Experienced executive with a strong commercial focus and a diverse background in the health sector, spanning not-for-profit, public, and private organisations. Currently serving as the CEO of the NZ Medical Technology Association (MTANZ), she has previously held senior roles in procurement and supply chain, international business development, and clinical research. Beginning her career as a Registered Nurse, she continues to be driven by a passion for improving health outcomes and achieving equity, principles rooted in her early work in New Zealand public hospitals.

Catherine joined Pharmac as the Director, Medical Devices in August 2023. Catherine has held senior leadership roles in public and private healthcare organisations in Aotearoa, for more than 10 years, including as Executive Director Allied Health, Scientific and Technical at Capital and Coast District Health Board. Since then, she has led a broad portfolio at WorkSafe including leading the regulator’s contribution to reducing harm to people’s health from the work they do, including Carcinogens, Mentally Healthy Work, and Musculoskeletal Harm. Catherine is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers, and originally trained as a Speech-language Therapist working clinically with people with a range of disabilities. Catherine also enjoys a governance career with Board Director roles at Mary Potter Hospice, and as Deputy Chair of the Stroke Foundation NZ.

Chris is the Group Manager of Medsafe, the medicine and medical device regulator in New Zealand. Chris is a registered pharmacist, including working in paediatric and neonatal pharmacy. He has completed post graduate qualifications in clinical pharmacy and public health. Chris joined Medsafe in 2006 and has experience in premarket pharmaceutical chemistry assessment and post market monitoring (pharmacovigilance). Chris has been Medsafe Group Manager since 2015.

Dr Tim Vines is the manager of the Therapeutics policy team at the Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora. Tim moved to Aotearoa New Zealand from Canberra, Australia in 2019, having spent the previous 10 years working in the Australian Public Service. In Australia, Tim led a number of projects at the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia’s main public funder of health and medical research) involving clinical trials policy, the development of the national Human Research Ethics Application system, and the establishment of the Australian Research Integrity Committee. At the Ministry of Health, Tim leads the policy team that oversaw the passage of the Therapeutic Products Act in 2023. The team is now working on a new Medical Products Bill.

Robyn Whittaker is the Director, Evidence Research & Clinical Trials in the Planning, Funding & Outcomes directorate of Te Whatu Ora | Health NZ. Robyn is a public health physician and an adjunct Professor at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland. Her research interests are in digital health including the development of healthy behaviour change programmes using mobile phones and wearable sensors, and the governance and implementation of AI tools for health. She is an invited expert to several World Health Organisation groups in Health, digital health and governance/ethics of AI in healthcare, and she was a NZ Harkness Fellow 2010/11. She is the chair of Te Whatu Ora’s National AI & Algorithm Expert Advisory Group and Whanau, Consumer and Clinician Digital Council.

Andy Windsor is a Commercial Leader with over 25 years’ experience in General Management, Procurement and Supply Chain across a variety of regions. Andy recently joined Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora as National Director for Procurement, Supply Chain and Health Technology Management. Before leaving the UK in January 2023, Andy worked for the National Health Service (NHS) Supply Chain, where his team were responsible for the procurement and supply of over NZD9 billion of products and services. Prior to this period in the Public Sector Andy led Kimberly-Clark’s B2B business as Managing Director across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa based in Dubai, UAE. Before the move into General Management Andy gained over 15 years of Supply Chain experience where he reached the position of Regional Procurement Director for Kimberly-Clark Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Andy earned his MBA at Henley Business School in the UK, and a Bachelor of Business Administration and International Business degree from Lancaster University, UK and ICADE University, Spain.