New Zealand’s leading solar energy services company appoints new Chief Financial Officer
Matthew Ward
Auckland, 20 April 2020 – solarcity, New Zealand’s leading solar energy services company has today appointed Matthew
Ward as Chief Financial Officer.
For the past eleven years Matthew was CFO at NZX-listed Oceania Healthcare where he led the company through its $200m
Initial Public Offering in 2017. Matthew also brings experience in capital markets and banking, undertaking mergers and
acquisitions while at Macquarie Bank.
As CFO at solarcity Matthew will lead the company’s financial and commercial performance, ensuring the business can
effectively respond to opportunities and risks to meet its strategic goals and deliver on its vision.
"It’s a great time to be joining solarcity and I'm looking forward to being part of helping to achieve the company’s
vision for a Grid for Good in New Zealand. I’m excited to be joining the Executive Team at a pivotal time for the
company, and a crucial time for New Zealand, as we navigate our way through the current crisis into a brighter and more
sustainable future. Despite the obvious challenges that it presents for the economy, it also provides a unique
opportunity to gain clarity on the drivers of commercial performance and profitability and assess how we are creating
value for our customers."
Neil Cowie, CEO of solarcity says, “We are extremely excited to have someone with Matthew's experience join the
business. Matthew has an outstanding record of achievement and a proven track record in capital markets as well as the
finance and banking sector which our business will greatly benefit from. I am delighted to welcome Matthew to the
solarcity team and look forward to his contribution to our successful future."
Matthew is a commercial CFO with a strategic growth mindset who thrives in customer and people focussed environments.
Matthew’s initial focus will be ensuring the business remains resilient and continues to anticipate and adapt to what
matters most to its customers, staff and other stakeholders.
About solarcity
solarcity is New Zealand’s leading solar energy services company. Over the past 35+ years it has put more solar systems
on Kiwi homes and businesses than any other company. It was the first solar company in the world to achieve Toitū
carbonzero certification and is still the only solar energy services business in NZ with that green credential.
Independently audited and respected worldwide, Toitū carbonzero is a significant endorsement of solarcity’s commitment
to sustainability and the environment. Additionally, solarcity is one of the fastest growing green companies in New
Zealand and is one of the Government’s Focus 500 companies that are targeted to contribute significant benefits to the
New Zealand economy. solarcity is backed by Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1 investment fund and the nation’s oldest private
equity fund, Pencarrow. An award winning financing mechanism developed by solarcity and Westpac locks in a fixed, low
cost, inflation free price for solar energy over a 20 year term, which removes any and all technology risk.
www.solarcity.co.nz
About solarZero
solarZero is a smart solar energy service which allows homeowners to power their homes by streaming the sun’s energy and
converting to usable electricity - at a price which can be up to 30% cheaper than buying electricity from the grid. This
unique solar energy service requires no upfront costs, users only pay for their energy consumption. The hardware of the
system remains the property of solarcity, who manage the installation, maintenance and servicing (while the homeowner
enjoys the benefits without the investment). The solarZero system comprises of solar panels and a smart Panasonic
storage battery - allowing stored power to be accessed even when the sun isn’t shining.
www.solarcity.co.nz/solarzero