B Com (Accountancy), FCA

An elected Director and Chair of our board, Louise holds the following positions on the committees of the board:

• Chair of Governance Committee
• Member of the Directors' Nominating Committee
• Member of the Credit Risk Committee
• Ex officio member of the Audit and Risk Committee

Louise is an experienced professional director and Chartered Accountant (CA) with over 25 years senior management experience across a number of industries in New Zealand and overseas.  In particular, she has held senior executive positions within the NZ financial services industry and is an experienced leader with a wealth of financial management acumen. 

Her current board appointments include being a director of the National Provident Fund, Superannuation Investments Ltd and Mutual Funds Limited.  She was previously on the boards of Credit Union South and the Canterbury Development Corporation (now ChristchurchNZ).  Her previous executive roles include Chief Executive of Rata Foundation, Chief Executive of Perpetual Trust and Chief Operating Officer for Assure NZ (subsidiary of AXA).  

In conjunction with her busy work life, she has always maintained strong community sector links which includes her work with the JR McKenzie Trust, Marlborough Kaikoura Trail Trust, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, University of Canterbury Foundation, Good Shepherd NZ, Alzheimers Society and Victim Support.

Louise’s family has been involved with credit unions over many years and she has a strong interest and passion for the credit union ethos of “people helping people”.

MBA, PG Dip Bus (Information Systems)

A board appointed Director and Deputy Chair of our board, Kevin also holds the following position on the committees of the board:

• Board Deputy Chair
• Chair of the Directors' Nominating Committee
• Member of the Governance Committee

Kevin is the founder and principal consultant at Agility Consulting, providing tailored strategic advisory, consulting and coaching services to boards and C-Level executives.  He is a member of the NZ Institute of Directors, has more than 20 years senior management experience across the financial services and utilities sector in New Zealand, and has delivered a number of significant digital transformation initiatives. In particular, he has held senior positions across Customer Service, Business and Technology Operations in the insurance industry and is an experienced leader with a wealth of commercial acumen.

He was previously on the board of the Electricity Retailers Association of New Zealand (ERANZ). His previous executive roles include General Manager Retail and Digital at Mercury NZ and Chief Information Officer at IAG NZ. He was awarded NZ CIO of the Year in 2014.

He is a member of the NZ government’s Energy Hardship Expert Panel which is focused on improving the financial and wellbeing outcomes of the estimated more than 100,000 New Zealanders facing energy poverty.

B Ag Com, Post Graduate Diploma in Banking, Fellow Financial Services Institute Australasia (FINSIA)

A board appointed director on our board, Brian also holds the following positions on the committees of the board: 

• Member of the Governance Committee 
• Member of the Audit and Risk Committee 
• Chair of the Credit Risk Steering Committee 

Brian has over 30 years of financial services experience, in both the private and public sector. He has held senior executive roles in NZ banks and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand during periods of significant change.  He has led a number of major projects within those organisations including in procurement, organisational transformation and retail strategy development.  He brings commercial banking experience and a well developed knowledge of risk management, risk and compliance frameworks, and quality assurance methodologies to the organisation.  

His governance experience has primarily been with Paymark (2007-2011) in the payments industry, and latterly as chair of a private equity farming partnership. 

After spending recent years working in an offshore role, Brian is now focusing on local communities and organisations that help everyday New Zealanders. He has a strong empathy for “people helping people” through teamwork and understands the importance of customer and shareholder advocacy in order to deliver on board aspirations.

An elected Director, Mike also holds the following positions on the committees of the board:

• Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
• Chair of the Credit Risk Committee

Mike has a wealth of senior management experience across multiple industries both in the private and public sectors, including financial services, for more than 20 years.

He was also previously on the board of the Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand (TUANZ) and board chair of Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM).

Mike has held executive positions across digital and information services domains for such organisations as WorkSafe NZ, Instant Finance and Auckland Council, having previously led advisory practices for Deloitte and EY.

He has led many digital transformation programmes improving the customer experience and organisational performance for which he was recognised as NZ CIO of the Year

BCom FCA FCG CMInstD

An elected Director, Mary also holds the following positions on the committees of the board:

• Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee
• Member of the Credit Risk Committee
• Member of the Directors' Nominating Committee

Mary is an experienced independent director, fellow chartered accountant, fellow chartered secretary and risk manager with extensive commercial experience in financial services, healthcare, aviation and sport.

Current appointments include: independent director of Radius Residential Care and Southern Cross Pet Insurance, chair of Northern Netball Zone, a board member of Women in Sport Aotearoa, and an Auckland Council appointed trustee of Mangere Mountain Education Trust. Previous executive roles include Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of Instant Finance and Radius Health Group, and Manager, Governance Risk with Air New Zealand.

In her spare time, Mary is an enthusiastic, regular interclub player for Orakei Tennis Club. She enjoys reading and daily walks with our guide dog. 

LLB (Hons)

With over 20 years of experience as a seasoned general counsel and executive, Debra brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Unity. Her background spans various industries, including banking and finance, telecommunications, oil and gas, and regulatory sectors.

Debra's passion lies in fostering the economic wellbeing of Aotearoa and aligning with Unity's core mission: "Helping everyday Kiwis achieve a better tomorrow."

Holding an LLB (Hons) from the Auckland University School of Law, Debra balances her professional commitments with personal interests, cherishing time with her diverse, blended family and indulging in the pleasure of reading.

We are confident that Debra's dedication and strategic insights will be invaluable assets as we continue to empower our members and drive Unity's growth.