Future Directors®
The Future Directors® programme aims to develop the next generation of directors and prepare them to positively transform their organisations, communities and New Zealand.
As a Future Director you will have a unique opportunity to get a real head start in gaining practical board experience early in your career and learn from an experienced mentor.
Background
Future Directors was founded by Sir Stephen Tindall (The Warehouse/Tindall Foundation), Michael Stiassny (past IoD President) and Des Hunt (NZ Shareholders Association) in 2013.
The programme provides people with governance potential and ambition the opportunity to participate on a board. It also provides boards with exposure to diverse talent, ideas and experiences.
Today, Future Directors provides opportunities for aspiring directors on a wide range of boards including NZX and non-NZX listed companies, state sector boards and not-for-profit organisations. The IoD works with these boards to establish their Future Directors programme and promote their Future Director opportunities.
How to register
Register your interest in becoming a Future Director if you are:
- a talented executive, professional or business owner
- interested in furthering your governance skills
- able to add value at the board table through your unique skills or perspective
- able to commit to a board for a minimum of 12 months.
Once you have registered:
- be the first to hear of Future Director opportunities
- be able to express your interest for any Future Director opportunities
- have your details provided directly to a host board if your specific skills, background and experience are a match for what the board are looking for.
If you are selected to become a Future Director, you will:
- attend all board meetings
- be assigned an experienced mentor
- participate as a board member in all aspects
- have no voting rights/decision making powers and will not form part of the quorum of a board meeting.
If you are on a board and interested in hosting a Future Director read more.
Our current Future Director opportunities are listed on our career opportunities page.
For more information read our FAQs
Stories from our Future Directors
Future Director board placements
NZ Institute of Economic Research - Amelia Vinnell, Diplomat Primary Industries, China - Ministry of Primary Industries
International Accreditation of NZ (IANZ) - Sarah Benikowsky, Senior Advisor Information Management - Ministry of Social Development
NZ on Air - Petrina Togi-Sa'ena, Independent Contractor
Civil Aviation Authority- Louise Pengelly, Programme Director Operations Transformation, KiwiRail
Just Life Group - Melissa Crawford, founder of Tech with Heart
Precinct Properties - Alana Barron, ex Director - Head of Client Solutions , Institutional Equities Team, Jarden
Environmental Choice New Zealand - Kate Gunthorp, Director ESG Advisory at Westpac New Zealand
Maritime NZ - Annabel Davies, Chief Sustainability and Risk Officer at Pamu
Meridian Energy - Ben Bateman, Chief Operating Officer at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu
MTF Finance - Lauren Silkstone, Franchise owner at MTF Finance Tāupo
NZX Ltd - Sarah Miller, General Counsel and Company Secretary at Serko Ltd
Steel & Tube Holdings Ltd - Cherie Kerrison, Syndicate Chair at The CEO Institute
The Warehouse Group - Jeremy O’Brien, Tribe Lead, Short Haul Airline at Air New Zealand
TPT Group Holdings - Amy Johnson, Customer Experience Officer at MyWave
Tread Lightly Charitable Trust - Kanika Jhunjhnuwala, Executive Director of Sustainability and Environment at Hind Management
Waipa Networks - Ashleigh Turner, General Manager of Waihikurangi at the Charitable Arm of Te Nehenehenui
AgResearch – Charles Taituha, Managing Director at CCT Holdings Ltd
ASB Bank - Merewaakana (Mere) Kingi, Group Chief Financial Officer (Commercial & Iwi) at Ngāti Awa Group Holdings Limited
Earthquake Commission (EQC) – Jacqueline Apiata-Coyne, Health Safety and Environment Manager at Northland Waste
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited – Tracey Barron, MInstD, General Manager South Island Pacific Radiology.
Horticulture New Zealand Ahumāra Kai Aotearoa – Emma Lees, Strategic Projects and Sustainability Manager, AS Wilcox & Sons
Just Life Group – Jacinta Taliauli, Procurement Manager for the Ministry at Pacific Peoples
Kordia Group – Angela Nash, Chief Information Officer at New Zealand Rugby
Local Government Funding Agency – Anita Furniss, Acting General Manger People & Culture (permanent role Executive Officer to Deputy Chief Executive) at Auckland Council
MTF Finance Ltd – Ravinesh Kumar – Managing Director at JSR Life Motors.
