COUNCIL APPOINTS INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS FOR CCHL

Christchurch City Council has appointed four new independent directors for Christchurch City Holdings Limited (CCHL). The CCHL Group currently includes the city's major infrastructure companies, Christchurch Airport, Lyttelton Port Company (LPC), Orion Group, Enable, EcoCentral and Citycare Group. The Group employs more than 3,000 people across Canterbury and around New Zealand. The new directors, David Hunt, Bridget Giesen, Martin Goldfinch and, from 1 September 2023, Chris Day join other new appointments Chair Abby Foote, Deputy Chair Gill Cox, and Councillors Sara Templeton and Sam MacDonald on the CCHL Board. CCHL Chair Abby Foote, who was part of the Appointments Committee which carried out an executive search process for the independent director roles using Propero Consulting Limited, said they were looking for a range of skills to reflect the change in the Council's expectations for the organisation and the outcomes arising out of the report completed by Northington Partners in December 2022 which recommended, amongst other things, a more dynamic mandate for CCHL, including a restructure of the CCHL board. "The Committee developed a skills matrix reflecting the resolution by Council that the recruitment of the board considers the experience and skill sets required to support the strategy evaluation and implementation contemplated by the Northington Report. The Committee also recognised that it was important to consider the appointments of all the independent directors together to ensure we have the appropriate balance of skills and experience on the Board," says Abby Foote. "In particular, we were looking for specific expertise in commercial performance, investment portfolio management, stakeholder relations, a focus on strategy and people, and broad financial experience." "We are very pleased with the high calibre of the candidates considered as part of this process. We have been able to appoint a strong board with the experience and skill sets CCHL needs as it considers its role and approach through the Strategic Review." David Hunt is an economist with extensive public and private sector experience for both government and business organisations. A former chief executive of Contact Energy and former director of Synergy, prior to David's move into business, he held senior roles at NZ Treasury, including Economic Adviser to the Minister of Finance. Since 2006, David has been a Consulting Director at Concept Consulting Group, which provides advice on carbon, energy, utility sector policy and regulatory issues in various infrastructure sectors. Bridget Giesen has a commercial background with a wide breadth of knowledge and experience across strategy, Maori investment, organisational development and people leadership. A former Strategy Manager for Air New Zealand and Corporate Strategy Analyst for Auckland Airport, Bridget is currently Director Manufacturing for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. A director of the Nelson Regional Development Agency and Puketeraki Limited, Bridget also has governance and management experience with entities of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu. Martin Goldfinch is a senior finance executive with extensive commercial experience across a range of industries. Currently Head Private Markets for ACC, Martin also has extensive governance experience, including previous roles as an independent director of Augusta Capital, Les Mills Group and Perpetual Capital Management. He is currently a director of Mondiale Freight Forwarding, Parts Trader Markets Limited and Australian insurance company Youi Holdings Pty Ltd. Chris Day is an accomplished governance and executive professional. He has an extensive background in finance, holding roles in IT transformation, energy, financial services and agricultural sectors, including with Silver Fern Farms, Z Energy, AXA and New Zealand Post. A Chartered Accountant of New Zealand and Australia and a Certified Treasury Professional member of the INFINZ (Institute of Finance Professionals of New Zealand). Chris is the Acting Chief Executive of New Zealand Green Investment Finance, a director of CentrePort (where he will step down from before joining CCHL), the New Zealand Institute of Directors (Chair of Audit & Risk Committee) and Datacom (Chair of Audit Committee). With the appointment of these independent directors, CCHL has announced the retirement of Michael Rondel and Barry Bragg, who joined the Board in an interim capacity in September 2022. Alex Skinner will stand down from his role on the CCHL Board at the AGM in November 2023, consistent with Council policy on director tenure, which limits independent directors to two terms. Alex joined the Board in 2016. "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank the retiring directors for their contribution and commitment during this period," says Abby Foote. "I would also like to pay tribute to Alex Skinner who stepped in as Interim Chair to lead the organisation through its period of transition." The appointments of David Hunt, Martin Goldfinch and Bridget Giesen are effective immediately. To allow for a seamless transition with Alex Skinner's retirement, Chris Day's appointment is effective 1 September 2023. -ends- For further information: Gerard Blank The Agency Communications Limited 03 349 5709 or 027 524 3629 gerard@theagencynz.co.nz End CA:00410442 For:CCH Type:ADMIN Time:2023-04-26 11:31:02