Board of Directors

Nick Olson

Chair

Michael Burtscher

Deputy Chair

Tom Whyte

Family Director

Rebecca Turner

Family Director

Sir Bill English KNZM

Independent Director

David Flacks

Independent Director

Nick Olson

Independent Director
BEng, CA

Nick was appointed to the Board in July 2022 and elected as Chair in 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Auckland and is a Chartered Accountant.

Nick has served in senior finance roles at Todd, where he was Group CFO for six years. He was previously the CFO of some of New Zealand’s most substantial and complex businesses, including Transpower (acting), Telecom, and Fletcher Building. He was 2012 CFO of the Year (New Zealand).

Nick has a background in debt capital markets and leveraged finance and worked for both Credit Suisse First Boston and JP Morgan Chase Hong Kong from 1998 to 2001. In his corporate career Nick has significant mergers and acquisitions and debt raising experience in the New Zealand and international markets. In addition, he has led the end-to-end transformation and re-organisation of a number of substantial finance functions.

Michael Burtscher

Family Director

Michael was appointed to the Board in November 2022. Michael has had a twenty-five year career in agriculture, property, and investment; with a focus on agricultural development, commercial property acquisitions, management and sales, land use planning, and strategic investment.

Currently he is Managing Director of a property company, and a Director and Chair of a technology, innovation and solutions company based in New Zealand and the USA. Michael lives in the Canterbury region. 

Tom Whyte

Family Director
BCom

Tom was appointed to the Board in March 2017. Tom has considerable experience in the investment industry, having worked for a hedge fund in the United Kingdom where he was involved in equity and bond derivatives and foreign exchange. He also spent several years with Westpac Institutional Bank in New Zealand. Tom resides in Marlborough where he has viticultural and horticultural interests.

Tom is a Director of Todd Family Office and previously was Chair of the Todd Family Council. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Otago University and is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. 

Rebecca Turner

Family Director

Rebecca was appointed to the Board in 2021. She has over 20 years’ experience as a principal in property development, and as chair or trustee in primary processing and local government reorganisation. Rebecca has a particular interest in sustainability and in community based advancement initiatives and is experienced in leading community interaction with local, regional and central government.

Rebecca has been involved in governance roles in the Todd family at many levels. As Chair of the Family Council from 2008 to 2010, she was involved in the establishment of the Todd Family Office. She was a member of the Family Council from its inception until 2010. Appointed Chair of the Todd Foundation in 2020, she has been on the board since 2015. 

Rebecca also provides volunteering, mentoring and leadership support to a number of New Zealand charities, particularly focused on youth, community development and sustainability.

Sir Bill English KNZM

Independent Director
BCom, BA (Hons), Hon. DCom, Hon. LLD

Sir Bill was appointed to the Board following the AGM in May 2021.

Bill is a director of Wesfarmers Limited (a large Australian listed conglomerate), Manawanui Support Limited (disability services and support), The Instillery Group Limited (technology) and Chair of Impact Lab Limited (technology) and of Mount Cook Alpine Salmon Limited (food).

Bill was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from October 2008 to December 2016 and Prime Minister until the change of government in October 2017. He retired from parliament in March 2018 after guiding the New Zealand economy through the global financial crisis. He initiated tax reforms, capital disciplines for the public balance sheet and financing the rebuild of Christchurch after the 2010 earthquakes. As Minister for Infrastructure he oversaw significant investment in digitalising government and improving customer experience of public services.

Bill was Minister of Health from 1996 to 1999 and has also held ministerial roles in education, housing, and revenue since his election to Parliament in 1990. He has long-term interests in economic restructuring, sound microeconomic policy, and social policy reform.

David Flacks

Independent Director
BA (Hons), MA (Hons), St John’s College, Cambridge University

David was appointed to the Board in 2020. Born in the UK, David holds a law degree from Cambridge University and began his career in London at top law firms before moving to New Zealand in 1984.

In between two tenures at Bell Gully where he specialised in corporate advisory, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings, David was General Counsel and Company Secretary at Carter Holt Harvey – at the time New Zealand’s largest company.

David has Chaired the NZX Markets Disciplinary Tribunal and was a member of the Takeovers Panel from 2011 to 2016.

Over the last five years David has become a professional director and is currently Chair of the dual listed (NZX and ASX) AFT Pharmaceuticals and the Suncorp New Zealand group of companies. He is involved as a director and trustee with NEXT foundation environmental initiatives, Zero Invasive Predators and Project Janszoon.