Meet the Team

Operations Director / Assistant to Chief Executive

Andrea joined BusinessNZ in May 2016.  As the Operations Director she manages the day-to-day running of the office and ensures the right processes and practices are adhered to across the organisation.  She also manages the Chief Executive’s diary and appointments and works closely with the Board.

Andrea is also responsible for the professional leadership of the Admin Support Hub Team, the management of support functions for BusinessNZ events, and for health and safety matters.

She brings with her 16 years of experience from her previous role as Executive Manager at the New Zealand Bankers’ Association.

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Director, Advocacy BusinessNZ

Catherine Beard is Director of Advocacy for BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy network, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes.

The BusinessNZ network includes four large regional business associations, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South. It also includes the Major Companies Group, ExportNZ, more than 70 affiliated industry associations and Buy NZ Made.

The group’s goal is New Zealand’s prosperity through successful business.

Catherine works with government and other key decision makers on issues of concern to New Zealand business.

Catherine has spent the last 30 years as a lobbyist and advocate for a wide range of industries on a wide range of issues, including climate change issues for the energy intensive sector, the insurance sector and the agricultural sector (dairy focus). Catherine has participated in Prime Minister led trade missions to Indonesia and China and represents BusinessNZ at various international meetings.

Catherine was also a co-founder of a start-up business designing and manufacturing children’s nursery furniture, for which two products won national design awards.

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Executive Director, Buy NZ Made

Dane is the Executive Director of Buy NZ Made.

He has worked for several businesses and organisations across Asia. He was a business journalist at the National Business Review in Auckland. Most recently, Dane launched and managed the ShopKiwi campaign, which sits at more than 2000 members.

Dane holds a master’s degree in journalism, a degree in communication studies and a minor degree in environmental studies. He also holds a level 5 certificate in financial services.

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Executive Director, ExportNZ

Josh is the Executive Director for ExportNZ and works closely with the ExportNZ National Advisory Board to ensure the export community is well represented in Wellington.

Before joining BusinessNZ, Josh was the Senior Policy and International Relations Advisor for the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and Business Central. He was also previously the Executive Secretary for the New Zealand Taiwan Business Council.

Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations, Asian Studies) and a Bachelor of Commerce (International Business) from Victoria University of Wellington, having graduated in 2017.

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Communications Director

Writer and journalist Kathryn Asare manages BusinessNZ communications, including stakeholder communications business commentary and publications.

Kathryn has a Master of Business Studies from Massey University.

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Chief Executive

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Executive Director, Sustainable Business Council

Mike joined SBC in January 2020. His previous role was New Zealand’s High Commissioner to South Africa. Before that he was Director for Sustainable Economic Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the founding CEO of Aquaculture New Zealand.

He holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Canterbury.

Mike is based in Wellington.

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Deputy CEO and General Manager

Phil has responsibility for commercial partnerships, member retention and development and policy forums including the Major Companies Group’s CEO Forum.

He is BusinessNZ’s representative on the Regional Entrepreneurial Advanced Programme with MIT Boston and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum.

Previously Phil worked in shareholder and media relations at Telecom (now known as Spark) following positions as business editor and sports journalist in print media.

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Executive Director Energy and Climate Change, BusinessNZ Energy Council

Tina is the Executive Director of the BusinessNZ Energy Council (the New Zealand member committee of the World Energy Council). She is responsible for the development of policy on matters relating to energy, transport and innovation. Her work includes the management of BEC’s cross-sector energy scenarios and the World Energy Council’s tools such as the Energy Trilemma Index, Energy Issue Maps and other energy innovation projects. Previous projects include the programme development of the Asia-Pacific Energy Leaders’ Summit in 2016 and 2018.

Tina is a member of Transpower’s Consumer Advisory Panel, part of the Start-Up Energy Transition Jury and the advisor to New Zealand’s Young Energy Professional Network. Due to her passion for entrepreneurism, she is always looking out for the next game-changer in the energy sector.

Prior to her role as Executive Director, she worked as the Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Innovation at the BusinessNZ Energy Council. She also worked for enviaM in Germany, a subsidiary of RWE AG, where she was responsible for trading energy commodities. From 2012-2013, she worked for the STI Solar Technology International GmbH, Germany. While there, she was responsible for rolling out new solar products across Europe.

