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Meet the Judges of the 2024 Awards
4th June 2024
Mindful Money is hugely grateful to the following judges. It is their integrity, insights and experience that have made these awards so robust.
Mindful Money’s CEO, Barry Coates, consulted widely across the finance sector to find judges who met the criteria of experience and skills, avoidance of any conflict of interest in the category; and willingness to donate their time and expertise on a voluntary basis. With very few exceptions, all of those who were approached generously agreed to participate as judges. Read more about the robust judging process here.
Mindful Money is hugely grateful to the following judges. It is their integrity, insights and experience that have made these awards so robust.
Angela Spain
Angela is an award winning communications practitioner with more than 20 years experience in corporate relations, stakeholder engagement, issues and crisis management, marketing communications and strategic advice. Angela is the Managing Director of Archer and currently provides public relations advice to public and private companies across a range of sectors. Previously she headed up FCB New Zealand's PR, Activation & Social Media practice based in Auckland.
Bridget Coates
Bridget Coates is an experienced global leader who has built and led businesses in both the United States and New Zealand in recent years. She has held Chairperson, Director and CEO roles across a range of public and private sector entities. She is currently Co-Chair of the Sustainable Finance Forum implementation team, Chair of Fonterra’s Sustainability Advisory Panel to the Board and Chair of Koi Tu (a think tank based at the University of Auckland). She is also Chairperson of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand and Director and Trustee of Mindful Money. She has been a Governor of the NZ Superannuation Fund and a Director of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
Carey Church
Carey is an Ethical Investments Adviser & Financial Planner at Moneyworks, and is a RIAA Certified Ethical Advisor. In addition to being a CFP, CLU and having core financial planning and other qualifications, Carey also holds the UNPRI Certificate in Applied Responsible Investing, has a BSc and a LLB (Hons). Carey has built a unique and proprietary ethical analysis process for Moneyworks clients to understand exactly what exposure they have to the 'nasties' in their portfolio (to the cent) based on the Mindful Money research, which enables the team to have meaningful discussions about ethical investing with their clients. Co-Winner of Mindful Money 2023 Best Ethical Adviser of the Year Award
Chris Douglas
Chris is a Principal at MyFiduciary, one of New Zealand’s largest independent investment consultants, where he leads the fund research coverage and adviser services. Chris has over two decades of investment experience working in Auckland, London, Sydney and Chicago. He previously spent 12-years at Morningstar where he held leadership roles within the firm’s research and data group before joining MyFiduciary in 2018.
Clive Pedley
Clive has been advising, coaching and training for growth in the social purpose sector in New Zealand and Australia since 2000. During that time he has been responsible for raising tens of millions for many of New Zealand’s leading charities. He is well regarded as a thought leader, an informed, enthusiastic practitioner and practical presenter. Clive is a former President of the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand (FINZ) from 2011 to 2013, was a member of the FINZ National Council from 2009 to 2015 and was named a fellow of the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand in May 2014. In 2017 Clive was appointed to the RIAA Impact Investment Forum committee and has been directly involved in establishing New Zealand’s inaugural Impact Investment Advisory Board. This level of international engagement has led to a sound understanding of traditional philanthropy and emerging international best practice in areas such as social impact investment.
David Lewis
David has worked in financial markets and investments for 20 years. He has recently founded Novus Consulting (www.novusconsulting.co.nz), a social enterprise aiming to help large NZ investors, especially those in the charitable sector, implement responsible investment approaches. He is working towards a Master’s degree in sustainability at Cambridge University. Previously he was a Portfolio Manager and Deputy CIO at Milford Asset Management, and earlier in his career he spent over a decade overseas with BT Funds and Merrill Lynch.
David Tikao
David is the Investment Manager Endowments at Ngāi Tahu Holdings and a former Executive Director of operations at Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu retirement savings scheme, Whai Rawa Fund Limited. He commenced working for Te Rūnanga Group in October 2011. Prior to joining Whai Rawa, David worked in the finance and banking sectors in London for 20 years, holding positions within RBS/NatWest and HSBC Banks prior to his return to Aotearoa New Zealand. Since 2012 David has been a Director of Te Poho o Tamatea Ltd, a holdings company of Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke (Rūnanga) and is a former Trustee and Treasurer of Rāpaki Marae. David is a member of the Leadership Group at Toitū Tahua: Centre for Sustainable Finance. In 2015, David graduated from Massey University with a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
David Whyte
Debbie Birch
Erica Miles
Erica works across all elements of the investment value chain, from ESG policy and strategy, ESG due diligence (pre- and post-acquisition), stakeholder engagement and materiality, governance, ESG integration, environment, health and safety (EHS) management systems, compliance and assurance frameworks, through to impact measurement, and disclosure (reporting and assurance) (including more recently the requirements of the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Erica was co-secretariat and co-author of the Sustainable Finance Roadmap for New Zealand (January 2019 – November 2020) and is one of only two New Zealand-based approved independent verifiers for RIAA’s responsible and impact investment certification programme. Erica holds a B. Technology (Biotechnology and Bio-Process Engineering), Honours, Massey University, 1993 as well as a Grad Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health, Massey University, 2017.
