Our executive team

Mike Roan was appointed Chief Executive Officer in July 2025.

Before this appointment, Mike was Chief Financial Officer, responsible for the finance, strategy, risk and procurement functions at Meridian Energy.

Mike joined Meridian in 2006 as a Strategy Analyst before moving into the wholesale side of the business in 2009 as Wholesale Markets Manager. He then became General Manager of Wholesale, where he was responsible for all wholesale market activities.

Before joining Meridian, Mike was based in the United States where he worked in a number of energy trading roles. He is a kiwi who, prior to the US, spent time working within the New Zealand electricity sector and banking.

Tania was appointed GM Generation in December 2021, having originally joined Meridian as Chief People Officer in 2019. Tania has strong experience in the electricity sector, including six years on the Leadership Team of Contact Energy in People and Health, Safety & Environment.

Tania also has a breadth of experience to share from running her own consulting business, leading people-related projects in the energy, science and research, manufacturing, retail, arts, financial services, non-profit and government sectors. A graduate of Victoria University, Tania started her career in the NZ Air Force.

Lisa Hannifin was appointed as Chief Customer Officer in November 2019. As General Manager of Meridian’s retail business, Lisa's role includes accountability for the Meridian and Powershop customer brands and the operational retail functions of the Meridian Group.

She brings rich experience and insight from a number of customer roles in her career, including a decade in the New Zealand electricity market.

During this time Lisa led the Sales and Service teams for Meridian as Head of Business and Residential, where she developed a reputation for her ability to think laterally, create and implement strategy, and drive transformational change.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Management from Lincoln University.

Guy Waipara (Rongowhakaata) was appointed to General Manager of Development in December 2020. This includes managing environmental authorisations for current and future projects, and responsibility of Meridian's future renewable options and projects.

Guy has previously held roles as GM Generation and Natural Resources from Novermber 2017, GM Markets and Production from April 2016, and GM External Relations from August 2010. Guy has held roles at Meridian in offshore business development and setting company stategy. He has over 30 years' experience in the electricity sector and previously worked at Transpower New Zealand in roles responsible for transmission planning and network development.

Jason was appointed Chief People Officer in March 2022. During his 14-year tenure at Meridian, he has occupied a variety of senior and executive roles, most recently as CEO of Meridian Australia and Powershop Australia.

Prior to this, he was General Manager of the Office of Chief Executive, as well as General Counsel and Company Secretary.

Jason is a superb leader with considerable experience and a strong passion for Meridian. He is also a director of Meridian subsidiary, Dam Safety Intelligence Limited.

Claire Shaw was appointed GM Corporate Affairs and Sustainability in April 2020. Claire and her team are responsible for public relations strategy, sustaibility, external and internal communications at Meridian Energy. Before this appointment, Claire was Acting GM for Office of the Chief Executive, Corporate Communications Manager and held various communications roles at Meridian. Claire has also been a board member for Drive Electric.

Claire joined Meridian in 2009 after moving from a career in journalism in the UK and Ireland. Originally hailing from Yorkshire, Claire holds an Honours degree in English Literature from the University of Wales, Bangor.

Bharat Ratanpal was appointed Chief Information Officer in March 2022. He has led Meridian's IT function since 2018. Bharat's appointment to the Executive team acknowledges the strategic importance of digital transformation to our business. Bharat has a wealth of experience with previous roles as Head of Technology at Education Payroll, and 15 years at Vodafone New Zealand and its predecessor Telstra Clear. He not only has a wealth of expertise, he has demonstrated his ability to lead, partner and enable others to put customers at the heart of our business through our digital programme. Bharat holds an MBA from Massey University, New Zealand and a Bachelor of Engineering from Pune University, India. Bharat and his team are responsible for the information and communication platforms, tools and technologies that support Meridian's operations, as well as Meridian’s cyber security strategy and programme.

Jason Woolley was appointed General Counsel and Company Secretary in April 2020. Jason and his team are responsible for legal, government relations and regulatory functions at Meridian Energy. Jason joined the Meridian legal team in 2011 as Senior Legal Counsel before taking up the Regulatory Affairs Manager's role and more recently Head of Affairs and Corporate Legal.

Prior to joining Meridian, Jason worked in both private law firm and in-house legal roles in Wellington, the UK and Australia. Jason holds both a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from Victoria University of Wellington.

Rory Blundell was appointed GM, Strategy and Portfolio in June 2025. Previously Meridian’s Group Strategy Manager, Rory and his team are responsible for the core strategic and portfolio elements of our business. He brings over 20 years of New Zealand electricity sector experience, having previously held numerous senior and executive management positions at the Electricity Authority and Contact Energy. Rory holds degrees in Economics and Engineering (First Class Honours), both from Auckland University.