Veteran Lawyer Joins Ngai Tahu Board

Ngai Tahu Holdings is excited to announce the appointment of two new directors to its board – Kristen Kohere-Soutar and Juliet Tainui-Hernandez

Both highly experienced directors are joining the NgÄi Tahu Holdings Board for three-year terms.

Kohere-Soutar was previously chair of Whai Rawa, the NgÄi Tahu savings scheme, until joining the board of global professional services and investment corporation Mercer New Zealand in 2017. She was appointed chair of that board in January this year.

Tainui-Hernandez, a corporate lawyer qualified in Aotearoa, Australia (New South Wales), England and Wales, is returning from London where she is a partner, the Chief Compliance Officer and Director of Transformation at global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. She started her career working for NgÄi Tahu in the predecessor to the current Strategy and Influence team, which manages Crown relationships to ensure Treaty obligations are upheld.

She has recently been announced as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s newest Assistant Governor and General Manager of Transformation and People, a role she will take up on her return to Aotearoa later this year.

NgÄi Tahu Holdings Board Chair Mark Tume says it is a pleasure to welcome Kohere-Soutar and Tainui-Hernandez to the board.

“Kristen and Juliet are highly skilled and experienced across multiple sectors. Their tohungatanga (expertise) will be invaluable for NgÄi Tahu Holdings as we focus on optimising our performance in what is a very challenging economic environment.

“Their appointments also go towards two of our aspirations: promoting gender diversity and increasing the number of NgÄi Tahu whÄnau on our boards.

“I am excited to welcome Kristen back to a role within the NgÄi Tahu Group. As well as a strong background in the finance and investment sectors, she is deeply committed to MÄori, currently holding a board position for NgÄti Porou Holdings and having developed KiwiBank’s first MÄori banking strategy earlier in her career.

“Her governance knowledge and insight also saw her appointed earlier this year as chair of Mercer – a highly regarded financial institution. She also brings specialist knowledge to contribute across

many of our businesses, having been with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise where she facilitated exports in the mÄnuka honey, seafood and wool sectors.

“Equally, Juliet brings to the table vast leadership and governance expertise, especially in risk management and compliance, operations, business transformation and growth. Her experience is truly global having worked in the legal sector in Aotearoa, Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

“Juliet is returning home from London, where she has been responsible for advising the firm and overseeing compliance across its 26 offices in the UK, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Brazil. She has also been in charge of leading the transformation of Norton Rose Fulbright’s business operations.

“Kristen takes up her position on our board this month and Juliet joins us in December. Their combined governance and leadership backgrounds make them hugely valuable members of our team.”