The EMA
Board

Insight and thought leadership

The EMA Board represents some of the greatest business minds in the country, from a diverse range of sectors and industries.

Your success is our commitment. We arm New Zealand businesses with knowledge, wisdom and connections so they can shape their future their way.

Our Board 01

EMA Board of Directors

Colin Birch, President

As President of the Board, Colin is the Director of Birch Heritage Trustee Limited. Some of his previous positions include Chief Executive of Admark Visual Imaging and Wyma Engineering in NZ and Managing Director of companies in India and the UK. He is also active as a national rowing umpire and is a business mentor in the Waikato region.

General Manager of People & Capability,
Foodstuffs

General Manager Commercial of the Concrete Division, Fletcher Building

President, Business NZ

Founder and CEO,
New Zealand Businesswomen

Managing Partner,
BDO Auckland

Senior Leader, BNZ

Founder and Managing Director, SureCapital Group

Senior Management, Port of Tauranga

People and Culture Director, Corys Electrical

Director and Principal Immigration Adviser, Chance Immigration and Education

Chief People Officer, Briscoe Group

Former CEO, EMA

Managing Director, JTC

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Wendy Hammonds

Wendy is the GM of People & Capability at Foodstuffs, a position she has held since 2016. With more than 20 years’ experience in developing talent and leading people, Wendy is passionate about driving high-performing culture and strong employee engagement in large organisations. Prior to joining Foodstuffs, she led the HR team for the B2B and then retail business units within Spark.

David Welsh

David is the General Manager Commercial of the Concrete Division at Fletcher Building. He has over fifteen years of general management experience in manufacturing, processing and natural resources both in New Zealand and internationally, across the food and building materials sectors.

Andrew Hunt

Andrew is the President of Business NZ.  He is also the former EMA Board President and was made a Life Member of the Association in 2023. He is the owner and Managing Director of IT consultancy firm Kinetics Group, which he founded in 1996. Andrew is also a chartered member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

Carolyn Banks

At NZ Businesswomen my leadership has been dedicated to encouraging female entrepreneurs to step in to their own brilliance, with a focus on strategic growth and development. By leveraging my strengths in customer relationship management, business management, sales and analytical skills, we’ve nurtured an environment where women can confidently pursue business success and create meaningful support networks.

Jugdis Parbhu

Jugdis is an Advisory Partner with BDO. He is currently the Managing Partner of BDO Auckland and has been a Partner of the firm (and preceding firm) since 1991.  Most of his clients are NZ owned SME’s operating across a wide range of industries. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia.

Sarah Duffin

Sarah is a senior BNZ leader with over 20+ years’ experience in Banking and Finance, having led across Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment banking in New Zealand and the UK. Passionate about business, she brings a broad knowledge across industries, championing sustainable growth and innovation to power NZ Inc.  

Frank Cui

Frank is the founder and Managing Director of SureCapital Group that specialises in Financial Services, Land Development and Real Estate Managements.

During Frank’s last 20 years of professional career, he had held many senior roles in both financial and real estate markets that include being the Head of Migrant & International Banking Division for Bank of New Zealand and Managing Director of EverBright Finance.

Frank was invited to join the EMA Board in 2019 and he is always passionate about supporting local businesses. In 2016, he set up E-Wisdom Business Forum, an NFP which helps SMEs and individuals grow in areas such as real estate and wealth management.

Melanie Dyer

Melanie joined Port of Tauranga’s Senior Management Team in August 2020 from Trustpower Limited, where she was General Manager, People and Culture. Her current role as General Manager Corporate Services includes developing the strategic people approach to capability building, industrial relations, legislative and legal compliance, policy development, continuous improvement, and company strategic planning processes.

Sarah Caunter

Sarah is the People and Culture Director with Corys Electrical. She has a proven track record in spearheading change management for large-scale and individual restructures and implementing cultural and technology change. She gained her Post Grad Diploma in HR from the University of Northampton and has held HR management roles with Burger King NZ and Placemakers. Sarah is also a member of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ).

Alex Zhang

Alex is Director and Principal Immigration Adviser at Chance Immigration and Education. He is a licensed Immigration Adviser and specialises in providing immigration and education advice to clients and international students. Before this, he had worked at senior management level in different private training establishments. Alex is the Executive President at Canton Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and Chairman at Federation of New Zealand Shenzhen Societies. He is also an Executive Member of New Zealand China Trade Association (NZCTA) and a member of Auckland Business Chamber Asian Advisory Board.

Aston Moss

Aston is the Chief People Officer for leading New Zealand retailer Briscoe Group. He joined the company in 2015 to lead its people functions, bringing more than 25 years’ experience working in operations and human resources. Aston began his career with Woolworths (NZ) Limited and has since worked for various retail and non-retail organisations in New Zealand and Australia.

Kim Campbell

Kim was EMA Chief Executive from 2011 to 2018 and has also been CEO of Masport Limited, PSM Healthcare, Soul Pattinson Manufacturing, Zuellig Equipment Group Limited, and Interphil Pharma Corp (Manila). He is currently a Board Member of Douglas Pharmaceuticals, Embark Education, Novalabs Systems Limited, New Image International Limited and Chair of Pathways to Employment Trust.

Wayne Tollemache

Wayne is a professional company director and chairs several formal and advisory boards. Wayne has over 35 years business experience including 10 years living and working in Asia and Europe. He is passionate about scuba diving and is a Master Diver.