Auckland-based chief executive John O’Hara joins the Environmental Science and Research (ESR) board, Andrew von Dadelszen is to be a director at Plant & Food Research while Auckland accountant Nick Main and Dr Gillian Lewis of the University of Auckland join the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) board.
Two other directors with chief financial officer experience have been appointed – Sarah Haydon at GNS Science and Colleen Neville at Scion.
Jane Taylor will join the board of Landcare Research as deputy chairwoman and Tauranga businessman Steve Saunders also joins the board.
Marion Cowden will be promoted to deputy chairwoman of ESR and Jim Donovan is to be the new deputy chairman of Research and Education Advanced Network where Professor Steve Weaver will continue the strong research presence on the board.
Grant is an experienced farmer and company director with a strong public sector focus. He farms sheep, beef, and deer properties in Southland and has held a range of director roles in agribusiness, research, and education.
Alexander is an experienced chartered accountant who has been employed since 2008 by Antares Restaurant Group (master franchisee of the Burger King chain in New Zealand) where she is chief financial officer. She had also worked at Express Couriers and McDonald’s Restaurants.
O’Hara is a company director and entrepreneur. He has founded four technology companies, commercialising IT and intellectual property, and is also an angel investor in a range of start-ups. O’Hara’s directorships include Tait Communications, Naked Bus, Tekron International, and Spidertracks.
Von Dadelszen is a Tauranga businessman with a diverse background spanning farming, finance, and local government. He was a Bay of Plenty Regional councillor for six years and is a qualified hearings commissioner under the Resource Management Act. He is a board member of the Environmental Protection Authority.
Main is a former audit partner of Deloitte in Auckland, also serving that firm as chief executive from 2000-05 and later as chairman of the board from 2005-09. In 2009 Main took up an international role for Deloitte as global managing partner of sustainability and climate change services in London, a position he held until 2012. He is chairman of the Middlemore Foundation and serves on the finance audit and risk committee for Counties Manukau DHB.
Lewis is professor of microbiology and head of the School of Biological Sciences at Auckland University. She is a former president of the NZ Microbiological Society. Lewis has a PhD in microbiology from Otago University and her academic and research experience will be relevant to NIWA’s science programmes.
Haydon is a company director with strong commercial, financial and audit committee experience, who was previously chief financial officer for OfficeMax. She also brings knowledge of sectors relevant to GNS, having spent 13 years in the oil industry in the United Kingdom. Haydon is a director of NZX-listed Cavalier Corporation and recently retired as a director of AsureQuality.
Neville (Waikato-Tainui) is the Rotorua-based chief financial officer of Te Arawa Group Holdings. She is a chartered accountant and has 16 years’ experience in a range of financial roles for national and local companies. Neville has governance experience as a director of Te Arawa Tourism, vice-chairwoman of Te Reo Irirangi o Te Arawa (the iwi’s radio station), trustee of a farming trust, and a former director of the Rotorua Public Health Organisation.
Taylor is a company director and barrister whose career spans finance, law, and science. She is a director of Silver Fern Farms, HirePool Group, and Radio NZ. The appointment at Landcare Research will build on a track record as a director in the science sector, which includes GNS Science, Scion, and REANNZ.
Saunders (Ngai Te Ahi, Ngati Ranginui) is a Tauranga businessman and entrepreneur. From a background as a horticulturalist and kiwifruit orchardist he has built up a range of related ventures as founder, shareholder, and director. His companies (Plus Group) specialise in horticulture and export backed by investment in research and development and applied technology.
Weaver is deputy vice-chancellor (research) at Canterbury University. He has been at the university since 1978 and for the bulk of that time was head of the Department of Geological Sciences. Weaver is an executive member of the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation and was previously a member of the University of Canterbury Council. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and a former member of the Earth Sciences and Astronomy Panel of the Marsden Fund. Weaver is also a director of GNS Science and the NZ e-science Infrastructure (NeSI).
