Meet our Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team

Board of Directors

• Sarah Ottrey (Chair)

  Appointed March 2019, Chair from October 2023

  Sarah has held senior marketing roles in New Zealand and off-shore with Unilever and DB Breweries/Heineken. Sarah is a Chartered Fellow of the NZ Institute of Directors, and a committee member of the Otago Southland Institute of Directors. She is currently chair of Whitestone Cheese, and a director of Skyline Enterprises, Mt Cook Alpine Salmon and Sarah Ottrey Marketing Ltd. Sarah was formerly a director of listed companies EBOS Group, Comvita, and Blue Sky Meats, Crown Enterprise The Public Trust, and an external member of the Inland Revenue Risk and Assurance Committee.

  Sarah is an ex officio member of all our board committees.

• Andrew Barlass

  Appointed September 2021

  Andrew Barlass has a background in both corporate finance and infrastructure funds management, most recently as Head of Asset Management for Deutsche Asset Management Australia. His local and international experience spans a range of industries including regulated utilities, infrastructure, airports, ports, forestry and agribusiness sectors.

  Andrew is based in Mid Canterbury, is currently a Director of EA Networks and Ashburton Contracting Limited, and custodian of an intergenerational family farming business. Past governance experience includes roles at Asia Pacific Airports Corporation, Port of Geelong, and Allgas Energy. 

  Andrew chairs the Risk, Audit and Finance Committee, and is a member of the Property and Commercial, and Aeronautical Committee.

• Paul Reid

  Appointed May 2018

  Paul joined the Board in May 2018 and brings extensive commercial experience gained across a diverse range of businesses. Paul is currently Chair of Figured, Virsae Group, and ASX-listed Volpara Health Technology. Past directorships include NZX listed Comvita and Pukeko Pictures GP.

  He has held a number of key executive roles in the transformation of businesses including Air New Zealand, MetService and Carter Holt Harvey. Paul is based in Wellington, New Zealand.

  Paul chairs the Property and Commercial Committee, and is a member of the People, Culture and Safety Committee, and Aeronautical Committee.

• Kate Morrison

  Appointed October 2017

  Prior to moving to New Zealand in 2014, Kate spent 20 years working in investment banking in the UK, with firms including Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and, most recently, Deutsche Bank, where she held a variety of senior client coverage and management roles. Based in Christchurch, she is now Chair of The New Zealand Merino Company and Link Engine Management, as well as a director of Heartland Group and a2 Milk.

  Kate chairs the People, Culture and Safety Committee and is a member of the Risk, Audit and Finance Committee and Property and Commercial Committee.

• Ed Sims

  Appointed October 2023

  Ed Sims has 38 years of experience in transportation, logistics and aviation across three continents and four countries.

  Since arriving in New Zealand in 2001, Ed has held executive level roles at Air New Zealand and served for six years as Chief Executive of State Owned Enterprise, Airways New Zealand. Subsequently Ed led Canada’s leading low fares airline WestJet over five years from 2017.

  Ed’s governance and board advisory portfolio includes aviation, transportation and Iwi interests in Australia and New Zealand.

  Ed is chair of the Aeronautical Committee and a member of the Risk, Audit and Finance Committee.

• Meg Matthews

  Appointed October 2024

  Meg is a qualified accountant with more than 20 years’ senior management experience across key business disciplines of finance, human resource management, strategic planning and marketing.

  She held the position of Head of Marketing (Australasia) for Air New Zealand and then Chief Executive of World of WearableArt. She started at the national airline in Corporate Finance after beginning her career with Deloitte.

  A Member of the Institute of Directors, she is a director of TVNZ, Port of Nelson, RealNZ Group and Halberg Foundation and is of Ngāi Tahu descent.

  Meg is a member of the Aeronautical Committee and the People, Culture and Safety Committee.