Infrastructure New Zealand Board Members

Margaret Devlin (Chair)
Professional Director
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Margaret is the Chair of Infrastructure New Zealand, having been elected at the 2021 AGM.
Margaret has been an active member on the Board for a number of years and is a professional company director, working primarily in the infrastructure and service sector. She has a particular focus on people, diversity and culture.
She is currently Chair of Watercare Lyttleton Port and Hospice Waikato, and a director of DairyNZ, Hamilton Airport, IT Partners Group and Waimea Water.

Tracey Ryan
(Deputy Chair)
Aurecon
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Tracey is the New Zealand Managing Director for international engineering, design and advisory company Aurecon, responsible for the leadership and performance of about 850 people across five locations. This includes health and safety, client engagement, staff engagement and project, financial and operational performance to meet Aurecon’s strategic and operational business goals for New Zealand.
Tracey’s career to date has been focused on business growth, leading enterprise-wide multi-disciplinary teams and creating inclusive and engaged cultures. She has held senior leadership roles and directorships in several global professional services companies, including Beca, where she was the Transport and Infrastructure Clients and Markets Director, EY where she was Director for Sustainability and Climate Change, and ERM, where she was Managing Partner. She has also undertaken leadership positions with not-for-profit foundations providing technical, fundraising and pro-bono support for social enterprises committed to creating a more sustainable and equitable world. Tracey’s technical STEM background and 25 years’ international professional services experience makes her incredibly passionate about getting more young women and girls to choose STEM careers.

Natalie McClew
PwC
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Natalie is a Partner in the Infrastructure and Merger and Acquisitions team’s at PwC and offers a broad range of advice and transactional experience, with a focus on infrastructure and complex situations.
With over 15 years of corporate finance, banking and advisory experience, Natalie brings an extensive expertise in advising both Crown and private-sector clients. Natalie has a deep understanding of the challenges faced in the infrastructure sector in NZ, particularly on pathfinder transactions. Natalie also has strong international experience in restructuring, turnaround, and structured financing across the leveraged, M&A and project finance spectrum
Natalie sits on a number of project advisory boards and is a founding member of the Women in Infrastructure NZ Advisory Board.
In her spare time, Natalie can be found enjoying the outdoors with her family and golden retriever.

Rhys Clark
Tonkin + Taylor
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I am a strategically and commercially minded CFO with over 15 years’ experience operating at this level. I have in-depth experience across the Banking, Funds Management, Insurance, Infrastructure and Telecommunication industries. My work has seen me develop a deep understanding of the importance of resilience and sustainability in terms of building strong, connected communities, as well as robust local and national economies. I am experienced in leadership of all key finance disciplines and am well versed in developing and maintaining effective working relationships at Board level. My roles have extended across business change, mergers and acquisitions and taking the lead role in strategy development and execution.

Graham Mitchell
Crown Infrastructure Partners
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In Graham’s current role as CEO of Crown Infrastructure, he is responsible for delivery of the successful Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Ultra-Fast Broadband rollout, the continuation of various telecommunication infrastructure initiatives, oversight, and delivery of the COVID-19 $3b Shovel Ready Infrastructure, the Three Waters Reform Infrastructure funding of local Government and Infrastructure Funding and Financing of local government infrastructure programmes.
Graham has a comprehensive understanding of the infrastructure sector, the importance of infrastructure in adding economic value, infrastructure delivery, contracting and financing, and a solid grasp of risks and engineering concepts across the key infrastructure sectors. He has worked with Government over 10 years on infrastructure initiatives gaining insights into central Government drivers.
Having operated the Australian and United States, Graham also brings an international perspective and is focused on delivering infrastructure that benefits New Zealanders now and into the future.

Fraser Wyllie
McConnell Dowell
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Fraser is the Managing Director of McConnell Dowell’s New Zealand and Pacific business. With more than 30 years experience in the construction industry in New Zealand and overseas, most recently as General Manager Projects at Downer, he has broad experience in infrastructure construction and, and a strong track record of overseeing both quality project execution and sustained commercial growth. Fraser has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Auckland and a Master of Business Administration from Massey University. He has had a distinguished career in the New Zealand engineering and construction sector, where his strong leadership was recognised early and he led projects in New Zealand and South East Asia. After rising through the ranks to the position of Regional Manager, Fraser moved to the parent company to set up and run the Pipeworks business unit.

Katrina Van Houtte
Dentons Kensington Swan
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Katrina is a Partner in Dentons’ Construction and Major Projects team and advises clients across the wider infrastructure sector. Before that she was one of Fletcher Building’s senior legal counsel, where she advised all Fletcher Construction business units and was closely involved in supporting the Building and Interiors business through significant challenges, including sitting on its Senior Leadership Team during the recovery phase. She was a member of the project governance teams for some of Fletcher Building’s most significant projects.
Katrina is a leader in the infrastructure and legal communities, having worked as an inhouse lawyer and external adviser on some of the most challenging projects in the sector. She has a deep understanding of the whole industry and what drives good outcomes on projects, as well as insight into the structural problems in the way major projects are procured in NZ. She believes those problems are holding NZ back from delivering world class infrastructure. She enjoys engaging in thought leadership about contentious issues, such as the role of the Engineer to the Contract and provisions in NZS3910 that need improvement.

Karen West
Harrison Grierson
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Karen West is the General Manager – People and Communications at engineering and design consultancy Harrison Grierson, with dual responsibility for people, culture and marketing. She is a highly experienced senior infrastructure executive with global experience in marketing, brand, communications and client relationships.
In 2017 Karen became the first non-engineering executive director to be appointed to the Harrison Grierson Board, reflecting Karen’s abilities, particularly in strategic planning and leadership. Karen has played a major role in the company’s transformation over recent years, leading the focus on clients and service delivery, including a culture change to people-directed values and practices.
Karen is a chartered member of the Institute of Directors.

Ben Hayward
Fulton Hogan Ltd
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Ben is Chief Executive of Fulton Hogan New Zealand, with over 15 years’ experience in working across the infrastructure sector, including design, materials supply, major project construction, and general management of associated multi-disciplinary civil contracting and asset management businesses, in both New Zealand and Australia.
Ben is passionate about infrastructure policy that generates a healthy and sustainable industry to deliver New Zealand’s future needs. In particular, a clear infrastructure strategy with certainty of the project pipeline, development of the skills and human capital to complete complex works and effective procurement.
He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Ben holds directorships with Stevenson Aggregates Ltd, Stevenson Concrete Ltd and Fulton Hogan EGIS O&M Ltd. Ben is also a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering at the University of Canterbury and sits on a number of New Zealand infrastructure projects’ governance boards.

Alayna Rā
WSP
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Alayna is of Ngāi Tahu (Tūāhuriri), Ngāti Mamoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou (Tūtekawa) and Ngāti Pākehā whakapapa.
Alayna has extensive experience working with Indigenous communities locally and internationally, with her work focusing on social justice and equitable city making. She also sits on a number of boards and panels as an Indigenous design advisory specialist. Alayna has held Director and executive level leadership roles in multi-national design firms and government agencies. Her sector experience extends across education, health, corrections, infrastructure, housing, commercial, environmental and placemaking.
With a focus on Indigenous mana motuhake, or the rights for first peoples to self-determine, she works with a diverse range of clients and consultants to translate values into tangible processes and outcomes. She believes that even the most engineered infrastructure solutions can shape a more equitable society, provide social and economic uplift, tell the story and whakapapa of our nation and achieve broader outcomes for Aotearoa.