Contributors at 24/01/2012

Roger Sutton - Chief Executive, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority

Roger Sutton is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and took up this position on 13 June 2011.

Before he was appointed to his position at CERA, Mr Sutton was the Chief Executive Officer of Orion New Zealand Limited, a position he held for eight years. He was also Chairman of the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority.

He has been closely involved in the reforms of the New Zealand electricity industry, has served on many of the working groups and is a director of a number of other energy related organisations and businesses.

Before becoming the CEO at Orion, Mr Sutton was General Manager Commercial at Orion, and General Manager Trading at Orion's predecessor, Southpower New Zealand Limited. From 1988 to 1989 he was a Business Analyst at the New Zealand Electricity Commission (ECNZ). He commenced at ECNZ in 1987 as a Mechanical Engineer.

Mr Sutton has a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from the University of Canterbury (1986).

Dr Colin Harrison - IBM Smarter Cities, USA

Dr. Harrison is a Distinguished Engineer in IBM's Enterprise Initiatives team leading technical strategy for Smarter Cities. He was the inventor of the Smarter Cities technical architecture, which grew out of 2007 work on Energy & Environment offerings and a technology assessment on the Instrumented Planet. During 2007-2009 he was director in the corporate strategy group, leading business strategy development for Smarter Cities. He is also a Master Inventor.

He was previously Director of Strategic Innovation in IBM's Integrated Technology Delivery in Europe and Director of Global Services Research in IBM's Research Division, where he held many leadership positions. Following his university studies in England and Germany, he spent 1972-1977 at CERN in Geneva developing the SPS accelerator and its pioneering distributed real-time control system. He then returned to EMI Central Research Laboratories in London, and led the development of the world's first clinically useful MRI system in 1978.

He joined IBM in San Jose in 1979 and has enjoyed a career leading from micromagnetics to medical imaging, parallel computing, mobile networking, intelligent agents, telecommunications services, knowledge management, and now Smarter Cities. In October 2004 he was elected to the IBM Academy of Technology.

In the course of his career Dr Harrison has lead many technical innovations, including the first use of a distributed real-time control system at CERN, the clinical application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in medicine (1978), mobile computing (1990), wireless data services (1992), network services (1994), and so forth. Among his many failed innovations are magnetic bubble memories (1980), creating a medical imaging business for IBM (1984), inventing the Worldwide Web two years too late (1992), and creating a Voice over IP business (1997). He believes that failure is an intrinsic part of the innovation process, since it drives questions. And questions are often more valuable than answers.

Among his many passions are photography, writing, and mountains above the tree line. He has fluent speaking, reading, and writing ability in English (UK), French (Swiss), and German. He has travelled widely in Europe, the Middle East, and North America

Dr Allan Freeth PhD - CEO TelstraClear

Dr Allan Freeth has been Chief Executive Officer of TelstraClear since 2005. Before this, he held senior executive positions at Trust Bank, was Chief Executive and Managing Director of Wrightson, and served as a member of the TelstraClear Advisory Committee.

He gained his PhD in Population Genetics through the Australian National University in Canberra. He also has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from Canterbury University, and an MBA with Distinction.

Allan has held directorships with Genesis Research and Development and GNS: Geological and Nuclear Sciences, and the NZ Treasury Advisory Board. From 2008 until July 2011, he was Chairman of Save the Children New Zealand, and served as a Director of Save the Children Australia, and on the Save the Children International Board, the global board of the Save organisation.

Prior to this, Allan was Chairman of Wellington's Queen Margaret College Board of Governors, and a Trustee of the Massey Agricultural Research Fund.

In 2010 he was appointed a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum on Next Generation. He is also a Trustee of Crimestoppers New Zealand and is a regular speaker on governance for the not-for-profit sector.

Peter Townsend - CEO Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce

Peter Townsend is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce and has held that position since 1996.

