Speakers

Hon David Seymour is the Minister for Regulation and the Associate Minister of Health, Finance, Education , and Justice. He was first elected to Parliament as MP for Epsom in 2014, at which point he became Leader of the ACT Party. David has degrees from the University of Auckland in electrical engineering and philosophy. Before politics, he worked as an electrical engineer in New Zealand and for private sector think tanks in Canada.

Professor Lester Levy, CNZM started his working life as a medical doctor and subsequently became a chief executive, entrepreneur and chair of board of directors. He has extensive management and governance experience in both the public and private sectors. Lester has been appointed to twenty five boards, fourteen as chair and three as deputy chair. The boards he has chaired include large scale and complex organisations such as the Auckland, Waitemata and Counties Manukau District Health Boards, Auckland Transport and Tonkin+Taylor. The boards he has been on represent a diverse range of sectors including private and public healthcare, transport, engineering, film and television production, biotechnology, software, logistics, platform technology and research. Lester has previously been a chief executive (three times), one of five independent advisors on the Ministerial Advisory Group on Health and a Lead Reviewer for the State Service Commission's Performance Improvement Framework, a joint central agency initiative to help public sector senior leaders improve performance of their agencies. He was also previously seconded to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and was awarded a King's Fund International Fellowship from the King's Fund in London. Lester is the Professor of Digital Health Leadership at AUT, chair of the New Zealand Health Research Council, strategic advisor on the future of healthcare to the chief executive of Southern Cross Health Society and the Ministerial appointed Crown Monitor to the Canterbury District Health Board. He is widely recognised and respected for his leadership knowledge and research and was the foundation Head of the New Zealand Leadership Institute at the University of Auckland, where he was for many years the Adjunct Professor of Leadership at the Business School. Lester taught leadership, ethics and governance on the MBA program at the University of Auckland, including leadership in times of crisis. He has also taught leadership in times of crisis on the global executive MBA at the University of Sydney. Lester is best known for leading a number of very successful organisational performance transformations in both the private and public sector. In the 2013 New Year's Honours List he was appointed as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health and education.

During her distinguished 15-year political career, Paula Bennett has been a transformative leader in New Zealand politics. Serving as Deputy Prime Minister under Sir Bill English, Paula held numerous Cabinet portfolios, including social development, associate finance, state services, social housing, police, local government, and tourism. Known for her dynamic approach and strong leadership, Paula has consistently demonstrated a commitment to making impactful changes. Since stepping into her new role as Chair of the Pharmac Board, Paula has shown a strong willingness to engage and consult with industry stakeholders. Her leadership is anticipated to bring fresh perspectives and robust engagement with the healthcare sector, driving forward important reforms and initiatives.

The Hon Tim Groser has a lengthy history as a New Zealand politician. Most famous for his work as the Trade & Climate Change Minister in the Rt Hon Sir John Key's government, servicing from 2008 - 2015. He made the difficult decision to leave the New Zealand parliament in 2015 and has spent the past three years as the New Zealand ambassador to the USA. Current work Tim is a renowned speaker on issues focused around the Trade Wars. He is regularly consulted on international trade matters in academic circles and is currently working with Yale University on an upcoming book on this topic. Previous work Tim's work has seen him involved in many of New Zealand's largest and economically significant trade negotiations, such as the below. These are merely a glimpse into the international work he has done. - New Zealand Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation. - Chairman of two of the most crucial international negotiating groups in the WTO - Chair of the Rules Group (responsible for deeply technical negotiations in subsidies and anti-dumping) and Chair of the Agriculture Negotiating Group. - NZ Chief Negotiator (as an official, not elected position) in the last successful ˜Round' of multilateral Trade Negotiations, the Uruguay Round. - Involved in the negotiations of all of New Zealand's three Free Trade Agreements with the ˜Chinese Economic Triangle' - the three separate ˜customs territories' of China itself, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Hon Todd Stern has said of Tim; "While my dealings with the Hon. Tim Groser have been in the field of climate change, rather than trade, they are more than relevant, because Tim was one of the very smartest, toughest, most strategically and tactically adept ministers I worked with in my years as the US Special Envoy for Climate Change. He has a rare ability to cut through the noise and get to the heart of a problem, then think through a strategy and tactical plan to manage it. Add to that a combination of toughness and creativity in execution, and you have a rare package.

