Fran O’Sullivan
Fran O’Sullivan is Head of Business (Content) for NZME and a high-profile business columnist for the New Zealand Herald. She has a strong interest in New Zealand’s international business success and is a frequent television commentator and public speaker.
Fran is executive editor of the Herald’s influential Mood of the Boardroom – the premier CEOs survey in New Zealand. She also chairs the NZ US Council’s Friends Board and is a member of the NZ China Council. She is a regular participant in NZ’s international partnership forums and chairs the Metropolis Body Corporate.
Fran is a former editor of National Business Review, is an INFINZ fellow and has an award-winning track record in business journalism.
Jonathan Mason
Jonathan Mason has over 30 years of experience in financial management roles in the oil, chemicals, forest products, and dairy industries with an emphasis on emerging markets.
Jonathan was CFO of Fonterra Co-operative, CFO of Cabot Corporation (a Boston based chemical company), and CFO of Carter Holt Harvey. Jonathan also served in senior financial management positions at US based International Paper from 1990-2000.
Jonathan is currently a director of numerous large organisations and an Honorary Adjunct Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Auckland.
Darren Manning
Darren has over 30 years’ experience in buy-side and sell-side roles in New Zealand capital markets. He is an Executive Director and Co-Head of Markets at Forsyth Barr, a leading New Zealand wealth management, sharebroking and investment banking business.
Darren is a member of the New Zealand Markets Disciplinary Tribunal, a trustee of the University of Auckland School of Medical & Health Sciences Foundation and a member of the University of Auckland Foundation Investment Committee.
Gavin Lonergan
Gavin Lonergan is a partner in leading private equity firm Direct Capital. The firm has raised more than $1.7 Billion in capital and invested in over 80 private companies since its establishment in 1994.
In his 27 years with the firm, Gavin has served on a number of Direct Capital’s portfolio company boards, and he is a previous chair of the New Zealand Private Capital Association. He is currently a director of Qestral Corporation and Caci Group.
Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’ua
Hinerangi Raumati is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. She is an experienced governor with a focus on post settlement iwi entities and Māori commercial entities. Hinerangi has a particular interest in driving Māori economic development and creating models of governance that capture tikanga and matauranga as an appropriate lens for doing business in Aotearoa.
She is the current chair of Tainui Group Holdings Ltd and the iwi investment company of Ngati Mutunga. She is on the board of Genesis Energy, the NZ Super Fund and Taranaki Iwi Holdings and Pouarua Farms GP. Her iwi are Ngati Mutunga and Waikato. Hinerangi was also a member of the Tax Working Group in 2019.
Young Executive of the Year Award judges
Susan Peterson
Susan is a prominent figure in New Zealand’s business landscape, focusing on innovation, technology, and sustainability. As the Chair of Vista Group and an Independent Director on the boards of Xero, Mercury, Arvida and Craigs Investment Partners, her work emphasizes ambition for New Zealand with a special interest in using technology and inclusion to create a better future for all.
Susan’s past directorships include ASB Bank, Trustpower, Property for Industry, Compac Sorting and The New Zealand Merino Company. Susan served on the New Zealand Markets Disciplinary Tribunal for 9 years and has been a long serving member of the Global Women Board.
Susan is a Chartered Fellow of the IOD and has been a finalist in the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.
Liam Dann
Liam Dann is Business Editor at Large for the New Zealand Herald. He has been a journalist nearly 30 years, covering business for more than 20 . He writes news, opinion pieces and commentary covering markets, economics and politics. He is host of the Market Watch video show and Money Talks podcast series and author of the bestselling book BBQ Economics. He has also worked in the banking sector in London and travelled extensively.
Dame Joan Withers
Dame Joan has been a professional Director for more than 20 years and spent 25 years working in the media industry, previously holding CEO positions at The Radio Network and Fairfax Media.
Joan is currently the Chair of The Warehouse Group and Director of ANZ Bank, Sky Network TV and Origin Energy. She has previously held Chair positions at Mercury, TVNZ and Auckland Inernational Airport and was on the advisory board of The Treasury.
