Directors
Nick Gerritsen
Nick Gerritsen is a New Zealand based catalyst and social entrepreneur.
He loves big ideas – ones that are going to lead to global structural change – and is committed to the culture of innovation – unafraid of operating beyond existing boundaries.
He specialises in developing technology propositions from the ground up, and has been one of the leaders promoting New Zealands contribution to the global clean tech revolution. In addition he is also involved in projects in the internet /online sectors that unlock entirely new transactions.
In addition to various directorships he is Chairman of The National Whale Centre Development Trust, and a Trustee of both the Hikurangi Foundation, and The Land Trust. .
He operates within a global network across the innovation and capital markets.
Nick graduated from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). During his legal career, he advised leading corporates on intellectual property and later enjoyed a string of successful business ventures, most notably in radio, and software sectors. He has been a consultant to New Zealand On Air, Radio New Zealand, Te Māngai Pāho (the Māori Broadcasting Funding Agency), and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Nick is based in the South Island of New Zealand and is undertaking post graduate study at the Amsterdam School of Creative Leadership in the Netherlands.
Roger Gower (Chairman)
Roger has extensive experience in the global capital markets, including participation in several large capital raises / debt placements in the US market.
He joined Air New Zealand in 1978 and served in a range of management roles, principally in global Sales and Marketing. Joining Tranz Rail in 1991, as head of the freight group, he refocused the operation as a customer- and business-focused service provider and participated in the successful global float of Tranz Rail on the NASDAQ in 1995.
Roger has established a management consultancy providing strategic advice to start-ups, large companies, and boards of directors, and providing policy advice to government departments. He also provides advisory services to M&A transactions and, in many cases, has co-invested in the propositions he works with.
Previous roles have included Chairman of Charlies Trading Company, which was floated in 2005 under Roger’s leadership. He has also been a Director of the Ports of Auckland and held Director roles with CCO’s in Auckland and Manukau City.
Roger is currently a Director and Chairman of PrimePort in Timaru and the listed entity Orion Minerals Group. His academic and professional interests are in the development of lifetime customers and the factors enabling high performance management teams. He has a B.Com from Auckland University, an MBA from Massey University, and an M Phil from Cambridge University.
Gavin Fernandez (Strategic Advisor)
Gavin has experience in both operational management and governance roles in engineering, aviation, oil, sustainable energy, purchasing, supply chains and private equity activities. He has sat on 15 boards in Hong Kong, North America and New Zealand.
He began his career in engineering and moved into commercial management roles after completing a UK MBA in 2001.
He spent seven years heading the jet fuel business for Cathay Pacific Airways with an annual spend of US$4–6 billion. It was in this role that he drove sustainability as a key focus and has been passionately pursuing sustainable fuels for aviation and ground use. As Vice Chairman of the IATA Fuel Committee, he drove alternative fuel awareness and action. He was one of the first to employ a full-time Biofuel Manager.
Gavin played a key role in establishing an optimised jet fuel supply chain for Hong Kong International Airport, delivering the largest and most open-access airport jet fuel facility in the world. He was the driver of future-proofing Hong Kong International Airport in having the potential to accept sustainable jet fuel.
Recently, he managed private equity acquisitions of sustainable fuel and energy companies globally for The Swire Group.
In addition to his present work, Gavin was keen to contribute to the sustainability community in New Zealand and is on the board of trustees of The Hikurangi Foundation.
Stephen Titter (Strategic Advisor)
Stephen is an Independent Director and Business Mentor.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Auckland. His experience is based on a background in finance and business leadership & management, with strengths in financial and strategic analysis, business relationships & structuring, and taxation.
He has had leadership, governance, risk management and client relationship management roles in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore during his 25 years as a partner of Ernst & Young. During that time he advised many of New Zealand’s largest companies in particular on a wide range of transactions facilitating their growth and penetration into new markets around the world.
Over recent years Stephen has had a strong involvement with senior management and Boards in organisations growing their forestry, petroleum products, infrastructure, technology, healthcare, consumer products, manufacturing, and export businesses.
He is an enthusiastic supporter of New Zealand companies keen on identifying real opportunities and taking those critical next steps to extract value from their services, products and intellectual property.
Over the last two years he has assisted the NXT Fuels Board to further develop its strategic thinking and determine an appropriate future business financial model to apply in extracting the best value from NXT Fuels’ global relationships and drop-in-fuels technology.
Stephen has had a strong connection with bi-lateral trade between New Zealand and the US, and continues as a long-time member of the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, of which he was a past president during a time of strategic change.