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 Beard is Director of Advocacy for BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy network, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes. BusinessNZ represents most large companies in New Zealand through our Major Companies Group, our Gold Group, the BusinessNZ Energy Council, ExportNZ, and Buy NZ Made. We also have more than 70 affiliated industry associations in our membership. BusinessNZ is the ‘voice of business’, working for members large and small, including four large regional business associations, EMA, Business Central, Business Canterbury and Business South. Catherine works with government and other key decision makers on issues of concern to New Zealand business. Catherine has spent the last 30 years as a lobbyist and advocate for a wide range of industries on a wide range of issues, including climate change issues for the energy intensive sector, the insurance sector and the exporting and manufacturing sectors. Catherine has participated in Minister led trade to many countries and represents BusinessNZ at various international meetings.

Brendan joined Pharmac as Acting Chief Executive in late March 2025. Brendan served as Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development from October 2011 to the end of 2018. Prior to that role, Brendan was Chief Executive of Internal Affairs from February 2008 and Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand from August 2003. Before that Brendan was the inaugural Director of the e-Government Unit of the State Services Commission. He also served on the COVID operations taskforce in 2020. Brendan has a law degree (1990) from Otago University and an MBA (2000) from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has also completed further executive education in leadership and governance at the Harvard Business School and the AVIRA Leadership Programme at INSEAD in France (2010) and the IOD Company Directors Programme. Brendan is currently Deputy Chair and a director of Fairway Resolution Limited; and is Pro Chancellor and a Council Member of the University of Otago and was previously a Ministerial Board member of the Capital and Coast DHB. He was a Ministerial appointment as a member of the Future for Local Government Review. In addition, he sits on a number of public sector governance groups as an independent member and has both led and experienced PIF/Capability and Gateway Reviews and completed a range of independent rapid reviews for government.

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.

With over 15 years of experience in cardiothoracic surgery, clinical leadership, healthcare management, and medical education, David is a passionate and dedicated clinician, leader, innovator and professor. David currently serves as the National Clinical Lead for Procurement, Supply Chain and Health Technology Management at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, where he am responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of healthcare solutions that enhance efficiency and service delivery. As a practicing surgeon and past head of cardiothoracic surgery at Te Whatu Ora Waikato, David has experience leading teams of professionals in providing exceptional patient care, with a focus on complex aortic pathology and multivalvular surgery. He also held professorial roles at The University of Waikato and The University of Auckland, where he shared his knowledge and experience to inspire and educate the clinicians of tomorrow. In addition, he has contributed to national surgical courses, medical research, and publications, leveraging his skills in public speaking, simulation training, quality assurance, and course development. David’s mission is to advance healthcare innovation, reduce disparities in healthcare access, and foster a nurturing learning environment.

Zane first joined the freight forwarding industry with DHL in New Zealand in 1983 and has held various positions during his career, including Operations, Sales & Marketing, Ocean Freight, and various Station Management positions. In 2006, Zane relocated to Dubai where he was based as the Regional Marketing & Sales Director for DHL Middle East and Africa - Global Forwarding division. He returned to New Zealand in 2010 and was appointed Head of Ocean Freight in 2012, and subsequently assumed the role of Head of Sales NZ in 2015. Appointed as Managing Director of DHL Global Forwarding (New Zealand) Limited in December 2020, Zane leads the organization and oversees the growth of the business in both New Zealand and Fiji.

Michael is the Chief Executive Officer for Evolution Healthcare’s Hospitals and Day Surgeries. Michael has a breadth of experience across the public and private healthcare systems in New Zealand and Australia which includes executive leadership roles in surgical hospitals, primary care and radiology. Michael’s most recent appointments have been as CEO of Mercy Radiology and Board Director for the Auckland District Health Board. Prior to this he has spent time with Medibank, Healthscope, Healthcare Holdings and Southern Cross Hospitals. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and has served on several boards as director, with recent Chair roles including the Child Poverty Action Group and Affinity Medical Imaging. Michael’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Health Sciences and a Masters in Business Administration.

Dr Timothy ‘Tim’ Vines is the Manager of the Therapeutics policy team at Manatū Hauora | The Ministry of Health. In this role, Tim helped shepherd the Therapeutic Products Bill through Parliament in 2023. Tim is a seasoned public servant, policy thinker and people manager and has spent most of his career working at the interface of health, law and bioethics. For nearly 10 years, Tim worked at the National Health and Medical Research Council, where he led a series of projects on improving clinical trials in Australia and revising national guidelines on ethical human research and research integrity. Tim trained and has practiced as a lawyer in Australia and was Vice President of Civil Liberties Australia until November 2019. Tim completed a PhD through the Australian National University’s School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), examining pandemic preparedness and response regulation in Australia.

