New appointments and reappointments at CRIs
Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce today announced several appointments to the boards of New Zealand’s Crown
Research Institutes (CRIs).
Barry Harris has been appointed as Deputy Chair at AgResearch, following the retirement of Susan Huria. Auckland-based
marketing consultant Teresa Ciprian and Queensland-based scientist Dr Peter Stone also join the board.
Northland-based director Greg Gent has been appointed as Deputy Chair of the Plant & Food Research board, along with Christchurch-based scientist Professor Juliet Gerrard.
Judith Stanway is being promoted to Deputy Chair at Scion.
Other new director appointments include Dunedin-based chief executive Dr Helen Darling who joins the ESR board and
Wellington-based lawyer James Johnston who joins GNS Science. A range of other directors have been confirmed for a
further term.
“My congratulations goes to those who have been appointed to their relevant boards and my thanks goes to each of the
retiring directors for their strong contribution to New Zealand’s science and innovation sector,” Mr Joyce says.
Media contact: Charlotte Haycock 021 359 076
Biographies:
Barry Harris is Hamilton-based and has been the Chief Executive of the Hamilton City Council since 2010. Prior to that,
he was Fonterra’s Director of Milk Supply which involved overseeing Fonterra’s services to shareholders, milk
collection, milk quality and international farming operations, as well as heading up the Sustainability Leadership Team.
Before taking up that role in 2005, Mr Harris was Chief Executive of Greater Wellington Regional Council. He has held
numerous directorships related to his dairy industry associations, and currently is a director of Local Authority Shared
Services Ltd, Dairy NZ and Dexcel Holdings Ltd.
He is a former chair of RD1, and director of Centreport Ltd. His appointment to the AgResearch Board has ensured that
strong linkages with the dairy sector have been created and enhanced. Mr Harris is in his second term on the Board, and
has made a valuable contribution. He is to be elevated to the Deputy Chair role (replacing Susan Huria) until the end of
his current term.
Teresa Ciprian has a background in the commercialisation, marketing and business development of dairy and other foods.
She held a number of senior executive roles with a leading global food manufacturer and was a technician and chemist in
the dairy industry. She also has governance experience on the boards of Firstlight Foods Ltd and the Aviation Industry
Association.
Dr Peter Stone is a senior executive at Australia’s CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences Flagship and also leads GISERA, a CSIRO and
industry venture to foster collaborative public good research. Dr Stone has a range of relevant science expertise in
farm management, food industry consulting, grain marketing and agricultural research. Dr Stone is Brisbane-based but
lived in New Zealand for several years, during which time he worked as a scientist at Crop & Food Research.
Dr Helen Darling is the Chief Executive of a business commercializing food origin science through the certification of
the supply chain. She has health science knowledge, as a former midwife and an academic with a PhD in Public Health. In
addition to industry and business knowledge, she has governance and advisory experience.
James Johnston is a commercial lawyer and the Chair of Partners at his Wellington law firm. In addition to his legal
expertise, Mr Johnston has governance experience, serving as Chair of Toi Whakaari (the New Zealand Drama School) and on
a secondary school board. He is also a past Chair of the New Zealand Law Foundation.
Greg Gent, of Kaipara, is a senior commercial director with dairy farming interests in the Far North. He has strong
governance expertise having spent a decade on the Fonterra Board, and holding other directorships in the dairy,
insurance, financial services and banking industries. Mr Gent currently serves as a Crown appointee on his local
District Health Board and has contributed to local government reform.
Professor Juliet Gerrard is a bio-chemist with food science knowledge, specialising in protein chemistry. She is the
Co-Director of the Biomolecular Interaction Centre (BIC) at the University of Canterbury and has complementary research
roles linked to the commercial application of science. Professor Gerrard is the Chair of the Marsden Fund Council and
has previously served on its committees.
ends