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Three new board members, gearing up for IPO

Punakaiki Fund has appointed three new board members with a view to commencing its journey towards an initial public offering (IPO).

New board members Candace Kinser, Tracey Jones and Nigel Scott come with a wealth of business, finance and technology experience.

Says Punakaiki Fund chair Mike Bennetts: “The board is thrilled to have such experienced business leaders join us. Punakaiki Fund has always attracted excellent board members, and in that regard we bid a sad farewell to long-standing director Blake Richardson.

“We are ramping up our efforts towards a future IPO, though we have no immediate plans to list in the short to medium-term. We believe these three new directors will bring a new level of experience and the collective ability to take the company to, and beyond, an initial public offering, if required.”

The new independent directors are:

Candace Kinser

Candace has executive and technology governance experience, with a dose of entrepreneurial flair. Candace is a director of Livestock Improvement (LIC), NZ Health Partnerships and Eastland Group, chairs Helius Therapeutics and a region of the Cancer Society of New Zealand. She was previously a director of WEL Networks, UltraFast Fibre, EROAD, Palintir and was CEO of industry professional body NZTech.

Candace has several degrees and post graduate studies, including in Anthropology, Political Science, management, and Biopharma Enterprise, from University of Hawaii, Massey University, and Rutger’s University. MAICD, CMIDNZ.

Tracey Jones

Tracey is a family office advisor with a broad range of governance experience across financial services, technology and the investment sectors. She is the Chair of Nikko Asset Management NZ and a director of Harmoney, where she chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. She is also a director of Tutaneki Investments and Chair of the Petal Foundation charity. She was previously a director of New Plymouth PIF Guardians. Tracey is a Chartered Accountant, a member of the Chartered Accountants of Australia & New Zealand, and a member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

Nigel Scott 

Nigel has investment banking, wealth management, governance and broking experience. He held a number of roles inside ANZ, and before that was at Westpac. He assisted in the transition from Macquarie Private Wealth to Hobson Wealth, and was Head of Advice there until 2020 and today remains a director. He is also a director of Kōura Wealth, Syndex and is a Board Trustee of the Auckland Foundation. Nigel is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and has Diplomas in Business from Massey University and CPIT.