Meet our Directors


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Richard Austin

Board Member

Richard is a Chartered Accountant and has over 35 years' experience in senior roles in the New Zealand investment industry.He is the Managing Partner & a Principal Adviser of Cambridge Partners Ltd, a large, independent wealth management company based in Christchurch. Richard has been involved in private equity with Gould Holdings Ltd, been the Independent Adviser-Portfolio Review Committee of the Public Trust and has acted as an expert witness in several investment-related court cases.


In 2012 Richard was the President of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (now CAANZ) and was awarded a Fellowship for his contribution to the profession. He has been a Director of Mentors NZ for many years.

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Justin Flitter

Board Member

Justin Flitter is chair of Tech Marketers Group and Chief Marketing Officer at SaaS company, Virsae.com. Justin has been at the forefront of technology and B2B marketing for more than 20 years and knows first-hand the value of having a mentor. From founding one of New Zealand’s first Business Incubators in 2000, Justin recognises the impact his mentors have had in helping him to overcome challenges and maximise opportunities. Justin is passionate about helping business leaders learn about and adopt new technology and looks forward to passing on his knowledge through Business Mentors NZ.

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Kenina Court

Board Member

Kenina Court is a director and partner at Pathfinder Solutions, an accounting business working with SME businesses. Kenina brings strategic, governance and operational knowledge to the Board and, having set up and run her own businesses, has a good understanding of the challenges that face business owners. Kenina is a sought after and respected director. She has been working with SMEs for over 20 years and is focused on adding value, improving productivity, and growing wealth. Kenina looks forward to helping businesses harness their creativity, passion and power to drive this crucial sector forwards. 

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Michael Durie

Board Member

Michael Durie is a lifelong and passionate marketer with over 40 years of advertising, PR, sales, and marketing management experience, having worked across a broad range of corporate and small-medium business enterprises in Australia and New Zealand. He is also interested in supporting the New Zealand start-up and entrepreneurial business community, and in 2020, he co-founded Christchurch-based clean energy-tech firm HIKO Unlimited. Michael sits on numerous advisory and governance boards for both commercial and non-profit organisations and is a long-standing Mentor with our service, which has opened doors to help local businesses during challenging times.

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Mitchell Pham

Board Member

Mitchell Pham ONZM FCPA has been prominent in technology innovation and entrepreneurship in New Zealand and Southeast Asia for over three decades. He has led initiatives in various sectors, including finance, healthcare, and transportation. Mitchell has chaired several organisations, including the Digital Council for Aotearoa and NZTech, and co-founded numerous industry networks, such as InsurTechNZ and EdTechNZ. He serves as a Trustee for the Asia NZ Foundation and advises on digital currency and migrant strategies. Internationally, he leads KEA's global board and is recognised for his contributions to technology and New Zealand-Asia relations, receiving the ONZM royal honour in 2023.

Meet our Trustees


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Sir Ken Stevens, KNZM

Trustee

Sir Ken’s company Glidepath designs, manufactures and installs Baggage & Cargo Handling Systems for airports. Glidepath counts 850 projects in 78 countries over 40 years of manufacturing, exporting and installing Glidepath’s airport products. Glidepath has 8 offshore facilities: Africa, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, and Peru. Since 1991, Ken Glidepath have won 25 business awards for exporting technology achievement.
In 2007 Ken lead a government mandated initiative entitled “Export Year 07” where he partnered with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to inspire exporters. The outcome saw significant export
growth and a very effective on-going partnership with government. He continues to lead business trade missions offshore working with the government in assisting fledgling exporters.

Other business interests include:-
Export NZ National Board – Chairman
Business Mentors – Trustee
VEX Robotics Charitable Trust – Board/Trustee

Ken is an Inducted Member of Waitakere City’s “Business Hall of Fame”, an Honorary Fellow of The Institution of Professional Engineers – New Zealand, and a member of the NZ Institute of
Directors. Ken’s passion is the growth of New Zealand’s wealth and wellbeing through the advancement of our youth into an internationally connected business. He was also knighted in 2008 for his ‘services to exporting’.

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Angus Fletcher

Trustee

Angus had a career in business with Fletcher Holdings and then Fletcher Challenge and a long-standing involvement in a wide variety of not-for-profit community-based organisations.  Currently
these include chairmanship of the Fletcher Trust and trustee of Te Rangimarie Charitable Trust, Southern Cross Campus Foundation and For the Sake of Our Children Trust and a member of the
Supporters Council of Young Enterprise Trust.

Garry Moore (Old Photo),

Garry Moore, CNZM

Trustee

Garry Moore is a former mayor of Christchurch who also served two terms as a councillor. Before becoming a Councillor and Mayor he worked in Economic Development and accounting. He was a member of the founding group that formed Whalewatch Ltd, Kaikoura and a founder of Company Rebuilders. As well as being Mayor of Christchurch he chaired the Metro Mayors and founded the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs which spread throughout all TLA’s in NZ bar two. When he finished as Mayor Christchurch was in a net-debt free position financially. This provided the level of financial
stability which was needed when the earthquakes struck the City. In 2007 he was awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Since leaving the Mayoralty, Garry has been instrumental in operating a not-for-profit organisation focused on providing housing for low-income families. He also serves on Community Housing Aotearoa National Council. This is the organisation committed to housing solutions for all NZ families, regardless of their income levels.

Garry is also a  husband, father and grandfather. The extended Moore family has invested in two central city businesses and play an active role in the rebuilt economy and the public discourse which is alive and well in Christchurch.

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Sir William Gallagher, KNZM, MBE, HonD

Director

Sir William is the Group Executive Officer and Director of The Gallagher Group Ltd.  In 2011 he was knighted to mark his commitment to enterprise and leadership.  In 1996 he was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Communication Leadership award, the first time in its history that it had been awarded outside North America.

Sir William also received an MBE in 1987 followed by a New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998.

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Sir Ralph Norris KNZM D.Bus (Hon)

Trustee

Sir Ralph Norris, formerly, C.E.0, ASB Bank, Air New Zealand and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Formerly, Chairman Pacific Basin Economic Council (NZ), New Zealand Roundtable, New Zealand Bankers Association, Australian Bankers Association, Starship Foundation, NZ Institute of Management (Auckland Branch), Sovereign Insurance, Fletcher Building and Contact Energy, Team New Zealand defence 2003.

He was also formerly, Director of Origin Energy, Visa New Zealand, Mastercard Asia Pacific, SouthPark Corporation and Fonterra . Currently, Chairman RANQX Holdings, Council Member University of Auckland, Trustee NZ Business Mentors, Senior Advisor to BGH Capital (Australia), Advisory Board member MasEnergy (USA), Trustee Auckland Grammar School Foundation.

Sir Ralph was also made a Distinguished Member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2006 for services to business, re-designated Knight Companion of the NZ order of Merit (KNZM) 2009.

Conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Business by the University of New South Wales 2012.

In Memoriam

Sir James Fletcher


Sir James Fletcher was Chairman of Business Mentors New Zealand from November 1992 - December 1994, and from June 1996 - September 1997. He retired as a Trustee and Director in September 2002. Sir James was an enthusiastic advocate of projects that furthered national development. He was a passionate supporter of Business Mentors New Zealand, and helped considerably in building and developing our organisation.

 

We are indebted to Sir James and the Fletcher Trust for their commitment and support of Business Mentors New Zealand.

 

In Memoriam we recognise Sir Wilson Whineray and Athol Hutton for their championship of Business Mentors New Zealand.

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