Tina holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) Value Chain Management from the University of Technology, Chemnitz in Germany and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Management of Energy Utilities from the University of Applied Sciences, Zwickau in Germany, including a semester at the University of Borås in Sweden studying International Marketing and Strategic Marketing. Her fields of specialisation include the energy industry, energy technology, energy policy and marketing.

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Senior Events Manager

Alana joined SBC in November 2021.

Alana has spent a number of years working across the public and private sector, leading events. She has experience with events of varying sizes, from large scale conferences to community-led events and workshops.

Prior to joining SBC, Alana spent a number of years working for Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities. She was responsible for establishing their events processes and guidelines and managing internal and external projects, campaigns and events including visits and announcements with Ministers of the Crown and Government Officials.

Alana is based in Auckland.

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Marketing Co-ordinator, Buy NZ Made

Anna is the Marketing Co-ordinator at the Buy New Zealand Made Campaign, working with manufacturers, producers, growers and exporters to gain market origin advantage for their products through the application of the globally recognised ‘New Zealand Made’ Kiwi trademark.

Anna is a recent graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, with a B.Com in Marketing and International Business.

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Head of Climate and Nature, Sustainable Business Council

Antonia joined the SBC team in 2023 after having spent 5 years working at the Climate Change Commission, and its predecessor, the Interim Climate Change Committee, where she led the development of the second emissions reduction plan advice. Prior to this she worked in roles in the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, and at the Department for Energy and Climate Change in the UK.

Antonia is based in Wellington.

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Legal Adviser

Barbara works in the areas of employment law, contracts, human rights and diversity.

A published author on employment-related matters and employer representative on the former Labour Court, she contributes to international bodies representing business, including the International Labour Organisation, International Organisation of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) of the OECD.

Barbara represents BusinessNZ on the Workbridge Council, the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women and BIAC’s Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee.

Barbara has an LLB and an MA (Hons).

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Communications Manager, BusinessNZ

Cal is BusinessNZ’s Communications Manager, working across the Division Brands to highlight advocacy and ensure we’re adding value to the conversation.

Like many people in Comms, Cal started out as a reporter – working for a small but mighty daily regional paper. He has since worked across Government agencies tailoring social media content and establishing thriving online communications channels.

Cal has a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations.

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Sustainability Manager – Climate & Environment

Charlotte Kootstra joined in September 2022. Before joining SBC, Charlotte spent three and a half years as the Senior Sustainability Specialist for Ports of Auckland where she focused primarily on climate mitigation, adaptation and looking at the risks and opportunities of varying climate scenarios for the Port and the role it plays in New Zealand’s supply chain. Before that she was at BNZ for seven years in the role of Sustainability Consultant where she managed their carbon inventory, emissions reduction programme and sustainability communications and before that she spent five years working as a Communications Advisor – Sustainability for the BP head office in London.

A believer in living the best sustainable lifestyle she can and a passion for helping organisations realise the positive role they can have on the environment, their people, and their stakeholders.  

Charlotte is based in Auckland.

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BusinessNZ Network General Manager

Christine joined BusinessNZ in 2021 as General Manager of the newly formed BusinessNZ Network, which is made up of BusinessNZ and the regional organisations EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South: Otago Chamber and Southern Employers.

In her role, Christine focuses on leveraging and developing shared opportunities across all organisations, building a culture of collaboration, along with a national voice for the Network.

Christine, with a commercial background across retail, sales, membership organisations, governance and the construction sectors, fully understands the issues and opportunities businesses in NZ face.

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Executive Assistant, BusinessNZ | BusinessNZ Energy Council and Events Coordinator

Deb joined BusinessNZ in July 2016 after 15 years working within the Education Sector.

Deb’s role as Executive Assistant to Tina Schirr, Executive Director of the BusinessNZ Energy Council and to BusinessNZ includes executive administrative support, diary management, and brand event coordination.

Deb is also a member of the Health & Safety Committee.

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Executive Assistant, BusinessNZ & Major Companies Group

Grace joined BusinessNZ in April 2021 after five years working in the Hospitality, Travel and Tourism industry.

As part of the Support Hub Team, her role as Executive Assistant to Andrea Tonner (Manager Executive Office) and Phil Love (General Manager, Major Companies Group (MCG) and Business Development) includes executive administrative support, diary and travel management, and event support for the MCG brand.