The Employers’ Chamber, as the largest business support agency in the South Island, concentrates on assisting members to improve their enterprises; ensuring members can operate in a business friendly environment; and encouraging new levels of business activity.

Peter holds several corporate directorships including being a Board member of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the MSI Innovation Board. He is also a Board member of Pegasus Health Ltd, Canterbury Agricultural Park and the Air Force Museum Trust.

He is involved with a range of community groups and initiatives in this region that are in harmony with the objectives of the Employers’ Chamber.

Since 4 September 2010, and especially since 22 February 2011, Peter has been actively involved in earthquake recovery issues.

Peter is the Honorary Consul for Chile for the South Island, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Management. Peter has a BSc (Hons) and a post Graduate Diploma in Business.

Topic: The CECC was displaced from its CBD offices by the February 22 quake and Peter ran the Chamber's recovery response from his own home for several months while advocating on behalf of business owners in Canterbury and playing a major regional and national role in the response and recovery. He sets the theme of the forum by looking back at the issues of recovery and looking forward to the future of a new and vibrant city.

Mary Devine - MD J Ballantyne and Co.Ltd

Mary Devine is one of New Zealand’s foremost business women, an experienced and accomplished CEO renowned for her expertise in corporate strategy, change management and for delivering results.

In February 2011 she was appointed Managing Director of J. Ballantyne and Company Limited in
Christchurch, the first woman to lead the business since its establishment in 1854, and the first non-family Managing Director since 1938. She was in the role just a few weeks before the devastating 22 February earthquake and is now leading this pre-eminent South Island retailer through its physical redevelopment. Her long-term strategies for the business remain on target.

Mary’s two-decade long business success story began as the Commercial Manager for LWR Industries Limited. Her keen business acumen and communication skills are seen in her highly effective managerial and directorship roles for several New Zealand companies. From 2006-2010 she was CEO of EziBuy, during which time this $260m turnover company with 800 employees became the largest Australasian multi-channel apparel and homewares retailer.

Mary is also a director of Meridian Energy Limited, McKenzie and Willis Limited, and New Zealand Hockey and is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management. She is Southland-born and was educated at the Universities of Otago, Canterbury and Harvard. Mary now lives in Christchurch.

Dr Rod Carr - Vice Chancellor Univeristy of Canterbury

Dr Rod Carr is Vice Chancellor of University of Canterbury. Previously he had been Managing Director of Jade Software Corporation Ltd. Dr Carr joined Jade in July 2003 after a distinguished career in the banking sector, most recently as Acting Governor of New Zealand’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

During a five year career at the Reserve Bank he played a key management role as a director and Deputy Governor, including five months as Acting Governor. Prior to this Dr Carr was a senior executive at the National Australia Bank (NAB) in Melbourne, Australia. During his 11 year career in commercial banking, he worked in senior executive and management roles spanning many aspects of the business.

Dr Carr holds a PhD in Insurance and Risk Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an MBA in Finance, MA in Applied Economics and undergraduate degrees in law and in economics. In 2005 he accepted an invitation to become a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management and in 2006 Dr Carr was named NZ Hi-Tech Company Leader of the Year.

Dr Carr is involved in several private and public companies as a director including Lyttelton Port Company Ltd and Taranaki Investment Management Ltd. He presently chairs the National Infrastructure Advisory Board and is a member of the Board of the New Zealand International Business Forum and is a director of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce.

Married with four children, Dr Carr spends his spare time swimming and running and has completed the London, Paris, Athens, Boston, New York, Istanbul and Antarctica marathons in the past six years.

Jim Boult - Chief Executive, Christchurch International Airport Ltd

Jim Boult has been Chief Executive of Christchurch International Airport since February 2009 and was a crown appointee to the CIAL board for six years before that. In 2010 he was named 'Airport Personality of the Year' by the NZ Airports Association. In 2011, CIAL was awarded the Jim Collins Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Aviation Safety, recognising CIAL's actions before and after the Canterbury earthquakes.

