New Chair And Directors For NZTE Board

Jennifer Kerr the first woman to Chair the trade and investment promotion agency

An experienced director and human resources executive is to become the first woman Chair of New Zealand Trade & Enterprise – Te Taurapa Tūhono.

Jennifer Kerr, of Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama descent, has been appointed to the role by the Minister for Trade and Export Growth, the Hon Damien O’Connor, and the Minister of Economic and Regional Development, the Hon Stuart Nash. She will replace Andrew Ferrier, who was Chair of NZTE from 2012.

The Ministers have also appointed three new members to the NZTE Board: Mike O’Donnell, who will become Deputy Chair; Sarah Paterson; and Carl Carrington. They replace Charlotte Walshe and Charles Finny, who have left the Board over the past nine months.

Ms Kerr has been a member of NZTE’s Board since 2013, and has been Chair of the Culture & People Committee and a member of the Audit & Risk Committee. She is also Deputy Chair of Callaghan Innovation and a director of New Zealand Rugby.

Mr O’Connor said: “Jennifer has accepted the role of Chair of NZTE and will bring a broad range of commercial and governance experience to the Board. This will be complemented by her detailed knowledge of NZTE and its people around the globe.

“That in-depth understanding will be crucial as NZTE supports our COVID-19 Trade Recovery Strategy, ensuring that New Zealand can effectively re-connect with the world.”

Mr Nash said the three new directors each brought business experience that would be valuable to the organisation.

“Mike O’Donnell has a track record in digital businesses, from the early days of TradeMe to his current directorships. Sarah Paterson has a background in the primary sector, including Fonterra and Meat and Wool New Zealand, and Carl has broad experience in the food and beverage sector.

“By joining the other current members of the Board – Traci Houpapa and Wayne Norrie – we will have an expert group of people to support NZTE as it delivers on its purpose, to grow companies internationally.”

All four begin their new roles on March 7.

The new Chair and Board also thank Charlotte Walsh and Andrew Ferrier for their longstanding contributions to the purpose of NZTE. “In particular, after nine years Andrew has left NZTE in excellent shape and we all appreciate the dedication he has shown to our exporters and the business community,” Ms Kerr said.

© Scoop Media