Leadership

David Boyd

Chairman

David is an experienced executive and company director with a background in specialised manufacturing, medical devices, and consumer products, with a focus on international markets. He has particular expertise in international branding targeting wider European markets.

David is a director of a number of New Zealand-based companies, and a past director of Orthopaedic Synergy Inc, a United States-based orthopaedic company which has two subsidiaries -Christchurch-based Enztec Ltd and Omni Life Science Inc of Raynham, Massachusetts, USA. He is also the founding shareholder of Foot Science International, the producers of Formthotics, and is still actively involved as a director as well as managing their R&D program.David has practical experience in developing specialised manufacturing businesses with a view to international markets. He has a particular interest in developing business capabilities that allow and encourage long-term growth.

Based in Canterbury, David has been involved since its inception with the CDC Hi Growth programme and numerous community organisations. David is on the national board of Export NZ.

Kirk Hope

Chief Executive

Kirk Hope is Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s leading business advocacy group, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes.

Mr Hope and his Wellington-based team work with companies, organisations and political and other decision makers, advocating for New Zealand’s success through sustainable economic growth.

Before joining BusinessNZ, Kirk was CEO of the New Zealand Bankers’ Association. Prior to that he was Executive Director of the Financial Services Federation, the industry body representing the non-bank sector. He has previously held a range of senior positions at Westpac, including Head of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs.

A qualified barrister and solicitor, Kirk holds a Master’s degree in law, focused on regulation of financial services, and a Bachelor and Post-Graduate Honours degree in political science. For five years he was a member of the Commercial and Business Law Committee of the New Zealand Law Society.

Stephen Jacobi

Board Member

Stephen Jacobi is Managing Director of Jacobi Consulting Ltd, a consultancy which offers advice to corporate and government clients in the fields of international trade, government relations and industry development.  He serves concurrently as Executive Director of the NZ International Business Forum and Executive Director of the NZ China Council.

Mr Jacobi provides advice to the three New Zealand members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), as well as BusinessNZ in respect of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum. He has had extensive diplomatic, industry, trade and government experience, and was formerly Chief Executive of the New Zealand Forest Industries Council.  He is a regular commentator on trade and industry issues.

Justine Arroll

Board Member

Justine is the General Manager of Trade Strategy at Fonterra, responsible for driving Fonterra’s engagement and advocacy on strategic global trade issues.

A former New Zealand diplomat, Justine held a range of trade policy roles in the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade prior to joining Fonterra. Most recently, this included a posting to Washington DC where she was responsible for advocacy in relation to a range of bilateral and multilateral trade issues.  Justine has also previously served in the New Zealand High Commission in London, and as an advisor to the Minister of Trade.

A graduate of the University of Auckland in Arts and Law, Justine has been admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor to the High Court of New Zealand, and has completed studies in international law at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Kristy Grant

Board Member

With an international export trade development and marketing background, Kristy is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport and has held several executive management positions – including running an export manufacturing and marketing company, so understands the unique advantage that the NZ story has to offer to the world.

As a fervent Wellingtonian and a very proud New Zealander, Kristy is passionate about supporting and developing NZ business, in particular throughout the creative sector and has established the Miramar Creative Centre in partnership with Victoria University.

Christine Fenby

Board Member

Christine’s export marketing career began with a Television New Zealand Ltd commercial venture that established public, free-to-air television services in 6 Pacific Island Nations. She moved from there to (then) TVNZ subsidiary TVNZ Satellite Services as Global Marketing Director. This business established a global satellite delivery network to deliver news and sports content across most continents to broadcast networks, news syndicators and sports rights agencies, competing with global telco’s such as British Telecom and GlobeCast, France. It proved a highly successful and profitable initiative for TVNZ and Christine was converted to the notion of ‘world’ as an addressable market for New Zealand businesses. Her passion for international marketing has not diminished since.

Subsequently, Christine operated her own marketing consultancy working across a range of sectors, many of them export-driven. She joined cinema management software company Vista Entertainment Solutions Ltd (‘Vista Cinema’) in 2012 putting her consulting career on hold to take full advantage of a globally operating business that listed two years later in 2014 (NZX & ASX: VGL). During Christine’s marketing lead tenure with Vista Group (to Q1 2020) the company’s revenue tripled and Compound Annual Growth of 25% (2014-2019) was achieved.

Christine still sits on the Board of the Vista Foundation and is Vice Board Chair of Auckland-based non-profit Home and Family Counselling; she is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland and a Paul Harris Fellow.

In 2018, 2019 and 2020 Christine was listed in the “Top 50 Women in Global Cinema” as published by industry online platform Celluloid Junkie.

Michael Whitehead

Board Member

Michael co-founded and ran WhereScape Software, a global software business with operations in New Zealand, USA, UK, Europe and Asia. WhereScape was the supreme winner at the 2016 New Zealand International Business Awards, the NZTE Services Exporter of the Year winner at the 2017 Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards for Auckland and Waikato regions and also the winner of Excellence in International Trade at the Westpac Auckland Business Best of the Best Awards in 2016. He now runs Tap In Ventures, a business advisory for companies wanting to grow and scale.

He was appointed to the New Zealand Government’s Trade for all Advisory Board, is a Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship winner, a Category Winner at the EY New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and a graduate of Auckland University.

Michael Fox

Board Member

Michael Fox is Head of Communications and External Relations at Zespri International. He leads Zespri’s external communications, stakeholder engagement, policy, global tours and events and community investment programmes.

He joined Zespri after six years in Parliament as a Press Secretary and Chief Press Secretary to former Prime Ministers Sir John Key and Sir Bill English and Opposition Leader Simon Bridges. Prior to that he was a journalist with Fairfax Media in Auckland and Wellington, in Parliament’s Press Gallery and in Egypt and Cambodia.