We are very pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chair, Sue Sheldon. Sue has been a board member since 2011 and is taking over the role of Chair from Dame Jenny Shipley.
We are also delighted to announce the appointment of four new board members; Joanna Doolan, Grainne Moss, Anna Stove and Tania Simpson.
Sue Sheldon has held a long string of company directorships over her impressive career, spanning private, listed and Crown-owned sectors. The line-up has included Telecom, Meridian Energy, Ngai Tahu Holdings and Christchurch International Airport. She has chaired Chorus, the National Provident Fund and DiverseNZ, which is the collaborative initiative of Global Women. For her successes she was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business. Currently she is chairman of Freightways and Paymark, a director of Contact Energy, and independent chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Christchurch City Council.
“Achieving diversity is reliant on a consistent core leadership approach and on developing breadth and depth of thinking at senior levels within New Zealand business, which will lead to economic benefit and increased global reach for New Zealand in a rapidly changing world,” she says.
Joanna Doolan is senior partner at Ernst and Young. With over 20 years’ tax experience working in industry and with tax authorities, she has deep insight into tax issues and tax policy matters – making her a regular commentator in these areas. She’s passionate about making a difference in New Zealand, and actively provides assistance and support to start ups and charitable businesses. She will assume the role of treasurer on the Global Women Board.
She believes diversity will not happen if we are passive.
“We need to continue to both educate women to confidently take their rightful place and to keep promoting the message of the economic benefits,” she says.
“New Zealand leads the world by giving women the vote – we can do this again by being the first country to achieve gender parity. By being on the Global Women board I want to provide practical support to the organisation so it continues to be a powerful voice to bring about lasting change, the vision of its pioneers.”
Tania Simpson is the chief executive of Māori development company Kowhai Consulting and has served as a director of Mighty River Power Ltd for the past twelve years. She is a member of the Waitangi Tribunal, the deputy chair of LandCare Research New Zealand and a Director of AgResearch and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
She is passionate about Maori development and actively supports it in her roles as a member of both King Tuheita’s Council and the Law Commission Maori Committee, and as a trustee of Radio Maniapoto and Tui Trust. She is especially committed to supporting Maori women leadership in New Zealand and ensuring that women leaders of various ethnicities are also supported and acknowledged.
“I consider that the diverse modern New Zealand society should be reflected at leadership levels. I aim to extend the reach and influence of Global Women into diverse leadership communities in New Zealand.”
Gráinne Moss leads Bupa Care Services, New Zealand’s largest aged care provider. Her career spans over 20 years in healthcare in the public and private sectors, in the UK, Switzerland and New Zealand. Her vision for Bupa has seen her achieve outstanding employee engagement levels for the business – 4 percent in excess of the New Zealand national high performance benchmark.
Her drive spills over into her personal life: she was the first Irish woman to swim the English Channel and to swim Cook Strait.
“Everyone has so much to offer given the right environment and opportunity. It is critical that we shape an environment where all can succeed,” she says. Embracing diversity enriches us all and I hope to contribute to clearing barriers and creating opportunities for more women to achieve their vision, dreams and reach their full potential.”
Anna Stove is general manager of GlaxoSmithKline NZ and has over 25 years’ experience in leading and managing business within the pharmaceutical sector, both locally and internationally. She is a member of the GSK Global Disability Council and a non-executive director on the Board of Medicines New Zealand, and for seven years has held the vice-chairmanship for a children’s hospice in London.
A commercially astute and inspirational leader, she is passionate about developing talent within her own organisation and also focuses on mentoring emerging leaders in Asia Pacific.
“I believe that in order for organisations to be successful we need diverse leadership to truly reflect the communities in which we operate,” she says. “This will only be achieved by increasing the representation of people from different backgrounds and cultures on boards and in top management positions in New Zealand.”
Our new board members will join Michele Embling, Vanessa Stoddart, Jo Avenell, Mavis Mullins, Katherine Corich and Linda Jenkinson on the Global Women Board.
Topics: Board, chair, Joanna Doolan