Russell McVeagh partner and former chair Pip Greenwood, sitting at Number 16 on LawFuel list of New Zealand’s 50 most powerful lawyers, has been appointed to the board of Spark New Zealand.

She become an independent non-executive director on 1 April 2018.

“Following the retirement of Mark Verbiest, we were looking for relevant skills and experience that would complement the diverse perspectives we already have around the table. Pip is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s top commercial lawyers. She has significant industry experience and played a critical role as a lead advisor on the demerger of Chorus from Telecom,” said Justine Smyth, Spark NZ chair.

Verbiest, who retired last month, is a former partner at Simpson Grierson.

Greenwood, who has more than 10 years’ experience on the board of Russell McVeagh, said she is honoured and excited to take on the role.

“I am passionate about the transformation that is occurring within the telecommunications and digital sectors, and I am pleased to be given the opportunity to contribute to the Spark board, having advised clients in this space over the last 10 years from both a commercial and regulatory perspective,” she said.

The Spark NZ board will consist of eight directors: Justine Smyth, Alison Barrass, Paul Berriman, Alison Gerry, Ido Leffler, Charles Sitch, Pip Greenwood and Simon Moutter.

Greenwood took home the NZ Dealmaker of the Year award at the Australasian Law Awards this year.