited, Learning Media Limited. He spent 16 years on the Lake Taupō Protection Trust - Te Wai, Te Iwi – demonstrating his unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and intergenerational impact. He is also a member of the Independent Oversight Group, which oversaw the operational separation of Telecom, chair of the Waikato DHB, Ezibuy Ltd and Connell Construction Ltd, and continues to serve on the boards of Powerfarming Ltd and Spectrum Group Ltd.

 

Kevin Atkinson MNZM (Wellington) has lent his expertise to the healthcare sector, electricity and IT companies in organisations such as the Hawke’s Bay DHB, Unison Networks Ltd and Information Management Services Ltd (IMS). He was chair and principal sponsor of the Hawks NBL basketball team during the 1990s and is currently a patron of Hawks Basketball Incorporated. In 1983, he founded software company IMS, which under his stewardship provided software to more than 10,000 New Zealand and Pacific Island businesses, contributing approximately $300,000 annually to sponsorships such as the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust, Cranford Hospice, rugby and basketball. His commitment to the local community has seen him govern the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union, Hawke’s Bay Power Consumers Trust. He has held advisory and trustee roles on the Eastern and Central Community Trust, EIT Hawke’s Bay Business and Computing Advisory Committee, Hawke’s Bay Medical Research Foundation and the Hawke’s Bay Digital Archives Trust (Hawke’s Bay Knowledge Bank). In 2010, he received a New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to business and the community.

 

Stephen Higgs (Otago/Southland) has made a significant contribution to governance across regional education, health and rural sectors, and spent 38 years at Polson Higgs as a partner and business adviser. He has been a trustee and director of the South link Education Trust group, BPAC Clinical Solutions and NZ Formulary, which supports the clinical effectiveness and prescribing accuracy of New Zealand’s primary care system. He also chaired Motor Trade Finance and Mt Difficulty Wines and served on CRT Ltd and Vetlife Ltd – supporting growth and consolidation in critical industries. As Chancellor at the University of Otago (2022-24) he led the institution through a period of substantial transformation and high-stakes, high-impact governance, supporting the institution’s continued contribution to New Zealand’s social and economic development. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws (2024) in recognition of his exceptional service and stewardship. After 12 years, he stepped down at the University of Otago Council and continues as chair of phwealth, a wealth management business formed out of Polson Higgs.