Grace also provides back-up support to the Chief Executive.

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Policy Advisor, ExportNZ

Josie joined BusinessNZ in September 2018 after graduating from Massey University.

Josie is responsible for developing ExportNZ’s submissions in response to the wide range of government proposals impacting New Zealand exporters. She is passionate about New Zealand’s place in the world and supporting members through sharing their view in ExportNZ’s advocacy work.

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Administrative & Licensing Assistant, BuyNZ Made

Jan is the Administrative & Licensing Assistant at Buy New Zealand Made Campaign, working with businesses on the application of the iconic ‘New Zealand Made’ kiwi trademark.

Jan has worked in the hospitality and tourism industries for a number of years. Before Buy New Zealand Made she was working at Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA).

Jan plays football and supports Arsenal FC.

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Head of ESG

Jay believes in doing good in the world, putting her people skills to good use to affect change. Before joining SBC, Jay spent 10 years working in the UK in a variety of programme management and communications roles across the commercial and community sectors. At SBC she supports businesses to embed sustainability at both a governance and operational level, championing them to do the right thing by people and planet.

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Economist

Over the last 25 years John has been closely involved with a number of NZ’s economic reforms, including introducing contestability in the provision of workplace accident insurance and advancing the reform of water management practices.

John has previously held positions at the Economic Development Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the Employers’ Federation and Federated Farmers.

In his current role he has prime responsibility for monetary policy issues, local government, insurance issues and water and waste. He is a member of the Waste Advisory Board.

John has a B.Com and Post-graduate Diploma in Commerce (Economics).

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Head of Communications & Events (Acting)

Kate joined SBC in 2024 on secondment from her role as Manager, Communications and Content for SBC member EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority). She is our acting Head of Communications & Events while Rebecca Lowe is on parental leave. Kate brings a wealth experience to the SBC team in strategic communications, PR, events and digital content – across both the private and public sector, with a focus on social sciences.

Kate is based in Wellington. For all communication queries, including the weekly Pānui newsletter, please contact [email protected].

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Energy Policy Advisor

Levi is the Energy Policy Advisor for Business NZ Energy Council and works closely with Tina on policy matters relating to energy, transport, and climate change.

Before joining Business NZ, Levi worked as a Researcher at the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Levi holds a Bachelor of Arts (double major in Politics and Philosophy) and a Bachelor of Commerce (major in Public Policy).

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Graphic Designer BusinessNZ

Malissa is the In-House Graphic Designer at BusinessNZ, working across all division brands to provide print, digital, marketing and communication design.

Malissa is a recent graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, with a Bachelor of Design Innovation, majoring in Communication Design.

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Senior Policy Advisor

Mark has more than 40 years of experience working as an economist in a variety of roles in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

In the UK, he started his career in university research, before moving to an industry and trade promotions body, and then into consulting.

He came to New Zealand in 2003, and he has worked as a consultant with both the NZIER and BERL. He has also worked at Housing New Zealand, the Tertiary Education Commission and Statistics New Zealand.

He joined BusinessNZ in 2022, and his job is to provide research, analysis and advice as part of the tripartite Future of Work project, which aims to prepare the New Zealand workforce for the challenges ahead.

Mark has a BA (Hons) degree in Economics and Geography, and a MSc degree in Transport Management and Planning.

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Senior Communications Advisor

Nicole is SBC’s Digital Communications Advisor, having joined the team in July 2022. In her role, she oversees SBC’s digital channels, including our website, social media, Pānui newsletter and more.

Before coming to SBC, Nicole spent two years at Heartland Bank as their Senior Communications Advisor, with a focus on growing Heartland’s digital platforms. Prior to that, she worked for analytics firm Datamine for three years as a Content Marketer.

Nicole is based in Auckland. For all communication queries, including the weekly Pānui newsletter, please contact [email protected].

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Manager – Employment Relations Policy

Paul has worked in employment relations in the private and public sectors.

He was extensively involved in the post-1980 reforms in education, the environmental sector and the public service.

Previous work included a range of roles in the energy sector, change management at Ernst & Young and General Manager Employment Relations at Carter Holt Harvey.

Paul has been elected Employer Deputy Member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation and Employer member of the ILO Standards Review Mechanism Group.

