Board of directors

Margaret Devlin, BA Hons Business Studies, Finance and Economics, CFInstD

Chair

Margaret is a professional director with extensive experience in governance and executive management primarily in the water and infrastructure sectors in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She has served as a director for a range of entities with a particular focus on audit and risk. Margaret is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

General disclosure of interests: Director, Waikato Regional Airport; Director, Titanium Park (wholly owned subsidiary of Waikato Regional Airport); Director, Waimea Water Limited; Director, IT Partners Group; Chair, Advisory Board Women in Infrastructure Network; Chair, Hospice Waikato; Chartered Fellow, Institute of Directors; Member, Institute of Directors, Waikato Branch Committee; Director, Dairy NZ Limited.

Dr Nicola Crauford BSc (Hons), PhD, DistFEngNZ, FAICD, CFInstD

Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

Nicki has extensive governance and senior management experience in energy, water and telecommunications utilities. As a director she brings a combination of technical, commercial and strategic skills. She has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, a doctorate in applied science from the University of Southampton, and has worked in the oil and gas, energy and banking sectors. As well as utilities her governance portfolio has spanned science research and development, fire and emergency management, and environmental protection and regulation. Nicki chairs Burgundy Holdco Limited (owner of StraitNZ Holdings) and is a director of Lyttleton Port Company Limited; director and shareholder of Riposte Consulting Limited and a trustee of the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust. She is a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.
 
General disclosure of interests: Director and Shareholder, Riposte Consulting Limited; Trustee, Wellington Regional Stadium Trust; Director and Chair, Burgundy Holdco Limited (owner of StraitNZ Limited); Director, Lyttleton Port Company Limited.

Frances Valintine CNZM

Frances is dedicated to pushing Aotearoa ahead as a global leader in innovation to build a stronger, more resilient future for all New Zealanders. Over the past 8 years across Tech Futures Lab and The Mind Lab, Frances has been instrumental in reskilling and educating 20,000 adult students in formal programmes, many thousands in short tech courses in software development, and over 250,000 school aged students.
 
With an eye always on future horizons, Frances has worked with and advised over 250 organisations across every sector in New Zealand - from agriculture to finance, retail to law - and has gained a reputation as an expert in leading digital transformation initiatives that bring positive impact.
 
A Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her lifetime contribution to education and technology (2018), Frances has received numerous awards recognising her passion and commitment to supporting the young and more mature to seek opportunities and reach their potential. In 2020, Frances received the Outstanding Contribution to Technology and Business at the CIO Awards. Her past accolades include:
2017:  the NZ Flying Kiwi Award, inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame and named one of the top 3 NZ Innovators of the Year at the NZer of the Year awards.
2016: named one of the top 50 EdTech Educators in the World by EdTech International; awarded a Sir Peter Blake Leader Award.
2015: awarded the Westpac New Zealand Woman of Influence (Innovation) and the Next New Zealand Woman of the Year (Education)
 
She holds a Master of Education Management from the University of Melbourne.

General disclosure of interests: Director, The Mind Lab Limited; Director, Tech Futures Lab Limited; Director and Shareholder, Harcourt Jasper Limited; Director and Shareholder, Pointed Tangram Limited; Director and Shareholder, Harper Lilley Limited; Director and Shareholder, On Being Bold Limited; Director and Shareholder, Sandell Trustees Limited; Selection Advisor, Edmund Hillary Fellowship; Board of Trustee, University of Silicon Valley; Shareholder, Thought-Wired Limited; Director, Academy EX Limited; Director, Earth Futures Lab; Director, Edlab Limited.

Graham Darlow BE, FICE, Dist FEngNZ

Chair of Asset Management Committee

Graham is an independent director and advisor to the construction industry. He has extensive experience in the planning, consenting, design and construction of major infrastructure projects. His project governance experience includes the Waterview Tunnel, Te Papa Tongarewa, Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade, Hobson Tunnel, Downtown Infrastructure Programme and many of New Zealand’s water, wastewater, transport, energy and marine projects. Previously Graham was Chief Executive of Fletcher Construction, President of Engineering New Zealand, and Safeguard Safety Leader of the Year in 2016. He is a Distinguished Fellow of Engineering New Zealand, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

General disclosure of interests: Business Executive, Acciona Infrastructure NZ Limited; Director and Shareholder, Brockway Consulting Limited; Chair, Frequency NZ Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Civil Construction Limited; Director, Holmes Group Limited; Director, Tainui Auckland Airport Hotel GP (No.2) Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Heavy Haulage Limited; Director, Hick Bros. Holdings Limited; Chair, The LEAD Alliance Board; Director, Holmes GP ANZ Ltd; Director, Hick Group Ltd .
 
 

Julian Smith LLB, BCom, Adv ASB, CMInstD

Julian is an independent director with 13 years' governance experience. He retired from his executive career in late 2019 when he was chief customer officer for Meridian Energy and responsible for $1.2b revenue and a team of 400. His career saw him hold several senior executive roles in the internet/digital, financial services, telecommunications sectors as well as central government.

Julian is a strategy, transformation and customer experience expert with extensive marketing and corporate affairs credentials and has worked in a range of international markets across Asia, Australasia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. He holds an LLB and BCom from the University of Auckland and an associate diploma in public speaking form Speech NZ.

General disclosure of interests: General disclosure of interests: Advisory Board Member, Vadacom Limited; Board Trustee, Look Good Feel Better Trust; Director and Shareholder, JTB Enterprises Limited; Committee member, Institute of Directors – Auckland Committee; Chair, Institute of Directors Te Tai Tokerau, Northland Sub-Committee; Committee member, Body Corporate Chairs Group NZ – Auckland Committee; Body Corporate Committee member, The Connaught Residential Apartments, Auckland; MyCareerBrand.