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Ngāi Tahu Holdings appoints senior leaders

Jo Allison, Dean Fraser, and Craig Ellison all join the executive team.

Tue, 30 Jun 2020

Ngāi Tahu Holdings has appointed three senior leaders to support the company as it resets the strategic direction of its commercial businesses.

Jo Allison will join as general manager corporate services; Dean Fraser (Ngāi Tahu – Ōtākou) has been appointed as general manager transformation; and Craig Ellison (Ngāi Tahu – Ōtākou) will step into the fixed-term role of chief operating officer.

Chief executive Mike Pohio said the new executive roles will help to deliver the Ngāi Tahu Holdings strategy across three key areas – investment, business unit optimisation, and excellence in service delivery.

Mike Pohio

“The effects of Covid-19 on our businesses have been and will continue to be significant, given the ongoing impact on New Zealand’s economy and the focus of many of our businesses on international trade or tourism …

“We are grateful at a time like this to have a diverse portfolio traversing seafood, farming, forestry, tourism, property, and a range of investments.”

Jo Allison

The GM corporate services role will provide strategic accountability for corporate support including risk management, finance and business information systems. Allison has a wealth of strategic leadership and diverse operations experience. Her most recent role was chief operating officer with Tourism Holdings Ltd, where she was responsible for service delivery across five different organisations. In addition to the corporate services portfolio, she will also provide strategic and operational leadership to the Ngāi Tahu Tourism businesses. Allison starts on September 21, 2020.

Dean Fraser

Dean Fraser brings to the general manager transformation role a wealth of global experience and an understanding of diverse stakeholder groups from different cultures. Having served on his local rūnanga board and being involved with iwi initiatives, he has a deep connection to Ngāi Tahu. He will work closely with the executive leadership team and business units to enhance operational excellence and innovation, also providing support to the investment team.

Fraser will start on July 6 2020.

Craig Ellison

A fixed-term role of chief operating officer has been created to oversee business unit operations.

Pohio said: “The pace and volume of necessary work [in this area] has intensified through Covid-19 challenges.” Therefore, the COO role is set until June 2021 to provide support through this peak period.

Ellison was chair of the Ngāi Tahu Seafood board, prior to its disestablishment last year. As a professional director, he has diverse skills in monitoring the performance of operating businesses and managing risk. Ellison will be taking a step away from his full governance portfolio to perform the COO position, starting July 1, 2020.

Sam Inglis

The final change in the executive team is a change in title for Sam Inglis (Ngāi Tahu – Puketeraki). From July 1, Inglis’ title – he was formerly known as the portfolio manager – will be general manager investment.

Heath Mills

In addition to the changes, Heath Mills (Ngāi Tahu – Ōraka Aparima) has been appointed as a director to the All Blacks Experience board, a joint venture between New Zealand Rugby and Ngāi Tahu Tourism.

Completion of the construction and fitout of the yet-to-launch All Blacks Experience in Auckland recommenced following the country’s move to alert level 3. Its opening date will be announced shortly.

Mills is currently the CEO of the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association, and will bring extensive experience in strategy, stakeholder management, and commercial partnerships.


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Ngāi Tahu Holdings appoints senior leaders
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