AGM and end of year gathering with guest speaker Abby Foote

AGM

Speaker(s): Abby Foote, Serean Gallagher
Date: 5:30pm — 9:30pm, 2 December 2024
Venue: The Boathouse
Location: 326 Wakefield Quay, Stepneyville, Nelson 7010
Price members: $45.00 incl GST
Price non-members: $65.00 incl GST

Overview

The 21st Annual General Meeting of the Nelson Marlborough Branch of the Institute of Directors will be held at the beginning of the evening. To view the Notice of AGM.

This year’s event features the highly-regarded professional director Abby Foote CFInstD, as our guest speaker. Abby will be sharing her insights into governance and drawing on her extensive experience to provide valuable lessons and perspectives in a Q&A session.

In a departure from the traditional formal dinner, this year’s AGM will be a relaxed networking event with drinks and canapes. The new format aims to create an engaging atmosphere, allowing attendees to mingle freely and easily connect.

Another highlight of the evening will be the presentation of this year’s Emerging Director Award, sponsored by Duncan Cotterill, to Serean Gallagher MInstD. Join us in celebrating Serean’s fantastic achievement and in wishing her continued success on her governance journey.

This year’s judging panel consisted of Sarah Smith CFInstD, Meg Matthews MInstD and Gráinne Troute CFInstD (Independent Director Duncan Cotterill).

Abby Foote

CFInstD

Abby is a professional director with over 10 years’ experience as a full time independent director, having served on both listed and Crown companies.

With qualifications in both law and accounting, Abby’s executive career encompassed both disciplines, focusing on corporate finance and commercial transactions. She has experience in a number of diverse areas including mergers and acquisitions, treasury and structured finance transactions, telecommunications, management of large projects and strategy.

As a professional director, Abby has experience in a wide range of areas including strategic development and implementation, governance of significant transactions, stakeholder engagement, risk management, health & safety and ESG issues. She is an experienced Board and Committee chair.

Abby is currently a director of KMD Brands Limited and Freightways Limited. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of Chapter Zero New Zealand. Previous roles include Chair of Christchurch City Holdings Limited and of Z Energy Limited and as a director of Sanford; Transpower; TVNZ; Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa; Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) and the Local Government Funding Agency (LGFA). Abby is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

Serean Gallagher

MInstD

Serean is currently a member of the Nelson Marlborough Conservation Board and has held previous governance roles on the board of Clifton Terrace Primary School and the Society for Cryobiology.

Serean’s background is in science and research. She completed her PhD in Marine Science at the University of Otago before heading to the UK for her post-doc at the University of Luton (now the University of Bedfordshire). Serean returned to New Zealand to take up a position at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson where she gained extensive experience in leading large multidisciplinary teams and managing at a senior executive level. She worked closely with researchers and stakeholders over two decades to deliver nationally significant research outcomes for New Zealand’s aquaculture industry. Serean is now the Science Manager at a Nelson biotech start-up company.

Serean is originally from the Hibiscus Coast but has lived in the Nelson /Te tauihu region for more than 20 years with her husband and two boys.

Serean enjoys governance because it brings together people with diverse thinking, skills and experiences and enables organisations to work collectively as a team to solve problems and unlock opportunities.

Additional information

Covid-19 precautions

By registering for this event you are confirming that you agree to adhere to our Covid-19 health and safety measures. If you are unwell or have any Covid-19 symptoms please do not attend this event.