He is a former Director and Deputy Chairman of Tourism New Zealand and has been Director, Managing Director and Chairman of several substantial public and private companies. For 16 years, he was the Managing Director of Shotover Jet, which offers one of New Zealand's most famous tourism experiences.

Jim has extensive business interests in many fields, including tourism, financial services, property, automotive, publishing and hospitality. In his home town of Queenstown, he has chaired several charities, council-sponsored working parties and community groups.

He is currently a national director of Child Cancer Foundation, Chairman of The Otago Southland Child Cancer Accommodation Trust, Patron of the Wakatipu High School Angelo Program and Patron of the Wakatipu Rowing Club.

Jim's leisure activities include motor racing (he is a past national class champion), skiing, reading, fitness and jogging.

Peter Davie - Chief Executive, Lyttelton Port Company

Peter joined LPC as Chief Executive in 2003. Prior to that Peter worked for seven years in Australia as Chief Executive of the Port of Portland. He was also involved in the development of a new container terminal in Brisbane (with CSX World Terminals) and as a Director of the Adelaide Container Terminal.

Through these roles Peter has gained valuable insights into trends in international trade and port practices and developments. Peter is a Council Member of Business New Zealand, President of the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce, a Director of the Canterbury Business Recovery Group, and a Director of Port of Portland (Australia).

John Vale - Managing Director Vynco Industries

John Vale was a member of the first government sponsored Trade Mission to SEA in 1969 as Export Manager of PDL. In 1977 he was appointed General Manager PDL ASIA and moved to Kuala Lumpur. This was the PDL Groups start up in the Export business and spearheaded growth into SEA and Middle East. In 1982 he was appointed as Joint Managing Director of PDL Holdings and Executive Director and in 1985 was posted to Melbourne to manage the PDL operations in Australia.

Returning to NZ after 24 years with PDL he formed Vynco Industries NZ Ltd buying the assets of the NZ operations of Oliver J Nilsen an Australian electrical manufacturer. Vynco is a NZ company based nationally with representatives in all main cities and distribution centres in Auckland and NZ. Vynco is the master distributor for General Electric and represents many leading electrical manufacturers in Europe.

A decision 10 years ago to establish a Research and Development business now drives 50 percent of the company turnover by developing many new products which have become market leaders in NZ. A switch board building business was established 15 years ago and has also driven the Vynco products into the market.

This business has become a supplier to the Ministry of Defence, Telecom, Live Stock Improvements, DTS the NZ Film Industry as well as having built Type Tested Switchboards to major building sites throughout NZ. Vynco is also a major exporter and has developed products for the Australian and Pacific Islands.

Topic: Many organisations are insufficiently prepared to respond to incidents that threaten their businesses. Losing critical assets, processes, data or systems can send an organisation into a tailspin from which recovery could be impossible. John lost his hill home and his CBD factories in the February 22 quake. However, earlier business continuity planning had led Vynco to open an outlet in Auckland which proved to be crucial to the company's survival as Vynco people demonstrated how to work in new ways to keep export channels open and flowing.

Sam Johnson - Co-ordinator of Student Volunteer Army
University of Canterbury

Sam Johnson is the founder of Christchurch's 9,000 strong Student Volunteer Army (SVA), an elected member of the Riccarton/ Wigram Community Board and is in his penultimate year studying law and political science at the University of Canterbury.

Sam has a strong vision for the positive change that can occur if technology at our fingertips is harnessed by Gen-Y to build stronger community relationships. Sam worked in Japan with the SVA after the Tsunami and recently presented on 'Youth in Disasters" at the World Summit on Youth Volunteering in Colombia.

Sam is British Council Global Changemaker, The 2012 Keep New Zealand Beautiful Young Legend and Young New Zealander of the Year 2012.

Dr Fran Vertue - Clinical Psychologist

Dr Fran Vertue is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Christchurch. She received her clinical training at the University of Canterbury, and her PhD from the University of Otago, Christchurch School of Medicine.