National Provident Fund –Michelle Tsui, Director at New Plymouth District Council - Perpetual Investment Fund
Nuku Ora – Soraya Umaga-Jensen, Physiotherapist and founding Board Member of the Pasifika Physiotherapy
Scion - Dr Melinda Webber (Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu), Te Tumu, Deputy Dean and Professor of Māori Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland
Sharesies – Tahana Tippett-Tapsell, Investment Manager for the Māori Investment team at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Summerset Holdings Group Ltd –Andrea Scown, Chief Executive Officer at Mitre 10 NZ (Ltd)
Tainui Group Holdings Ltd – Michelle Kemp, Principal Planner at Campbell Brown Planning
Cooperative Business NZ – Stefan Azzopardi, Chief Finance and Risk Advisor at Southern Cross Health Society
Halberg Foundation – Tom Smith, National Grants Manager at The Lion Foundation
Hawke’s Bay Airport Ltd – Jonathan Norman, Partner at Sainsbury, Logan and Williams
Horticulture New Zealand – Jamie Mountier, Senior Project Manager at Craigmore Sustainables
Inframax – Kristy Christensen, Director and Female Inclusion Expert for Shesfreetobe
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra – Margaret Harris, Manager-Strategy, Information Technology, and Innovation, ContainerCo Management Ltd
NZ Post – Meleane Burgess, Managing Director of Dynamic Advisory
NZX – Victoria Newman, Transformation Lead, The Warehouse
Mercury – Kim Gordon, Partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Pharmac – Dr Elizabeth Zhu, Medical Officer at Southern Cross Health Society (reappointed)
Scales Ltd – Kelly Brown, Founder and Director of the Hunt Club Ltd
Spark New Zealand – Sylvia Ding, General Manager – Reporting and Insights at Xero
Southbase Construction Ltd – Leesah Murray, CEO for the Independent Māori Statutory Board and Llori Valenzuela, General Manager E-commerce & Digital with Fonterra
The Lion Foundation – Karl Rosnell, Chief Executive Officer, Devoli
The Warehouse Group Limited - Caroline Rainsford, Country Director for Google NZ
TVNZ – Ben Forman, Co-founder of Wrestler and Wrestler Studios
Cooperative Business New Zealand – Melanie Beattie, Head of Strategic Partnerships, ASB Bank
Deer Industry New Zealand – Rob Kidd, Operations Manager, Duncan NZ Limited
Education New Zealand – Shruthi Vijayakumar, Coach, facilitator & strategist, co-founder Emerge Institute
Financial Markets Authority – Tia Greenaway (Principal Analyst at Climate Change Commission)
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare – Toni Moyes, COO Montoux
Halberg Foundation – George Bridgewater, Managing Director, Nano Clear, South Island
Investore Property Limited – Emma McDonald, Director/ owner, Pragmatix
Just Life Group Limited – Karla Mangos, Project Manager/Evans Randall
Kordia – Nicola Mitchell, Head of Digital Audience Growth
NZX – Hayley Buckley, Partner Wynn Williams
Pharmac – Dr Elizabeth Zhu, Medical Officer at Southern Cross Health Society
Radio New Zealand – Mihimaraea Parata Gardineras
Spark – Ana Wight, Chief Financial Officer, Vend Limited
Spidertracks – Emily Blythe, CEO and Founder of Limpidity
The Lines Company Ltd – Chelsea Smith
Aktive (Auckland Sport & Recreation) – Paige Paterson,Corporate Finance Analyst PWC & cycling commentator/ TV presenter
Auckland International Airport – Michelle Kong, GM Digital Ventures, Fletcher Distribution
Lion Foundation – Debbie Sew Hoy
Naylor Love – Charlotte Sullivan, CEO Auburn Marketing Limited
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei – Otene Hopa, Māori advisor - Pou Hononga Māori at Tuputoa / Faiz Salim (Project Manager Watercare Services)
NZQA – Scott Tambisari
NZX – Anna Scott, Development Director Hobson Wealth Partners
Ports of Auckland – Claire Neville, GM Operations NZ Bus
Port Taranaki – Marie Collins, Founder Rite Executive Partners
Royal New Zealand Ballet – Liora Bercovitch, Senior Solicitor, Chapman Tripp
