The role of our Board

Mark Verbiest joined the Meridian Board in March 2017, he was appointed Chair in October 2019. He serves on the Audit and Risk Committee and the People, Remuneration and Culture Committee.

Mark is an experienced company director, currently also serving as the Chair of Summerset Group Holdings Limited. He is also currently a member of the Fonterra Independent Assessment Panel, and a member ff the Chapter Zero NZ Steering Committee. Mark was a senior corporate partner of national law firm Simpson Grierson for a number of years before joining the senior executive team at Telecom NZ. Aside from being Group General Counsel and leading a number of corporate groups at Telecom, he was also executive lead for the International and cable, and Yellow Pages businesses. Mark is also a former Chair of Freightways Limited, Spark New Zealand Limited, Willis Bond Capital Limited and Transpower New Zealand Limited. He is a former director for ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited and a former board member of the Financial Markets Authority and of the Advisory Board to New Zealand Treasury as well as having held other board roles.

Mark has had significant involvement and experience in the energy and technology sectors, as well as capital markets, in a variety of roles, over many years.

Julia Hoare joined the Meridian board in September 2019. Julia is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Julia has extensive governance, financial, and commercial expertise. She has a very strong governance pedigree and is currently, Chair of Port of Tauranga and Chair of Auckland International Airport. She is also a member of the Chapter Zero New Zealand Steering Committee. During her executive career, Julia was a partner at PwC for two decades where she gained significant sustainability, financial and tax experience.

In addition to significant commercial and financial experience in both the private and public sectors, Julia’s skills also span infrastructure, logistics, utilities, and sustainable business practices.

Michelle joined the Meridian board in October 2019. Michelle serves on the Safety and Sustainability Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee.

She has extensive engineering and industrial expertise, with more than 20 years of experience in the Australasian heavy industry sector. Michelle is currently on the board on Cycling New Zealand Incorporated, South Port NZ Limited and Awarua Holding Limited.

Michelle is a former executive of Rio Tinto, both in New Zealand and Australia. She previously held the role of Chief Operating Officer of PowerNet, an electricity distribution company. Michelle has experience in health and safety, infrastructure and risk management. She is currently studying a Masters in Information Governance at the University of Auckland.

Nagaja Sanatkumar joined the Meridian Board in January 2020. Nagaja is Chair of the Safety and Sustainability Committee and serves on the People, Remuneration and Culture Committee. She is also Chair of the Cyber Security Committee.

She has an impressive international career with a focus on software information technology at scale, including senior roles at Amazon and Expedia. She has led digital information technology solutions, and customer experience innovation for eCommerce retail, travel and financial services products, including initiatives and processes to ensure information security, fraud protection and customer data privacy compliance. Nagaja played a crucial role in setting up the board’s Cyber Security Committee, which leads the governance of initiatives to prevent, assure, and protect Meridian against the threats of cyber-attacks and loss of critical data.

Nagaja studied Chemical Engineering at IIT Bombay before moving to the US for a consulting role with Deloitte. Nagaja completed her MBA from the University of Washington in 2003 and completed a Masters in Sustainable Development Goals from Massey University in 2023.

Nagaja has over 25 years’ global executive and leadership experience. She is also a Director for ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited, Southern Cross Healthcare Limited, and Tuatahi First Fibre Limited.

Tania joined the Meridian Board in August 2021. Tania is Chair of the People, Remuneration and Culture Committee and also serves on the Safety and Sustainability Committee. Tania is currently a director at Auckland International Airport Limited and Waste Management NZ Limited. Tania is also the Deputy Chair of the Waitangi National Trust.

Tania has extensive experience in corporate governance, policy development and business having served as a director of Mighty River Power Limited for 13 years from 2001. She also holds the distinction of being the first Māori director on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand Board where she was the Deputy Chair.

Graham Cockroft joined the Meridian Board in July 2022. He serves on the Audit and Risk Committee, the People, Remuneration and Culture Committee and the Cyber Security Committee.

Graham has over 30 years’ experience in the international energy industry, with executive roles in the UK, South America, New Zealand and Asia. His experiences have been across the energy chain and under different political, economic and regulatory regimes. He has a strong financial background and extensive experience in strategy and business development.

During his executive career Graham served as Group CFO at SGX-listed Sembcorp Industries Limited, Singapore, CFO and COO at Contact Energy Limited, New Zealand, and in various senior executive roles for close to two decades at the UK energy company BG Group (now part of Shell plc), primarily in the UK and South America. Graham is currently a director of ASX-listed AGL Energy Limited and Tuatahi First Fibre Limited.

David Carter joined the Meridian Board in July 2023 and serves on the Safety and Sustainability Committee and the Cyber Security Committee.

David has been with the Beca group of companies for 30 plus years during which time he has held a wide range of people, project and governance positions within the group. Since 2017 David has served as Beca Group’s Executive Chair.

A civil engineer by profession, David has worked across a range of sectors within New Zealand and offshore, from airports to ports, and wastewater treatment plants to heavy duty pavements. Such projects include remediation of the Larona hydro canal and foundations for various high rise structures. Delivery mechanisms have ranged from conventional design and construct to design build, culminating in the $3 plus billion Victorian (Australia) Desalination plant as a board member of the design JV.

David currently serves as a Guardian of both the Aotearoa Circle and Koi Tū and Chairs The University of Auckland Foundation.