Meet our Board of Directors & Executive Leadership Team

Board of Directors

• Sarah Ottrey (Chair)

  Appointed March 2019, Chair from October 2023

  Sarah has held senior marketing roles in New Zealand and off-shore with Unilever and DB Breweries/Heineken. Sarah is a Chartered Fellow of the NZ Institute of Directors, and a committee member of the Otago Southland Institute of Directors. She is currently chair of Whitestone Cheese, and a director of Skyline Enterprises, Mt Cook Alpine Salmon and Sarah Ottrey Marketing Ltd. Sarah was formerly a director of listed companies EBOS Group, Comvita, and Blue Sky Meats, Crown Enterprise The Public Trust, and an external member of the Inland Revenue Risk and Assurance Committee.

  Sarah is an ex officio member of all our board committees.

• Paul Reid

  Appointed May 2018

  Paul joined the Board in May 2018 and brings extensive commercial experience gained across a diverse range of businesses. Paul is currently Chair of, Virsae Group, and director of New Zealand Post. Past directorships include ASX-listed Volpara Health Technology, Figured, NZX listed Comvita and Pukeko Pictures GP.

  He has held a number of key executive roles in the transformation of businesses including Air New Zealand, MetService and Carter Holt Harvey. Paul is based in Wellington, New Zealand.

  Paul chairs the Property and Infrastructure Committee, and is a member of the People, Culture and Safety Committee and the Aeronautical and Commercial Committee.

• Andrew Barlass

  Appointed September 2021

  Andrew Barlass has a background in both corporate finance and infrastructure funds management, most recently as Head of Asset Management for Deutsche Asset Management Australia. His local and international experience spans a range of industries including regulated utilities, infrastructure, airports, ports, forestry and agribusiness sectors.

  Andrew is based in Mid Canterbury, is currently a Director of EA Networks, Ashburton Contracting Limited, CentrePort Limited and custodian of an intergenerational family farming business. Past governance experience includes roles at Asia Pacific Airports Corporation, Port of Geelong, and Allgas Energy. 

  Andrew chairs the Risk, Audit and Finance Committee, and is a member of the Property and Infrastructure Committee.

• Meg Matthews

  Appointed October 2024

  Meg is a qualified accountant with more than 20 years’ senior management experience across key business disciplines of finance, human resource management, strategic planning and marketing.

  She held the position of Head of Marketing (Australasia) for Air New Zealand and then Chief Executive of World of WearableArt. She started at the national airline in Corporate Finance after beginning her career with Deloitte.

  A Member of the Institute of Directors, she is a director of Port of Nelson, RealNZ Group, Halberg Foundation, NZ Olympic Committee and a past director of TVNZ.  She is of Ngāi Tahu descent. 

  Meg chairs the Aeronautical and Commercial Committee and People, Culture and Safety Committee.

• Nick Astwick

  Nick has more than 25 years’ experience at board and senior executive level across financial services and health, including banking, insurance and investment management. His career spans New Zealand and the United Kingdom, with extensive experience in strategy, business transformation, growth and leadership in highly regulated organisations.

  He has served as Chief Executive of Southern Cross Health Society and held senior executive positions at Kiwibank, including Chief Operating Officer and Acting Chief Executive. Earlier in his career, he held roles with National Bank and UBS Warburg in London.

  Nick’s governance roles include directorships with The Co-operative Bank, FMG, Autonomy Health and Woolaid, and a trusteeship with the Halberg Trust. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Canterbury.

  Nick is a member of the Property and Infrastructure Committee, the People, Culture and Safety Committee, and the Risk, Audit and Finance Committee.

• Richard Thomson

  Richard has extensive experience in aviation, commercial finance and corporate finance. He was Chief Financial Officer of Air New Zealand from March 2021 until August 2026, overseeing Finance, Corporate Finance, Legal, Fleet, Network Planning, Group Shared Services, and Property and Infrastructure.

  He previously spent almost 14 years with Air New Zealand in senior roles, including Group General Manager Commercial, General Manager Networks and General Manager Corporate Finance. In 2017, he joined Metlifecare as Chief Financial Officer and was closely involved in its acquisition by private equity firm APVG. Earlier in his career, he advised companies on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity capital raisings, corporate taxation and company valuations.

  Richard holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Canterbury, together with a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance. He maintains a private pilot licence.

  Richard is a member of the Aeronautical and Commercial Committee and the Risk, Audit and Finance Committee.