James Palmer is Secretary for the Environment and Chief Executive of the Ministry for the Environment, leading environmental management and emissions reduction. He was previously CEO of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and has held senior roles at MfE and MPI, with extensive experience in environmental reform and collaboration.
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Laurissa Cooney (Te Āti Hau Nui a Pāpā Rangi) is Co-chair of The Aotearoa Circle and a board member of Air New Zealand, Goodman Property, and Rabobank NZ. A Chartered Accountant and experienced director, she has held senior roles with Deloitte and served as CFO of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. Her work is guided by the Whanganui proverb: Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.
Volker Kuntzsch is Chief Executive of Cawthron Institute, with over 30 years’ international experience in the seafood industry. He previously served as CEO of Sanford and held executive roles in the US, Japan, Namibia, Germany, and the UK. Volker holds a Master of Science from the University of Stellenbosch.
Carolyn Tremain is Chief Executive of MBIE, leading work on innovation, infrastructure, energy, and low-emissions transition. She has over 20 years’ executive experience, including roles at Customs, Inland Revenue, and Air New Zealand, and chairs the Public Sector Auckland Career Board.
David Carter is Group Executive Chair at Beca, where he has held senior roles since 1987, driving strategy with a focus on sustainability. He is a director of Meridian Energy and Chair of The University of Auckland Foundation, with a long history of governance in engineering and environmental sectors. His leadership is grounded in the whakataukī: Toitū te marae a Tāne, toitū te marae a Tangaroa, toitū te tangata.
Simon Limmer was appointed Chief Executive of Indevin Group Limited in early 2024. He is responsible for leading the company, the delivery of strategy and financial performance, and engaging with customers, staff, suppliers, and shareholders.
Izzy Fenwick is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and public speaker. Co-founder of Fenwick and founder of Futureful, she joined The Aotearoa Circle as an Emerging Director in 2021 and became a Guardian in 2024. Inspired by her late father Sir Rob Fenwick, Izzy is dedicated to mainstreaming corporate responsibility. With a background in psychology, design thinking, and communications, she focuses on the link between human behaviour and corporate performance.
Penny Nelson has been Director-General of DOC since 2021. She previously led biosecurity and primary sector policy at MPI and held senior roles at the Ministry for the Environment. Penny also has experience in the private and science sectors and holds an MSc in Resource Management.
Bruce Wills is Chair of Ravensdown and Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay, a Director of FMG Insurance, and chairs two MPI SFFF programmes. He is a former National President of Federated Farmers and has held leadership roles with QEII National Trust and HortNZ. Awarded an ONZM in 2021, Bruce has over 20 years of farming experience near Napier.
