Dynamic Business: Chair of the Year - Port of Auckland’s Jan Dawson wins Deloitte Top 200 Award (NZ Herald)
Jan Dawson is the 2024 Chairperson of the Year at the Deloitte Top 200 awards.
With extensive experience governing large organisations, this award celebrates the significant transformation of the Port of Auckland that has enhanced safety and delivered strong financial results.
Dawson has been the chair of Port of Auckland since September 2021, and since then, has led the port on a transformative journey that has revitalised its operations, improved stakeholder trust, and set the foundation for long-term growth.
Deloitte Top 200 judge Hinerangi Raumati says Dawson “brings a gravitas that has been crucial in rebuilding trust during challenging times”.
“Under her leadership, the port has made significant strides in overcoming complex issues – from securing a new CEO to addressing an automation project that had become derailed, fostering stronger collaboration with unions, and aligning more closely with Auckland City Council, the port’s primary stakeholder.”
As well as the port, Dawson is a director of Serko and ACC.
She has previously held roles as chair of Westpac New Zealand, deputy chair of Air New Zealand and director of AIG Insurance New Zealand, Beca, Goodman Fielder and Meridian Energy. Before this, she held the chair and chief executive position at KPMG New Zealand, following a career in audit, consulting and accounting services in the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.
The judges note that when Dawson took over as chair of the Port of Auckland, it was grappling with significant challenges including operational disruptions and strained relations with its shareholder, Auckland Council.
She recalls: “The port had been through a tough time with Covid and supply chain disruptions, and it became very clear that we needed to get back to basics.”
The appointment of a new chief executive was a critical first step. Dawson and the board appointed Roger Gray to steer the port towards a sustainable future.
“When Roger came on board, we agreed a nine-year roadmap, focused on delivering cargo to customers in a timely, efficient manner across all businesses of the port,” Dawson says, crediting his expertise and leadership as pivotal in aligning the port’s goals with stakeholder expectations and rebuilding respect as a company.
Her approach as chair has been described by the judges as “calm and consensus-driven, ensuring that every board member has a voice in the strategic direction of the Port of Auckland” – an assessment Dawson embraces.
“If you ever have to take a vote at a board meeting, you’ve failed,” she says, adding that with a good board, everyone has something to add, and the role of chair is about ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and finding solutions that benefit the company. This approach has been instrumental in building trust not only within the board but also among the port’s diverse stakeholders.
Under Dawson’s leadership, the port has built a strong relationship with Auckland Council, the port’s sole shareholder. By maintaining open communication and involving unions in decision-making processes, particularly around safety and productivity, she has fostered a collaborative atmosphere.
“Transparency and communication have been crucial,” she explains. This openness extends to the media as well, with Dawson implementing a proactive approach to media relations to ensure clarity and honesty about the port’s operations.
Dawson says her highlight this year has been overseeing the port’s delivery of key financial and operational goals ahead of schedule.
“We have got to where we thought we would be in three years, in two,” she says.
In the past year, the port increased its dividend to $40 million, a testament to its renewed focus on financial performance and shareholder value.
But Dawson points out that this achievement was not only financial. “We didn’t just focus on financial performance. We are focused on people, safety, and what customers value and want.
“And we did that at a time when there was a lot of distraction for the executive team and the board with the prospect of the Long-Term Plan requiring us to look at a long-term operating lease of the port, which had the potential to distract management away from what we were doing in a transformational sense and from what they needed to do.”
Looking ahead, the port is planning for its next phase of development to ready it for the future.
It aims to enhance Bledisloe North Wharf with upgraded infrastructure that will help the port meet Auckland’s freight needs, support the cruise industry, while also providing more access to the waterfront for Aucklanders and reducing ferry disruptions. Dawson is excited about these initiatives, which she sees as essential to securing the port’s place as a vital asset for Auckland and New Zealand.
“The port will be here for the next 35 years minimum,” she says confidently, looking forward to a new era of growth and innovation.
Finalist: Dame Rosanne Meo, Briscoe Group
Dame Rosanne Meo describes her two-decade tenure as chair of Briscoe Group as “an extraordinary journey” filled with both challenges and achievements.
Throughout periods of market disruption – from the financial crisis to the rise of e-commerce and the pandemic – her steady leadership has kept Briscoe Group on course, reinforcing its resilience.
In recognising her as a finalist for Chairperson of the Year, the judges applaud Meo for her strategic vision and commitment to Briscoe Group’s long-term success.
“Despite the ongoing challenging retail environment, Briscoe Group delivered record sales numbers in its most recent half-year result and an underlying trading profit close to last year,” says Raumati.
“This is an impressive result and Meo’s leadership has reinforced the company’s strong position in New Zealand’s homeware and sporting goods market.”
Meo attributes much of her success to a strong partnership with CEO Rod Duke, whose operational expertise she views as essential to Briscoe Group’s achievements. However, she emphasises the importance of directors maintaining “a very strong hand on the tiller” while respecting management’s responsibility to run the business.