Fiona Stephenson
Fiona is Head of Communications & Marketing at the Sustainable Business Network. She is one of NZ’s most experienced communicators of sustainability, with 25 years’ experience. She was speech writer for the UK’s chief sustainability advisor for four years and Oxford University’s first PR advisor on the environment. In NZ she has worked on sustainability communications for organisations of all sizes and at different stages of their sustainability journey since 2000. She has Honours and Masters degrees from the University of Cambridge, specialising in Environment and Development.
Glen Saunders
Glen Saunders is former Chair of the Gift Trust, director of Social Enterprise Finance Australia and trustee of Sustainable Investments Fund Trust. He was formerly Chair of international research firm Sustainalytics, Guardian of the NZ Superannuation Fund (chairing its Responsible Investment Committee), Chair of Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), and founder/Managing Director of Triodos Bank UK.
Greg Munford
Greg Munford is a Senior Strategist with the Sustainable Investment team at the Guardians.
Greg has 15 years’ experience in the infrastructure, real estate and natural resources sectors spanning Asia, Pacific, UK and the Americas. I've led or supported dozens of successful sustainability-related strategies, policies, projects and investments with local, national and international partners - including local/national government agencies, corporations, the EU, World Bank/IFC and Asian Development Bank. Greg brings this experience and cross-disciplinary training in physical and social/policy sciences to bear for the NZ Super Fund, addressing risks, opportunities and reporting requirements across the climate, nature and broader ESG spectrum.
Jackson Rowland
Jackson Rowland is dedicated to accelerating the transition to sustainable finance. He is currently the Director of the Aotearoa New Zealand Stewardship Code, and the Program Manager of the Australian Sustainable Finance Institutes capability work, aiming to increase the sustainable finance capabilities of finance professionals. Jackson was formerly Director of Ākina Invest at the Ākina Foundation, a development consultancy that aims to transform New Zealand’s economy by supporting the development of social impact businesses.
Jo Kelly
Jo has delivered cross-continent sustainability initiatives and collaborations between some of the world's best known businesses. She is the CEO of Toitū Tahua and a strategic advisor to B Lab Australia & Aotearoa NZ. In 2011 Jo managed establishment of The B Team, co-founded by Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz. On returning home to Aotearoa NZ Jo spent four years with Deloitte New Zealand. She helped establish Harbour Cancer Centre, where she is now an advisor, and co-founded The Connective. Jo is of Ngati Tuwharetoa, Scottish and Finnish descent.
John Horrell
John is a consultant and co-founder of Makao Investments, an independent investment advisory business. He works with large investors in New Zealand and the Pacific providing advice on investment governance, asset allocation and manager selection. Before founding Makao, he worked in the UK and New Zealand in roles that included fiduciary management, asset allocation, portfolio implementation and performance reporting. John is a board director of CFA Society New Zealand.
Jonathan Staples
Jonathan Staples is CEO of CSL Group which has portfolio of property, finance and investment companies. He is also a founder and trustee of SEF, a mentoring and educational focused charity, and has experience in sustainability and Responsible Investment in the UK not-for-profit sector.
Joy Marslin
Joy has a passion for balancing profit with impact and believes all New Zealanders should have access to quality financial advice. Her career within the financial services industry has spanned 30 years including as Head of Westpac Private Wealth Management and Head of ANZ Wealth. Joy holds a number of governance and for purpose roles including Simplicity NZ Ltd Board Chair, Independent Director with Strategi Group, FSCL, NZ Shareholders Association and is a Director of the Impact Enterprise Fund.
