Our Board
WAYNE WALDEN, CHAIRMAN (AUCKLAND)
Wayne Walden is a successful businessman with an active interest in Youth Development and Environmental Issues. He is affiliated to Ngati Kahu of Tai Tokerau.Wayne is an experienced Company Director, and was previously Managing Director and shareholder of Farmers/Deka Ltd. He has had more than 30 years senior management experience in the liquor, wholesale and retail trades in New Zealand. His past Directorships include Director of Farmlands Co-Operative Society, Director of the Westpac Bank NZ Advisory Board, Deputy Chairman of Meat New Zealand, Director of Mighty River Power Limited, Chairman of Transrail and Chair of Maori Television. Wayne is the Founding Chairman of the Project K Youth Development Programme and Founder of the Guardians of The Kaipara, an organisation that is concerned with preserving and creating awareness of the unique natural marine and landscape values of the Kaipara Harbour and its environs. Wayne received an Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) Honour for Services to Business and the Community in the 2007 Queens Birthday Honours List.
JOAN WITHERS, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN (AUCKLAND)
Joan Withers was the Chief Executive Officer of The Radio Network in 1997, when she began an eight year career as a professional company director serving on the boards of a number of New Zealand's largest companies. In 2005 she was appointed Chief Executive of newspaper publishing company Fairfax Media. She retired from executive life in 2009, but is now Chair of Mighty River Power and retains a directorship of Auckland International Airport. Joan has an MBA from the University of Auckland and is the recipient of the 2009 CAANZ Media Excellence Award.
ROGER MACDONNELL (AUCKLAND)
Roger was a founding partner of Colenso BBDO and retired at the end of 2009 as Chairman and CEO and as a Director of the Clemenger group in Australia. He is currently a Director of the Image Centre (printing and publishing), a Director of Hourigan International, Sydney, (marketing/comms recruitment), a Trustee of the Auckland Arts Festival and consults on branding and marketing. He has been voted into the AdMedia Hall of Fame and is a member of the Cleo Copywriters Hall of Fame in New York.
ALISON GERRY (QUEENSTOWN)
Alison Gerry has over 20 years experience working in finance for both corporates and for financial institutions. From 1999 to 2005, Alison was Group Treasurer for Lion Nathan, based in Sydney. Prior to that, she worked for various financial institutions in Sydney, Hong Hong, Tokyo & London in trading, finance and risk roles. Alison is currently a Visiting Fellow at Macquarie University in Sydney, a Director of Kiwibank and holds governance positions in the infrastructure and not-for-profit fields. Alison has a Masters of Applied Finance from Macquarie University.
BARRIE SAUNDERS
Barrie is the co-founder of Saunders Unsworth Limited, a company specialising in the management of public policy issues. He has been President of the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce, a Wellington City Mission trustee, a member of the Housing NZ Board and North American Director of the NZ Meat Board. Prior to establishing his business in 1990, Barrie was a radio and television journalist in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, and he edited the National Business Review.
THERESE WALSH
Therese is the Head of NZ, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, also serves on the Board of New Zealand Cricket, and is the Chair of the International Development Advisory and Selection Panel for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Previously she was the Chief Operating Officer for Rugby New Zealand 2011 Limited, the company established by the NZRU and the NZ Government to deliver the Rugby World Cup Tournament in 2011. She has also been a member of the Executive Team at the New Zealand Rugby Union, and held a senior role with KPMG.
RICHARD LONG
Richard is a former longtime political editor and then editor of The Dominion newspaper. He was formerly the editors’ representative on the board of the Newspaper Publishers Association, the inaugural chairman of the editors’ press freedom committee and a former chairman of the NZ section of the Commonwealth Press Union, which campaigns for press freedom.
He is presently chairman of trustees of the NZ France Friendship Fund and a member of the board of trustees of the Asia:NZ Foundation. He is a former member of the Fulbright NZ board and a life member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.