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.

For almost three decades, Dr Joanne Challinor-Rogers has been on the frontline of medical regulation and compliance in Australia and New Zealand, with a particular focus on the dental landscape. Having earned a Ph.D. in Pharmacology at Monash University, Dr. Challinor-Rogers has worked on the development, compliance, regulation and approval of a wide number of products and services with such companies as CSL Limited, Kendle, and since 2006 with Dentsply Sirona Australia. Recognised as an innovative analytical thinker, Dr Challinor-Rogers is today considered one of the leaders of business compliance and regulatory affairs in the dental landscape, and an influential mentor to emerging talents within the profession.

Over 25 years’ experience in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management Systems. Leanne’s area of expertise is across a range of regulations from Medical Devices, IVDs, Prescription and OTC medicine. She has worked in numerous industries involved in Dental and Orthodontic products, Blood Products, Surgical wound care products, Surgical preps, IVD kits and Pharmaceuticals. She started her career in quality, GMP, moving on to become a third-party auditor assessing ISO9000 quality systems in healthcare industries. Then moving to the USA, she transferred to Regulatory where she was involved in IVD devices. Moving back to NZ 13 years later she has remained in Regulatory Affairs managing a team in Australia from New Zealand across a wide portfolio of Medical Devices and Medicines. She has been engaged in external associations such as MTAA in Australia; MTANZ in NZ and CHMP for OTC medicines in NZ. Holding a science degree in molecular biology and pharmacology and RAC certification in global regulatory affairs has led to a rewarding career in healthcare. Leanne focuses on pragmatic solutions to complex regulations to ensure patient care remains at the forefront of regulation. Leanne is based in New Zealand.

Andrew has held the role of Chief Executive Officer of InterMed Medical since October 2010 and has demonstrated strong strategic leadership during this time. He is passionate about driving the future growth of InterMed by focusing on three core business elements: our supplier partners, our customers, and our people. Since InterMed’s inception 44 years ago, this triple focus has led to a unique and high-performance culture, which Andrew is committed to driving and enhancing. Prior to becoming CEO, Andrew was part of the management team at InterMed as Business Manager – Wound Care. In June 2014, Andrew was elected to the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand (MTANZ) Executive Board, and in July 2023, he was elected as Chair. He is an active member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) since 2018. He holds a Master of Business Administration and an undergraduate degree in Applied Science/Communications.

Teresa is a pharmacist with over 30 years of experience in Regulatory Affairs in both NZ and Australia. Teresa is the Head of Regulatory, Quality and Medical Services for Pharmaco NZ and AU. She has previously held regulatory roles with 3M Pharmaceuticals, SmithKline Beecham, Glaxo Wellcome and GlaxoSmithKline. Pharmaco represents over 2500 healthcare products in NZ and Australia including several leading global medical technology companies, in the areas of emergency care, resuscitation and trauma, diagnostics, diabetes and dentistry. In addition, Pharmaco also represents several medicines companies. As a member of the industry regulatory technical groups, Teresa has been heavily involved over the years in consultation on the previous attempts at new legislation and the two aborted attempts at a Single Joint Agency. She brings a great level of experience and knowledge to the table.

Pieter Wijnhoud is the Managing Director with Obex MedTech Group. Pieter is a values-driven leader with over 40 years of experience spanning strategy, leadership, and clinical insight. His journey began in nursing, practicing in both Europe and New Zealand, before transitioning into the commercial world in the 1990s—a move that combined his deep clinical understanding with a drive to make a broader impact on healthcare. Throughout his successful career, Pieter has led high-performing teams across New Zealand, Australia, and the Asia Pacific Rim, overseeing sales revenues of more than $500 million. He has worked with both multinational giants and privately owned businesses, always with a focus on purpose-led sustainable and profitable growth and innovation. Today, Pieter’s passion lies in advancing patient outcomes through clinical education and meaningful partnerships with world leading medical device suppliers. As part of his broader leadership role, he also serves on the Executive Leadership Team for Bunzl APAC and is a proud member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. Pieter brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and insight, commercial acumen, and heartfelt leadership to every role he takes on—and to every conversation he’s a part of.