Scales Corporation – Jemma McCowan, Head of branding and sustainability at NZ King Salmon
Simplicity – Alexia Hilbertidou, Activist and Entrepreneur
Television New Zealand – Aliesha Staples, Hatch, Creative Technologist
Tennis Auckland – Thiem Nguyen, Participation and Insights Manager at NZ Golf
The Warehouse – Renee Mateparae, Agile Tribe Lead for Mobile at Spark New Zealand
Wel Networks Ltd/ Ultrafast Broadband – Nicole Buisson, Small Business Director Xero
AgResearch – Natasha Tere, Senior Consultant, McCauley Consulting Group
Chiefs Rugby Club – Sharleen Nathan, Deputy Principal, Hamilton Girls' High School
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare – Dr Claudia Wyss, CEO, Healthvision
Karori Sanctuary Trust (Zealandia) – Glen Scanlon, Head of News & Digital, RNZ
Lotto NZ – Jessica Smith, Business Development Manager, Te Tumu Paeroa
Mercury – Anna Lissaman, Director of People & Talent TVNZ
MetService – Kim Dirks, University Academic
National Advisory Council on Employment of Women (NACEW) – Ariana Paul, Business Owner AKA & Assoc Ltd
Northpower – Rangimarie Price, Strategic Advisor, Amokura Iwi Consortium Limited
Scales Corporation – Teresa Steele-Rika, Head of Marketing, Tru-Test Group
ServiceIQ – Kirikaiahi Mahutariki, Executive Manager, Maori Financial Solutions, ASB Bank
Argosy – Amanda Smith, independent director, Castle Point Funds Management
Augusta Capital Limited & Augusta Funds Management Limited – Michael Jefferies, Leasing Manager, Todd Property Group Limited
Department of Corrections – Sara Brownlie
Experience Wellington (Wellington Museums Trust) – John-Paul Tocker, PrimeQ Ltd, Practice Manager
Financial Markets Authority – Carol Cheng, Founder, Hong Consulting Ltd
New Zealand on Air – Linda Clark, Special Counsel at Kensington Swan
New Zealand Geographic Board (LINZ) – Rachel Pinn
NZX – Anna Molloy, Analyst Masfen Securities
Ports of Auckland – Siobhan McKenna, Partner, Daum & Co Management Consultants
Scales Corporation – Jen Bunbury, Investment Banking Director, Deutsche Craigs
Spark – Nagaja Sanatkumar, GM Global eCommerce, Icebreaker
Sport New Zealand – Chelsea Grootveld
Te Māngai Pāho – Kirikowhai Mikaere
Transpower – Jennifer Moxon, Beachhead Advisor, NZTE
The Warehouse – Vena Crawley, Chief Customer Officer, Contact Energy
Worksafe New Zealand – Ruth Smithers
2016
Auckland International Airport – Kiriwaitingi Rei, CEO Maori Investments Limited and MD Tarawera Land Company
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare – Rachael Newsome, General Counsel and Strategist, Icebreaker
Meridian – Megan Matthews
Mercury – Nicky Ashton, GM Brand and Marketing, Kiwibank
Scales Corporation – Liz Muller, Director, Global Food Alliance
2015
Auckland International Airport – Nicola Greer
AWF Madison Group Limited – Rachel Hopkins, GM Marketing and Communications, Competenz
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare – Nicky Bell, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi
Kordia – Simon Tong, Managing Director, Fairfax Media
ServiceIQ, – Mele Wendt, Director, Scholarship Services Aotearoa
The Warehouse – Malcolm Phillipps, Managing Director, Phillipps Consulting
Vector – Nick Astwick, COO, Kiwibank
2014
Auckland International Airport – Shelley Cave, Consultant, Simpson Grierson
Canterbury Scientific – Clive Seymour, Founder/MD/Director Biodirectionz, Science Directions
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare – Franceska Banga, CEO, NZVIF
Mercury – Carolyn Luey, GM Strategy, NZME
Northpower – Colin Finnegan, Petrovac Facilities Management
The Warehouse – Bindi Norwell, TNS Director
Vector – Tony Arthur, Head of Retail Network, BNZ
2013
Dunedin Airport – Tony Allison, CEO, Night n Day Foodstores
Northpower – Deborah Harding
The Warehouse – Robbie Tindall
2012
Auckland International Airport – Sheridan Broadbent, GM Strategy, Genesis Energy
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