Mercury appoints Future Director, Anna Lissaman

Mercury has appointed Anna Lissaman as its next Future Director, effective this month. Ms Lissaman is Director of People & Talent at TVNZ.

It is the third time Mercury has appointed a Future Director, an initiative developed by Sir Stephen Tindall, Des Hunt of the New Zealand Shareholders’ Association and Michael Stiassny and now administered by the Institute of Directors. The programme aims to improve the pipeline of younger talent coming into governance. Mercury Chair, Joan Withers, says the programme offers benefits to both the company and participant and the experience to date is that the Future Director appointees provide significant value to the companies they work with.

“Anna is an experienced business leader with a strong ability to lead transformation and growth across private and public sector organisations. She joins us at a time where Mercury has established strong momentum under its single brand and its focus on bringing to life its purpose of inspiring New Zealanders to enjoy energy in more wonderful ways,” Mrs Withers said.

“Mercury operates in a dynamic sector within which we benefit from diverse perspectives, so we welcome Anna and look forward to her being part of our growth over the next 18 months.”

Ms Lissaman says she is excited by the opportunity to both learn and contribute through the programme. She has a particular interest in observing and influencing the way in which nonfinancial risks and opportunities, including cultural and leadership behaviours, are considered at board level.

“I’m also passionate about elevating the diversity of voices heard within businesses, particularly those of younger employees who think about and navigate the digital world quite differently to others,” Ms Lissaman said.

Ms Lissaman’s appointment runs from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2019. One of Mercury’s previous Future Directors, Nicky Ashton, has been elected to her first independent directorship. She is set to join The Co-Operative Bank board subject to Reserve Bank approval.

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