Louise Aitken
Louise is a Partner leading Deloitte’s Sustainability, Climate & Nature team in our Consulting Practice. She has over 20 years’ experience leading people and organisations, global partnerships and major programmes, including government investments and delivering to the aspirations and objectives of communities, corporate and public partners. Following 12 years with Fonterra, Louise then joined the Ākina Foundation, spending 4 years as CEO, supporting government, business and communities to contribute to an economy where people and the planet thrive. During her time at Ākina, Louise was one of the founding board members of New Zealand’s first domestically focused impact investment fund, governing the $9 million fund providing growth capital to deliver market-rate financial returns, and delivering tangible societal and environmental outcomes.
Lucy Kate Mitchell
Lucy (Te Rarawa) is an experienced marketing and strategic communication practitioner with over 12 years of experience across advertising, public relations, marketing communications and business development in the New Zealand and US markets. She is currently completing a Master of Sustainable Business with particular focus on ecological economics and sufficiency-based business models. She is also developing a science communication plan for effective climate action monitoring for NZ organisations, to help make clear how businesses are really doing on their emissions reductions and sustainability targets.
Matthew Mimms
Matthew Mimms is the Founder and Managing Director of The Investment Store. Matt has over 30 years’ experience in financial services in both the UK and New Zealand. Immediately prior to establishing the Investment Store, Matt was head of Retail Sales and Service at BT Funds Management. Matt has been integrally involved in the NZ investment and financial adviser industry for 20 years including a 2-year stint as Chair of the Auckland branch for the then named Financial Planners and Insurance Advisers Association. Matt is a strong advocate for responsible investing and is currently a board member of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA). He contributed as a member of the Technical Working Group of the NZ Sustainable Finance Forum, an initiative of the Aotearoa Circle and more recently was a member of the development committee for the Stewardship Code Aotearoa New Zealand. He has a business degree from the University of Sheffield (UK) and a Diploma in Business Studies (personal financial planning) from Massey University.
Noah Schiltknecht
Noah founded Makao Investments to help lift investment advice in New Zealand and the Pacific to a better standard, and to make advice more affordable for smaller institutional clients. Before founding Makao in 2019, Noah was the head of the institutional team at Russell Investments in New Zealand, advising a broad range of large institutional clients on investment strategy, asset allocation and manager selection. In his two decades in financial services Noah also gained experience in infrastructure valuation, capital management and structuring of insurance risk transfer solutions.
Paul Richardson
Paul has had a 32-year career in the New Zealand and Australian investment industry, as a Chief Investment Officer, Fund Manager and Equities Analyst and research team head, with UBS, BT Funds Management /Westpac and Mint Asset Management, and is currently a financial consultant and director of Carina Investment Advice Ltd. Before this he worked 8 years as a geologist in Asia and NZ. He has a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Auckland University, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors , the Institute of Financial Professionals of NZ (INFINZ), and the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) and he is an alumni of Cambridge University Institute of Sustainable Development Leadership. Paul has been a professional Director for 9 years is an independent appointee to the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) Board Investment Committee, is a Director of AgInvest Holdings (MyFarm), BNZ Investment Services Ltd and Mindful Money, and previously was Executive Director of Mint Asset Management, Director of the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of NZ, and chaired the NZ Corporate Governance Forum.
Rebecca Mills
Rebecca Mills is the Founder of The Lever Room, an organisation which provides practical tools to help clients meet their sustainability and climate impact goals. A former biosphere scientist and with training from both Harvard and Oxford Business Schools, she enjoys combining research and a spirit of enterprise to help solve real world problems. Rebecca was shoulder tapped to co-design the strategy with Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz for what is now known as The B Team -a global group of business leaders to catalyse a better way of doing business, putting people and planet alongside profit. Over the past two decades, she has designed and launched several systems change initiatives both in NZ and around the world, making her a leading sustainability and net-zero strategist. Most recently, Rebecca and her team have shared a new carbon certification approach which leverages science and technology to simplify and advance current methods of carbon measurement.
Sebastian Gericke
Dr Sebastian Gehricke is a Senior lecturer and Director of the Climate and Energy Finance Group (CEFGroup) at the University of Otago, running several events and pursuing research and teaching in sustainable finance and investments. Recently (in 2022), he was awarded the Otago University early-career researcher award for his accomplishments. Sebastian also has financial consulting experience, particularly in project feasibility modelling and investment management and serves on the board of a local not-for-profit. In 2021 Sebastian developed the first sustainable investments course in New Zealand and in 2023 launched the minor in Sustainable Finance. He is a strong advocate for a transition toward a sustainable finance system and actively communicates with the private and public sector to support this journey. He eagerly shares his knowledge through the media, executive training and speaking at industry and community events.