Taupō-based IWIinvestor, the investment and financial advisory provider, has appointed a new non-executive director to its board, Toni Kerr.

Toni Kerr - Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga ngā Iwi, Ngāti Waewae and Ngāti Pikiahu ngā Hapū, will join existing Directors Debra Birch, Board Chair; John Bishara, Deputy Chair; and Steve Napier.

Toni Kerr has over 30 years’ experience in financial markets and private banking working in Australia, Hong Kong and Aotearoa New Zealand. Offshore she held senior positions with Societe Generale in Sydney and with BNP Paribas in Hong Kong. On returning to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2008, she joined Kiwibank as Head of Treasury and International Operations before joining H.R.L Morrison and Co in 2016 as Manager, Client Operations Risk and Assurance.

More recently, Toni has been focussed on building Māori financial capability and economic development through roles at Te Puni Kōkiri and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Toni also has extensive governance experience having been a Director of the Government Superannuation Fund Authority and New Zealand Community Housing Funding Limited and as a Member of the IHC Audit and Risk Committee. She is currently a Trustee and the Treasurer of Hau Ariki marae in Martinborough. Toni is also a director of Raukawa ki te Tonga AHC and chairs the Sustainability, Audit and Risk Committee.

She has a Bachelor of Business degree majoring in accounting from Sydney’s University of Technology and is a Member of the Institute of Directors.

Toni is currently employed as a Senior Adviser at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand /Te Pūtea Matua leading a project to enable Māori to better access capital. Prior to that she was Principal Advisor in the Investment team at Te Puni Kōkiri and had responsibility for building financial and governance capability amongst whānau and communities.

Board Chair Debra Birch said, “Toni has skills and values that are well-aligned with IWIinvestor’s kaupapa. We welcome her to the board and look forward to working together to protect and grow the wealth of Tangata Whenua by providing quality investment outcomes with a socially responsible filter, and consistent with the client’s risk profile and investment policy settings.

“We would also like to thank Nat Vallabh for his contribution to IWIinvestor. Nat has been involved with IWIinvestor since 2008 as a member of the board’s investment sub-committee and as Investment Manager from 2011 to 2015.”   

ENDS