GOVERNANCE & PROCESSES

CONTACTS

Chairman: Ian Elliot – ielliott@xtra.co.nz 027 499 6351
Applications: Francis Pauwels – 027 544 9054 francis.pauwels@karunz.com; Mark Smith – 027 430 2889 mark.smith@karunz.com
Business Coaching: Firestation – Rachael McGarvie 021 271 1517 rach@thefirestation.nz
Accounts: Graham Brown Accounting – Debbie Gisby 07 885 1022 debbieg@grahambrown.co.nz

TRUSTEES

Ian ElliottChair Ph 027 499 6351

Ian Elliott has been involved in agri-business in the South Waikato, Bay of Plenty and the South Island for over 40 years.He is Chair of Trinity Lands and a number of other family companies and charitable trusts.Ian consults to the farming and business community and has consistently supported regional development projects in the south Waikato. He is a former Chair of the Large Herds Conference and Forest View High School Board.
Ian is also Chair of international NGO, Prison Fellowship International, which has affiliate members in over 120 countries and works to improve prisoners lives and give their families a better future.
He is based on his home farm in the South Waikato.

Franks AertsTrustee

Frank brings extensive experience in running and developing businesses. For 17 years he owned and operated a milk round in Tokoroa. Following the successful sale of this business he returned to work within the engineering industry having completed a 4-year apprenticeship early in his career at Southside Engineering in Putaruru. Frank also worked at Steel and Track Engineering before founding his own business South Waikato Precision Engineering (SWPE) and building capability across management, recruitment and training, business development, marketing and finance. The company achieved a strong and trusted reputation across twenty years and employed up to 36 staff before being sold. Frank was also the spokesperson for South Waikato Trade Training’s engineering module that graduated 30 apprentices.
He was formerly on the Board of the South Waikato Economic Development Trust and is currently an executive on the Rangiura Trust Board, a director of Tokoroa Engineering, on the Tokoroa Business Association committee and the current President of the Lichfield Indoor Bowling Club.
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Dean GittingsTrustee Ph 07 883 5767

Dean is currently the managing director of Art’n Signs a signage company catering to commercial and retail businesses in the South Waikato. He has extensive experience in the tertiary education sector having been operations manager for the South Waikato Education Centre a PTE that provided NZQA qualifications across a range of trade training programmes including engineering, carpentry, forestry and horticulture.

He provides management services for two commercial trusts and brings thirty years involvement in a range of community organisations.

Bruce ShermanTrustee Ph 027 366 5455

Bruce is general manager of NZ Quality Waters in Putaruru and vice president of the New Zealand non alcoholic Beverage Council. He brings extensive experience and expertise across the packaging, manufacturing and beverage sectors. He is actively involved in community led initiatives through Putaruru Moving Forward and as Chair of the Arapuni Village Community Association.

Hayden DillonTrustee Ph 029 914 5190

Hayden is the Managing Partner for Waikato and head of Corporate Agribusiness New Zealand for Crowe Horwath. He holds various leadership roles in one of New Zealand’s largest economic regions being Waikato, and has strong banking, risk management and financial skills. Hayden grew up on his family owned station in Central Otago, and has been involved in agribusiness throughout his career. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture majoring in Farm Management and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment majoring in Treasury. He is a Fellow of the Financial Securities Institute of Australasia, a member of the IOD, and holds various directorships.

John Cronin, MNZM JPTrustee

John is a chartered accountant, accredited fellow of the Institute of Directors and a Commissioner at Resource management hearings.
He is a former senior partner of his Chartered Accounting firm and brings experienced and expertise across local Government having been elected as councillor for the Tauranga City Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council including four terms as chair. He has a strong background in economic development business development, and funds management. He is a former member of many companies including 13 years as a director for the Port of Tauranga. John resides in Tauranga.

Debbie GisbyTrustee Ph 07 885 1022

Debbie Gisby started with Graham Brown in 2001. Debbie specialises in commercial operations and Charities and is passionate about community development. She has a background in Management Accounting and offers on site assistance to select clients. She also sits on several Boards of large not-for-profit entities, and advises to many of the community groups which the firm provides services to.

David GrahamTrustee Ph 027 483 5535

David owns and lives on a farm in Te Waotu in the South Waikato. He was a chartered accountant by profession and, with his wife, established the Graham Brown & Co Ltd accountancy practice in Putaruru in the 1980s. This business is still operating in town today and has an office in Tokoroa. David also served for 10 years as Chairman of Balance Agri-nutrients. David is keen about investments that will bring jobs and economic growth to the South Waikato.

Philip WhiteTrustee, Dairy farmer Ph 027 207 1117

Born and bred in Putaruru, Philip White is part of a family dairy farming business. He has been involved in a number of Putaruru and Waikato community groups including a local school Board of Trustees, Federated Farmers and the Fonterra Shareholder Council. He has a specific interest in seeing the South Waikato thrive as a fantastic place for families to live and work.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

The trustees of SWIFT have engaged Karu NZ, a regionally focused Economic Development partnership to provide the necessary strategic, project management and evaluation skills for funding proposals.

Francis Pauwels, MBA BSc Director, Karu NZ – Ph 027 544 9054

Francis was CEO of Grow Rotorua for 4 years. During this time the key sectors analysed for investment opportunities included tourism, engineered timber / wood processing, commercial application of geothermal availability, education and agribusiness. He has held senior management roles in both private sector and local government. This included developing new markets and distribution channels for export manufacturing and tourism businesses. His early career was spent building a family owned horticulture business into one that consistently returned above the industry average and led the sector in terms of spray-free management and quality control.

Mark Smith BEng PhDStrategic Advisor, Karu NZ

Mark was the commercial technology manager for Grow Rotorua for 4 years and was responsible for the analysis and data modeling of all potential investments that met the key criteria of the COO. His professional expertise as a chemical engineer was widely sought after by companies and the research sector. From activated carbon projects that held potential for sawmills residues, alternate land use projects that leveraged geothermal assets and engineered wood technologies that offered cost effective outcomes for New Zealand construction sector, Mark has demonstrated his ability for collaboration, innovative thinking and a focus on results.