As she explains through a “grandstand” analogy: “Directors must not go on to the field of play. At times, they’ll come down to the sidelines to cheer or shout a bit of advice, but the further up the grandstand you sit, the more you see of the field, and of adjacent fields.”
From this vantage point, she says, “you can have an objectivity that is very hard for executives when you’re living in the company on a day-by-day basis”.
As one of the first professional woman directors in New Zealand, the first woman to chair a state-owned enterprise in New Zealand and the first woman to lead an NZSX-listed company, Meo’s impact on the nation’s corporate landscape is profound. The judges commend her for having “shaped a legacy of governance grounded in inclusivity, respect, and steadfast independence”.
Meo’s extensive board experience has included roles as chair of TVNZ, the Forestry Corporation, AMP NZ, and Baycorp NZ. She currently serves as patron of the Auckland Philharmonia and as chair of AMP NZ’s staff superannuation schemes. Recently, she retired from her roles with the Kelliher Trust and the Middlemore Health Foundation.
“I’ve never gone after big names,” she says. “I’ve sought out diverse sectors where I could make a meaningful contribution.”
An advocate for continuous improvement, Meo stresses the importance of directors scrutinising themselves to avoid becoming “too isolated in a boardroom”. She believes in openly sharing these evaluations with fellow directors and executives to ensure that everyone is “independent of thought” and responsive to the current conditions.
“Every board should be doing this every year,” she says. “But we should all be doing it whether we’re a director or not. Are we doing our best? That is very important.”
Meo has announced that she will step down as chair of Briscoe Group in two years, concluding her influential chapter with the company. While she plans to spend more time with her family, including her two daughters and five grandsons, she says she will remain engaged in causes and sectors that spark her passion.
Finalist: George Adams, Synlait
George Adams’ leadership has been instrumental in guiding Synlait through a period of financial instability, culminating in a $217.8m recapitalisation.
The Deloitte Top 200 judges recognise Adams as a finalist for Chairperson of the Year for his role in steering the specialty milk producer through crisis and commend him for stabilising Synlait’s future.
Adams was appointed as an independent director of Synlait in March 2024 and became chair in May 2024. Top 200 judge Hinerangi Raumati Tu-ua says his tenure “stands as a testament to resilience, strategic foresight, and a willingness to step into challenging situations when others might hesitate”.
Adams explains that he “thought long and hard about joining Synlait” but ultimately decided its importance to New Zealand made the effort worthwhile.
He believed he could navigate Synlait’s challenges while addressing concerns raised by the Mainzeal case, which left many directors wary of high-risk roles.
“Mainzeal caused a large amount of concern in the director community – and rightly so,” he says.
“I felt there had to be a way to show that directors can guide companies through difficult situations without putting their own assets at risk.”
Adams says that “because something is hard is not a reason to not do it”, candidly describing Synlait’s situation as “frankly bloody hard, but the outcome was worth it”.
Synlait’s troubles reached a breaking point earlier this year, as its debt burden became unsustainable.
“We had to negotiate with the banks, who were running out of patience,” he says. “We had to completely refinance the business to the tune of $450 million, settle years-long disputes with our largest customer, and at the same time ask them for money. Then we had to figure out the best route to raising capital by being fair to everyone while being certain we could raise the amount of capital required.”
At the same time, Synlait lost the confidence of its farmer suppliers, with many issuing cease notices to signal their intent to stop milk deliveries. “A dairy company without a milk supply is just a big collection of worthless stainless steel,” says Adams.
He reflects on this process, noting there were several points where the balance of probability was that a solution wouldn’t be found.
With time ticking, the board had to make swift, decisive moves.
“In this environment, you can’t afford to debate things endlessly, you have to resolve a position and move forward,” he says, describing his role as ensuring necessary conversations and decisions happened within strict deadlines.
The board engaged legal representatives and an investment banker, and constantly evaluated its position, rigorously testing assumptions on directors’ duties and going concern. “Really good advice was absolutely invaluable – it was a safe haven,” says Adams, urging other directors facing crises to prioritise quality advice.
The recapitalisation involved substantial investment from Synlait’s two largest shareholders, Bright Dairy and The a2 Milk Company, requiring intricate negotiations with banks and strategic alignment among stakeholders.
Looking ahead, Adams sees the recapitalisation as “just the end of the beginning” for Synlait. His attention now shifts to business turnaround, with a focus on customers, revenue and cost. He says performance will be critical to give farmer suppliers sufficient confidence to withdraw their cease notices.
Beyond Synlait, Adams is chair of Bremworth, New Zealand Frost Fans, Netlogix New Zealand, Apollo Foods, Insightful. Mobi and the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum. He is a director of ArborGen.
The Chairperson of the Year award is sponsored by Forsyth Barr.
