Assembly of Investment Chairs Conference Hosts

Sebastian Gehricke, Director CEFGroup, Otago Business School

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 pursing research and teaching in sustainable finance and investments.

Recently (in 2022), he was awarded the Otago University early-career researcher award for his accomplishments. 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 media, executive training and speaking at industry and community events.

Craig Stobo, Taumata, Otago Business School; Associate Member CFA Society NZ; CFInstD

Educated at the University of Otago and Wharton Business School, Craig Stobo has worked as a diplomat, economist, investment banker, and as CEO. He has authored reports for the Government on “The Taxation of Investment Income”, chaired the Government’s International Financial Services Development group in 2010, and chaired the Establishment Board of the Local Government Funding Agency in 2011. Craig is a professional director and entrepreneur.

In addition to chairing Precinct Properties, he is chairman of the New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA) and Chair of NZ WindFarms, and a director of a number of private companies including Saturn Portfolio Management, Elevation Capital Management and Biomarine Limited.

Assembly of Investment Chairs Conference Speakers

Markus Leippold, Professor of Financial Engineering, University of Zurich

Markus Leippold is a professor at the Swiss Finance Institute and the University of Zurich, where he holds the Chair in Financial Engineering. He is also a visiting researcher at Google DeepMind. Before joining the University of Zurich in 2009, Markus was an associate professor in quantitative finance at the Imperial College Business School, London. In 2005, he was a visiting professor at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. Markus obtained his Ph.D in economics from the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, in 1999, and after some years in the financial industry, he started as an assistant professor at the University of Zurich in 2002. Markus published in top academic journals like the Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Management Science, and Annals of Statistics. His work was awarded best paper prizes from the European Management Association, Inquire Europe, RISK Magazine, and the German Finance Association. In 2019, Markus spent a research semester at Google, digging deeper into research on natural language processing and its application to finance. Since June 2022, Markus is again a visiting researcher at Google DeepMind.

Jonathan Gravit, Chief Financial Officer, Cancer Society

Jonathan joined the Cancer Society as CFO in 2022. This role involves managing a wide range of financial, investment and operational areas within the organisation. A Chartered Accountant, Jonathan completed a BCom at the University of Otago before engaging in a varied financial and operational career across the Government, Commercial and Not for Profit sectors. Most recently Jonathan was Finance Director at St Kentigern Trust, New Zealand's largest charitable independent school.

Leighton Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Rātā Foundation

Leighton Evans is Chief Executive of Rātā Foundation, the South Island's largest philanthropic organisation.

Bill Kermode, Chief Executive, NEXT Foundation

Bill Kermode has been NEXT Foundation’s Chief Executive since its launch in 2014, leading its environment, education and strategic philanthropic investments to date, as well as providing oversight of the previous philanthropic commitments made by Neal and Annette Plowman. He led NEXT’s setting up in 2022 of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, a place for givers with a strategic or business-like approach to share and find opportunities to act. Foe two decades before NEXT he was a founding director of Direct Capital, New Zealand’s most experienced private company investor, and director of a number of private companies.

James Muir, Climate Change Impact Fund Manager, Accident Compensation Corporation

Between 1997 and 2001, James worked with government and energy multinationals in Europe on climate change, persistent organic pollutants, renewables, and sustainability reporting. Between 2001 and 2016, he specialised in the energy, natural resources and infrastructure sectors in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, advising clients in 15 countries on the environmental, technical, and commercial aspects of transactions, project development and strategy. Between 2014 and 2016, James was a Director of the infrastructure consultancy, Jacobs NZ ($70m revenue, 350 people) and a member of the company's senior leadership team. Between 2017 and 2021, he worked with environmental technology companies at Callaghan Innovation and led the publication of the New Zealand Climate tech for the World report and launch of the NZ CleanTech Mission. Between 2018 and 2020, he founded a company that created the Packaging Star, a digital overlay that helped online shoppers select products with packaging that was better for the environment. In 2021, he joined the investment team at ACC to establish and lead its Climate Change Impact Fund. James holds Masters degrees in engineering science, ecosystems analysis and governance, and creative writing.

Will Goodwin, Head of Investment, NZ Super

As Head of Direct Investments, Will is responsible for leading the NZ Super Fund’s global direct/private equity investments, internally managed listed equities and machine learning strategies. He joined the NZ Super Fund in 2016 having previously held executive roles in energy, resources and private equity.Will is currently a Director of Kaingaroa Timberlands, The Institute of Financial Professionals NZ (INFINZ) and has previously served on listed and unlisted boards in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Brendon Jones, Director of Direct Investment, NZ Super Fund

Brendon is a Director in the Guardians Direct Investment Team. Brendon currently has responsibility for a range of sectors within the Direct Investment portfolio, including agriculture/horticulture, timber and financial services as well as a lead role in NZ Super's development of the first offshore wind farm in New Zealand alongside Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

Brendon is also responsible for the origination and review of potential new investment opportunities. Prior to joining the Guardians, Brendon spent 7 years in the investment banking across Sydney and Auckland, working for Moelis & Company as well as RBS/ABN AMRO.

