Board of Directors

Chairman - Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley DNZM

Dame Jenny took over the Chairmanship of Genesis Energy in November 2009. She is also Chairman of Senior Money International and Mainzeal Construction and is a director on China Construction Bank, one of the big four major State owned banks in China. She is also a Director of Momentum and ISI.

Jenny was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999 and in the preceding 7 years she was a Senior Minister in the New Zealand Government and a driving force in the successful decade of economic and social reform in New Zealand. She retired from New Zealand politics in 2002.

Jenny travels extensively in her role as a director, a keynote speaker and in association with her consultancy. She has served on a number of advisory boards. She advises companies and governments on geopolitical, demographic, economic and social mega trends and speaks all around the world on these and a wide range of other topics.

She was an Initiator of the Education Forum for East Asia, is an active member of the World Women’s Leadership Council and is Vice President of the Club of Madrid, a group of former leaders who promote democracy and transparent economic development, globally. She is deeply involved in a range of philanthropic projects in New Zealand and offshore.

Deputy Chair - Joanna Perry, MNZM
MA Econ (Cantab), FCA (ICAEW), FCA (NZICA),

An independent professional director and chartered accountant, Joanna’s current appointments include independent director of Kiwi Income Property, PSIS and AsureQuality. She also chairs the Financial Reporting Standards Board, is a member of the Australian Accounting Standards Board and the Trans Tasman Advisory Group on Accounting and Auditing Standards. She was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants’ 2006 Most Valued Contribution Award.

Joanna was a KPMG New Zealand partner for 17 years until March 2006. In that time she was audit engagement partner for some of New Zealand’s leading companies as well as KPMG’s National Technical Partner and Chairman of KPMG’s Auckland/Wellington Management Board. She was a member of the Securities Commission for 11 years.

Dr Nicola Crauford, BSc (Hons), PhD, FIPENZ, MInst D

Dr Nicki Crauford is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors. She is a director of the Centre of Advanced Engineering, the Global Director Development Circle, a trustee and member of the National Council for UNICEF New Zealand,the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand and a director of a number of private companies. She has over 10 years’ experience in the electricity and gas sectors in New Zealand and holds a doctorate in engineering.

Barbara Elliston, B.E. Elect (Hons)

Trained as a professional engineer, Barbara has more than 20 years experience in the electricity industry. She has been involved in a wide range of activities within the sector, including transmission design, power pricing, power contract negotiations, wholesale market development, assistance with the commercialisation of coal seam methane, development of small scale local generation and business development in the solar hot water industry.

Barbara has held directorships with Comalco New Zealand Limited and Transpower New Zealand Limited and she is currently a member Security Advisory Group of the Electricity Commission.

Graeme Milne, B.Tech (Biotech) Hons

Graeme Milne is a professional director based on a small sheep and beef farm on the outskirts of Cambridge. After graduating from Massey University in 1975 with an honours degree in Biotechnology, Graeme spent most of his working career in the dairy industry after an initial period in pharmaceuticals and brewing.

During the 1980’s and again in the 1990’s Graeme spent several years based in Europe developing and managing the operations of the New Zealand dairy industry in Russia, Africa, the Middle East and the European continent. Graeme’s first role as a CEO was for Bay Milk Products in 1992. That has been followed up by being CEO of the New Zealand Dairy Group prior to the formation of Fonterra and various interim roles as CEO of Richmond Ltd, during the hostile takeover by PPCS (now Silver Fern Farms), Bonlac Ltd in Australia, during a period of significant financial stress, and more recently LIC Ltd (The Livestock Improvement Corporation).

Graeme has held a number of directorships and chair roles in New Zealand and overseas. Currently he is the chair of 5 New Zealand based companies, (including Synlait Ltd, New Zealand Pharmaceuticals, Waikato DHB) and holds directorships in 4 others.

Denis Michael Wood, MA Econ (Hons)

Denis has a Master of Arts, with Honours, in economics from Canterbury University.

Denis has had a career in investment banking. From 1984 he was a partner in sharebroking firm, Buttle Wilson and from 1991 an Executive Director in UBS Warburg. In 1998 he became an executive Director in Ernst & Young Corporate finance until he retired from the investment banking industry in 2005. Throughout his career Denis has extensive experience in investment management, corporate restructuring, strategic planning and capital raisings.

Denis was appointed to the board of Tower Limited in 2005 and is currently Chairman of its Group Investment Committee. He is also on the board of DNZ Property Fund Limited and Chairman of Mercy Hospice Auckland Limited.

He has been a Member of the New Zealand Stock Exchange and served for four years on the Market Surveillance Panel of the NZX. Denis is a Member of the Institute of Directors of New Zealand.

John Dell, BCom (Hons) CA

John is a professional director and is an active investor in high growth businesses. John has significant experience in executive finance and strategic management having previously held executive positions as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Tenon Limited (formerly named Fletcher Challenge Forests Limited) and as Chief Financial Officer of Air New Zealand Limited. Prior to his corporate roles, John worked for international accountancy and consultancy firm KPMG. John's background is as a qualified accountant and he has a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and finance. John’s current Board appointments include the Euroglass/ National Glass Group of Companies and Unimarket.

Rukumoana Schaafhausen

Rukumoana Schaafhausen has practised as a lawyer for a number of years specialising in the area of governance. She previously worked for a large scale property development company. She serves as a director / trustee on a number of Boards including Waikato Tainui Te Kauhanganui Incorporated, Tainui Group Holdings and Waikato-Tainui Fisheries Limited.