KiwiRail and Transpower Chairs announced

This is a supplied media release

Finance Minister Bill English and State Owned Enterprises Minister Todd McClay announced today that Trevor Janes will be the next chair of KiwiRail, and former State Owned Enterprises Minister Tony Ryall will be the next chair of Transpower.

Mr Janes has been appointed a director of KiwiRail from today and will take over as chair from 1 November. He succeeds John Spencer who has chaired KiwiRail for four years and before that its predecessor, the New Zealand Railway Corporation, for two.

“I want to thank Mr Spencer for providing strong leadership and stability as KiwiRail has manoeuvred through a challenging period,” Mr English says.

“He has championed the restructuring of KiwiRail’s balance sheet and its progression to a more commercial entity, and helped to successfully reposition long-haul passenger services.”

Mr McClay says Mr Janes is an experienced professional director and chair with governance experience across a range of enterprises in both the private and public sectors.

“He brings business experience, financial expertise and a collaborative leadership style to the position.”

Mr Ryall, who is currently a director of Transpower, will take over the position of chair on 1 November.

He was a member of Parliament for 24 years and, before retiring from public office in 2014, held a number of senior cabinet positions.  He is currently head of public policy with the commercial law firm, Simpson Grierson, chair of NIB NZ Ltd, and a trustee of the Massey University Foundation.

“Mr Ryall is a proven leader, and has knowledge of the regulatory, economic and political environment in which Transpower operates,” Mr McClay says.

The ministers also acknowledged outgoing Transpower chair Mark Verbiest who has chaired the board for six years.

“Mr Verbiest has been instrumental in leading the board through completion of the three major grid upgrade projects, steering it through significant changes to the regulatory environment, and optimising its financial position and structure," Mr McClay says.

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