Brendon holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance (Hons 1st Class) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance, Economics) from the University of Auckland.

Mark P. Mills, senior fellow, Manhattan Institute and faculty fellow, Northwestern University

Mills is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a faculty fellow at the Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is also a strategic partner with Montrose Lane (an energy-tech venture fund). Previously, Mills confounded Digital Power Capital, a boutique venture fund, and was chairman and CTO of ICx Technologies, helping take it public in 2007. Mills is author of the book The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and a Roaring 2020's (Encounter Books, 2021), and host of the new podcast The Optimist. He is also author of Digital Cathedrals (2020), and Work in the Age of Robots (2018). Mills earlier coauthored (with Peter Huber) The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, the Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energy (Basic Books, 2005).

His articles have been published widely, including in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, and Real Clear. Mills has appeared as a guest on CNN, Fox, NBC, PBS, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. In 2016, Mills was named "Energy Writer of the Year" by the American Energy Society. Earlier, Mills was a technology advisor for Bank of America Securities and coauthor of the Huber-Mills Digital Power Report, a tech investment newsletter. He has testified before Congress numerous times, and briefed state public-service commissions and legislators.

Mills served in the White House Science Office under President Reagan and subsequently provided science and technology policy counsel to a variety of private-sector firms, the Department of Energy, and U.S. research laboratories, and prior to that began his career as an experimental physicist and development engineer in microprocessors and fiber optics.

Chris Sutherland, Treasurer, Transpower

Chris joined Transpower as Treasurer in late 2011 with responsibility for treasury and insurance management. This includes funding, interest and currency risk management and ensuring Transpower has appropriate insurance cover for risks and that this cover is managed effectively across the organisation. Chris has also held responsibility for the enterprise risk management at Transpower in the past. Prior to Transpower, Chris held executive roles at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, ANZ, AMP and PwC. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, is a chartered accountant and a Member of the Institute of Directors NZ.

Deion Campbell, Chair of Mint Renewables and Operating Partner HRL Morrison and Co.

Deion is an Operating Partner with the global investment manager, HRL Morrison & Co (MCo) where he deploys his energy infrastructure investment, project delivery and executive leadership experience to help secure and manage the investments in energy and related infrastructure managed by MCo, for a variety of clients. Deion's background is as a professional electrical engineer, with a career spanning 30 years in the renewables industry, including wind and hydro power. In addition to his engineering degrees, Deion has completed executive training at INSEAD, is a Fellow of Engineering NZ and is a Chartered Company Director.

Andre Poyser, Doctoral Researcher, Climate and Energy Finance Group (CEFGroup)

Andre Poyser is currently pursing doctoral studies at the University of Otago. A native of Jamaica, Andre’s research has focused on indigenous finance, sustainability and climate finance. Andre holds a Master of Applied Finance from the Auckland University of Technology.

Sean Weaver, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ekos
Founder and CEO of Ekos - a social purpose business delivering carbon management and nature based solution services. He is an international expert in market-based mechanisms for environmental and climate financing specialising in restorative & environmental forestry. He is a consultant to governments (NZ and the Pacific Islands), multilateral banks (World Bank, African Development Bank), international agencies (UNDP, SPREP) small medium and large businesses/corporations. Sean is a founding member of the Climate Forestry Association and the (international) Biodiversity Credits Alliance. He is a registered forestry consultant, has a PhD in Forestry from the University of Canterbury, and is based in Christchurch.

Manu Caddie, Co-founder of Matawai Bio

Manu Caddie (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Hauā) is a biotechnology entrepreneur based in Tairāwhiti and the Bay of Plenty. He is co-founder of a number of ventures including: Hikurangi Bioactives that completed a successful Phase II clinical trial for an eczema product using kānuka oil; NZX-listed Rua Bioscience; and Matawai Bio that is developing functional ingredients derived from indigenous organisms. Manu is focused on truly sustainable land use and an indigenous bio-economy to replace pasture and pine on erosion-prone land.

Christina Hood, Head, Compass Climate

Policy expert in climate change, energy, and carbon pricing, with over 20 years of experience, including providing analysis and advice to developed and developing country governments, as well as at New Zealand national and local government levels. Current work involves advisory to NGOs on climate and energy.

Sean Kidney, Chief Executive Officer, Climate Bonds Initiative

Sean Kidney is CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative, an international NGO working to mobilise global capital for climate action. He oversees green bond development programs on six continents, now with an estimate of US$3tn outstanding. Projects include market definition (taxonomies; green bond indeces; green bond certification); and government support projects. Sean is a member of the EU's Platform on Sustainable Finance.