Executive appointments

David Alizade has been appointed head of commercial at Baldwins Intellectual Property. Mr Alizade previously worked in the commercial department of a large New Zealand law firm. Before that, he ran his own legal practice in the UK, working as a legal consultant in senior interim legal positions within organisations in the information technology, telecommunications and media sectors.

Australasian practical legal training provider the College of Law has appointed its New Zealand chief executive Peter Tritt director of continuing professional development in Sydney. Mr Tritt has been chief executive of the NZ College of Law for eight years. The College of Law NZ has also appointed Marcus Martin executive director. Mr Martin was previously in senior management roles with Auckland District Law Society and earlier worked at law firms Nabarro Nathanson and Cripps Harries Hall in the UK.

BurgerFuel Worldwide has appointed Tyrone Foley chief operating officer. Mr Foley worked for 17 years at McDonald’s under BurgerFuel’s current independent director Al Dunn (former chairman and chief executive of McDonald’s NZ). He had leadership roles in operations, franchising and the project management of the McCafe rollout. In 2005 he spent a year with BurgerFuel as general manager and then moved to BP Oil New Zealand where he has been for the past seven years.

Caroline Ada has been appointed Visa country manager New Zealand and South Pacific. She succeeds Sean Preston, who has been appointed executive manager, Southeast Asia and Australasia, based in Singapore. Ms Ada will move to New Zealand to take up her new role from Suncorp Bank in Brisbane, where she was regional general manager and head of transaction and savings products. 

Andrew Sayers and Grant McCurrach have been appointed joint managing principals of accounting and business advisory firm WHK Auckland. Mr Sayers joined WHK in 2007 and heads WHK Auckland’s tax and Asian business teams. He has had 12 years’ experience in taxation. Mr McCurrach heads WHK Auckland’s business services teams and has had 30 years of business advisory experience.

He sits on the board of a number of large private companies and charitable trusts. Michelle Malcolm and Amanda Watt have been promoted from associate principals to principals. Ms Malcolm joined WHK as a graduate in 1993 and heads the WHK Tauranga office, which she established in 2000. She has 19 years’ business advisory experience. Ms Watt joined WHK Auckland as a graduate and has over 15 years’ experience providing advice to business clients and property investors. She is a board member of the Auckland Property Investors Association and the New Zealand Property Investors’ Federation.

Juniper Networks has appointed Ken Lord country manager New Zealand. Mr Lord has been with Juniper Networks since 2008. He has had more than 15 years’ experience in the telco field and has held senior engineering and business development roles with both carriers and vendors.

The North Harbour Club has elected Matthew Bellingham president. He succeeds Peter Wall and is the third president since the organisation’s inception in 1995. Mr Bellingham, a director at Hayes Knight, has been a trustee and vice-president of the club for a number of years. He is also convener of judges at this year’s Westpac Auckland North Business Awards.

Jenn Bestwick and John Thorburn have been appointed to the Tourism NZ board. Ms Bestwick is chairwoman of CPIT and is on the board of NZQA and Southern Response Earthquake Services. Mr Thorburn is chief executive of Ngai Tahu Tourism, a member of the Tourism Industry Association and the Conservation Authority and a trustee of the Tourism Industry Trust. Henry van Asch and Jennie Langley have been reappointed for a second term.