Joan is Trustee of the Louise Perkins Foundation and was previously Chair of the steeing commitee working to increase the percentage of South Auckland Māori and Pacific Island students taking up roles in the heath sector.
In 2024, Joan was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand order of Merit for services to business, governance and women.
Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award judges
Juliet Tainui-Hernandez
Juliet Tainui-Hernandez (Ngai Tahu, Te Whakatohea) has 25 years’ experience across varied executive leadership and governance roles in the professional advisory, financial services, and iwi spheres. Juliet returned home in October 2020 after two decades offshore to take up a directorship on the board of Ngai Tahu Holdings and an executive leadership role at Te Putea Matua, the Reserve Bank of NZ, where she served as an Assistant Governor until April 2024. She is now a full-time professional director.
Juliet is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, people and organisational well-being, and integrating te ao maori as a means of creating a stronger and more prosperous Aotearoa. She qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor in Aotearoa in 1999, in Australia (NSW) in 2001, and in England and Wales in 2007 and has also worked in risk and regulation, conduct and culture, business transformation and change, strategy and innovation and broad leadership and people-related roles.
Ranjna Patel
Ranjna, with her husband Kanti, set up the East Tamaki Healthcare Business in 1977. Tamaki Health has 50 clinics serving over 330,000 registered patients, and is the largest Private Primary Health care and Tele Health Provider in NZ. In 2014 she founded Gandhi Nivas, a Family Harm initiative that has seen some amazing results in non-recidivism in men.
Ranjna has extensive involvement in charitable and community groups for which she received a QSM in 2009 and ONZM in 2017. She sits on many advisory boards –Diversity Works NZ- Dep Chair, Mental Health, ISSO Swaminarayan Temple , NZ Police National Ethnic Forum, CM Police advisory Board and Chair of Indian Ink. Over the years she has been on NACEW, Lotteries Distribution Committee, Middlemore Foundation, Co of Women, Global Women, and Director of Bank of Baroda. She was past chair of the NZCIA Women’s Group and President of the Manukau Indian Association.
Rob Campbell
Rob is currently the Chair of Ara Ake Limited and NZ Rural Land Company. He also holds the position of Chancellor at Auckland University of Technology. Rob has over 30 years’ experience in capital markets and has previously been a director of or advisor to a range of investment fund and private equity groups in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States of America.
In 2019, Rob was awarded a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 2019 (CNZM) and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Victoria University of Wellington.
Rob holds a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Economic History and Political Science and a Master of Philosophy in Economics.
Sustainability Leadership judging advisors
Due to the specialty nature of the Sustainable Business Leadership Award, the Top 200 judging panel receive advice from external experts in this space.
Katie Beith
Katie has been in the Responsible Investment industry for almost 20 years, with the first part of her career spent overseas, predominantly in the UK. On returning to New Zealand in 2015, she joined New Zealand Super Fund as a Senior Investment Strategist for Responsible Investment.
In November 2021, Katie joined Forsyth Barr as the Head of ESG where she is responsible for incorporating ESG (environment, social and governance) principles into Forsyth Barr’s firm-wide operations and investment process, including assisting advisers with specific client needs.
Katie currently serves on the External Reporting Board’s Stakeholder Advisory Panel (XRAP), is Deputy Chair of the NZ National Advisory Board for Impact Investing and is also on the Investment Committee for NZ impact investor, Purpose Capital.
Kate Wilson Butler
Kate is a leading New Zealand voice on sustainable business. As the Director of Chapman Tripp’s Climate, Sustainability & ESG practice, Kate specialises in the intersection between climate and sustainability policy, law and strategy. She regularly speaks and advises on global and local developments in climate and ESG, including corporate climate action, target setting, disclosures and transition planning.
Prior to joining Chapman Tripp, Kate was Head of Climate Action at the Sustainable Business Council, where she worked with some of New Zealand’s largest companies to build a more sustainable future. Kate’s previous roles include climate change negotiator at the UN climate talks and Private Secretary to the Minister of Climate Change.