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Membership Manager, Sustainable Business Council

Pravin manages member engagement, supporting members to connect with SBC services and programmes.

Prior to joining SBC in November 2019, he worked at Fairtrade ANZ for 12 years in a variety of roles supporting commercial partners in developing and promoting sustainable supply chains in the food and fashion sectors.

Pravin holds a BSc in International Management Science from the University of Wales, Swansea.

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Manager – Education, Skills and Immigration

Rachel is the Manager for Education, Skills and Immigration at BusinessNZ.

Rachel works on issues relating to labour market demand for skilled workers.

Prior to joining BusinessNZ, Rachel has held a variety of senior management and advisory roles in Government education agencies, Parliament and the education sector, working in New Zealand and overseas in the areas of industry training, tertiary education policy and investment, international education and education systems and strategy.

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Manager – Thriving People, Sustainable Business Council

Robert manages SBC’s Sustainable Leadership programme. This growing programme includes initiatives on mainstreaming sustainable business practices throughout NZ, business leadership and reframing business with a societal purpose to deliver lasting value for people, profit and prosperity.

As a strategist, policy practitioner and auditor Robert brings to SBC over 20 years’ experience providing strategic leadership on sustainability issues and their solutions in business, consultancy and public sector organisations in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Robert has worked on a wide range of sustainability initiatives and was the driving force behind the co-design, governance and citywide delivery of Low Carbon Auckland – a 30 year strategy and action plan to drive Auckland’s low carbon economic transformation.

Originally from Liverpool, Robert is a passionate Liverpool FC fan, muso and fitness fanatic.

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Executive Assistant, Sustainable Business Council

Sally has joined the SBC team as Executive Assistant, managing administration and scheduling for our team of nine, as well as SBC’s Advisory Board.

Sally’s previous role was EA to the CEO at the Real Estate Authority.

She is based in Wellington.

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Personal Assistant & Team Administrator

With a background in Support Work and Service Advisory roles, Sheena brings her strong organisational and interpersonal skills to the Support Hub Team at BusinessNZ, under the management of Andrea Tonner, Operations Director. In her role as Personal Assistant & Team Administrator to Catherine Beard, Director of Advocacy, Sheena is responsible for travel arrangements, calendar and diary management, and providing support to the Policy Team. Additionally, she plays a key role in organising and assisting with BusinessNZ and related brand events.

Sheena serves as the Team Administrator for ExportNZ and ManufacturingNZ, providing support to their respective boards. In her database management role, she oversees the processing, implementation and storage of BusinessNZ’s data. This involves close collaboration with MCG, MCG Gold, and AIG, as well as the maintenance of the ExportNZ website.

Beyond her professional responsibilities, Sheena is passionate about Mental Health awareness in the workplace. She holds certifications as a Mental Health First Aider, First Aider and is a Stage 1 Health & Safety Representative.

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Economist

Steve Summers has responsibility for tax policy, regulatory frameworks, SME issues, compliance costs, telecommunications and capital markets, in which areas he contributes to a number of Government advisory committees.

Steve has overall responsibility for BusinessNZ surveys and data analysis relevant to the business community, including the Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) and the Performance of Services Index (PSI). He also assists with the running of both the private and public sector Wellington Seminars.

His background includes labour market and income analysis for Statistics NZ.

Steve has a Master’s Degree in Economics from Massey University.

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Manager – Climate Leaders Coalition

Armed with a passion for making a difference and helping to create a sustainable future for all, Shannil has created and led sustainability strategy implementations and initiatives within business and the public sector, most recently as the Sustainability Manager at NZ Blood. He is currently completing his Doctorate of Business Administration, and has also received his MBA, focused on climate change reporting.

Having chaired sustainability professional interest groups within the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and the Healthcare sector, Shannil has a strong desire to use his skills and knowledge to help companies create new opportunities and improve their environmental and social impact.

Shannil is based in Auckland.

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Executive Assistant

Tiahna joined BusinessNZ in July 2023 after 5 years of working in the Finance Industry.

As part of the Support Hub Team, her role as Executive Assistant to Andrea Tonner Manager Executive Office and Phil Love General Manager, Major Companies Group (MCG) and Business Development. Her role includes executive administrative assistance, diary and travel management, and event support for the MCG brand.

Tiahna also provides back-up support to the Chief Executive.

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