She has been consulted widely by the media regarding the effects of the earthquakes and their aftermath on the individual and collective psyches of the people who have suffered them.

In particular, Dr Vertue has highlighted and promoted the potential for personal, interpersonal and organisational growth after traumatic experiences.

Dr John Vargo - Senior Researcher University of Canterbury

Dr John Vargo is a senior researcher and co-leader of the Resilient Organisations Research Programme based at the University of Canterbury. His interests focus on building organisational resilience in the face of systemic insecurity in a complex and interconnected world.

John was a practicing Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the US prior to moving to New Zealand and has been involved with the ICT industry for over 30 years. His research interests are in organisational resilience, information security, risk management, e-commerce and strategic planning.

John's broad background in business and technology has involved dealing with the wide range of risks inherent in commercial organisations, large and small.

In addition to his academic role, John has filled a range of senior management roles at the University of Canterbury in support of major change initiatives including: Dean of Commerce, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Business and Economics), Director of ICT, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Services.

Joseph Thomas - Chief Executive Officer NZIM Southern Inc

Joseph Thomas is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Institute of Management Southern Inc, a role he has held since August 2010. Since the 22 February 2011 earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks, he has led an innovative process of business survival and recovery with the support of his Board and team.

NZIM Southern has restructured, enhanced service delivery capacity and capability, and refreshed its image and business model. A new approach is being made to the market based on connectivity, engagement and understanding. The outcome is the formation of long-term partnerships with clients based on trust and confidence, and the delivery of high quality learning and development products.

Joseph has extensive prior experience in senior management, governance and business consulting in both the private and public sectors.

Of Ngati Mutunga decent, Joseph has knowledge and experience with governance and management of iwi based organisations. In October 2009, he was appointed as a trustee of the Canterbury Community Trust and is a director of an Iwi Asset Holding Company.

Prior to relocating to Christchurch, Joseph was based in the Chatham Islands where he was CEO of the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust (1991 - 2006) and a Councillor of the Chatham Islands Council (1992 - 2000).

Anthony Leighs - Managing Director - Leighs Construction Ltd

Anthony has led and developed Leighs Construction from a start-up in 1995, to a successful and well respected commercial construction company. This success has been delivered by a team of people who operate within a culture which is focused solely on the successful completion of challenging construction projects

Anthony's abilities have been recognized by the industry and he was joint winner of the NZIOB Supreme Award & Innovation Award 2005 and winner of the NZIOB Young Achiever in 2002. Anthony is a Director of the New Zealand Master Builder's Federation and will this year be inducted as Chairman. He is also deputy chair of the Building Research Advisory Council (BRANZ).

Anthony has been involved in the commercial construction industry for the last 22 years, commencing with a cadetship at Downer Construction, and including experience in the United Kingdom. Projects of significance which have been completed by Leighs Construction include the Hillary Field Centre and Arrival Heights Observation Laboratory buildings at Scott Base in Antarctica. These projects placed Leighs Construction as the first private organisation to design and build for the New Zealand Government in Antarctica.

Following the success of the Antarctica projects, Leighs Construction was commissioned to design and build a new embassy for New Zealand Foreign Affairs in Dili, East Timor. Sustainability and security were the prime focus for the embassy and the result is the highest quality building in the country.

More recently Leighs Construction was involved in the very first rebuild, albeit involving temporary container retail, within the Christchurch CBD. RE:Start opened in the Cashel Mall to the public at the end of October 2011 and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Both retailers and the general public continue to show their appreciation and admiration for this new shopping precinct.

Leighs has also been involved in a number of office, retail and commercial builds. More recently that of the new Les Mills City Gym located in Cashel Street, Christchurch. This building won the Gold Award in 2010 for the best Tourism and Leisure Building in New Zealand, awarded by the Registered Masters Building Federation

Registration of Interest

For more information contact Steering Team Convenor Lyall Lukey at SmartNet, email lyall@smartnet.co.nz;
phone 03 3228293 or 021310808