Wellington changemakers receive governance top honour

This April, the Wellington Branch of the Institute of Directors’ (IoD) is awarding its top honour of Distinguished Fellow (DistFInstD) to two of its members – Dame Diana Crossan DNZM and Dame Fran Wilde DNZM, QSO. The two recipients have made outstanding contributions to the public, private and not-for-profit (NFP) sectors across industries such as health, finance, arts, culture and more. 

Dame Diana Crossan DNZM was appointed Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (2019) for her work in equal employment opportunities, retirement income and charity work with her foray into governance starting in Wellington in the 1980s – she has been a director and chair of private companies, charitable trusts and community organisations. She is currently a director of Kaibosh and chair of the following boards: WELLfed NZ Trust, So They Can, The Depression Recovery Trust and Lifetime Retirement Income.  

Starting her career as a probation officer, she later moved into senior roles in the public service, and with Contact Energy and AMP. Dame Diana was also New Zealand’s Retirement Commissioner for almost a decade where she played a pivotal role in establishing KiwiSaver and developing Sorted.org.nz before joining Wellington Free Ambulance as its CEO.  

When she joined her first board, she still recalls the support she received from the chair which helped cement a positive path of meaningful work. 

“Sir Roy Mckenzie invited me to join the board of one of his family philanthropic trusts. This led to me learning heaps about communities across Aotearoa and to chairing the JRMckenzie Trust. While I was challenged by and learnt a lot on SOE and private sector boards, I am most proud of my work on charitable boards,” she said. 

Among the challenges she’s dealt with while being on boards is “dealing with conflict at the board table on several occasions” which saw people leave the board, and the remainder having to regroup and “keep the show on the road”. 

Staying focused and committed to good governance takes persistence and perseverance but for Dame Diana the driver has always been one crucial element: “It’s always about the people I have worked with and the people the board has served.” 

Hon Dame Fran Wilde DNZM QSO has had a prominent career in national and local politics, including as a Cabinet Minister, the first female Mayor of Wellington and Chair of the Greater Wellington Regional Council. A strong advocate for social justice, she was instrumental in passing what became the Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986, and the Adult Adoption Reform Act(1985). She was a Crown negotiator for Treaty of Waitangi Claims and earlier on was deeply involved internationally, including as a NZ representative on ABAC (Apec Business Advisory Council) and CE of the NZ Trade Development Board. 

Her governance roles span diverse sectors such as the infrastructure, arts, services, education and philanthropy, and she has served as chair and director in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, including at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Auckland Light Rail, Housing NZ, UDINZ, Wellington Waterfront Ltd, NZ International Arts Festival, Kiwi Can Do and the Remuneration Authority.  

She is currently chair of the Asia New Zealand Foundation, the Nikau Foundation, the Royal NZ Plunket Board (Whanau Awhina Plunket), Wellington's Lifelines Group, and a director of Frequency Ltd and Destination Wairarapa. 

Dame Fran was appointed as a Dame Companion of the NZ Order of Merit in 2017 in recognition of her work for the community and local government. In 2019 she was given the Visionary Leader Award in the Deloitte Top 200. Much of her work has been driving issues and organisations in Wellington. Today her focus has shifted to the Wairarapa, since relocating there.  

Early in her governance career (1990s), she was one of very few women on a board. But she's pleased to see that today's landscape looks much different. 

“Women are certainly more present now, although I know there are still blockages, so it’s important that more experienced directors and business leaders can recognise talent and bring other women through. 

Unlike Dame Diana who had received mentorship, Dame Fran's pathway into governance was much different. She learnt as much as she could from colleagues and CEOs of the boards she has been on: “No matter what you’ve done, there is always something else to observe and pick up in a board environment.” 

“I’ve been lucky to have a mix of commercial, government and not-for-profit organisations in my portfolio. New directors shouldn’t be deceived into thinking that the not-for-profit sector is somehow ‘easier’. In fact, it’s often far more complex than leading organisations that have a purely commercial objective,” Dame Fran said. 

Both women have advice for emerging directors coming into a complex environment, one that continues to shift. 

“The world is fracturing right now. Being able to navigate the divisions in society is essential. We need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of new technologies to help with this,” Dame Diana said. 

Dame Fran agrees, adding that AI is likely to be a revolutionary change in the near future and it is essential that boards make sure they have top class, trusted advice.  

The two recipients will receive their awards at an official ceremony on Wednesday 02 April in Wellington.