I’ve been on various boards and committees for over thirty-two years. My first board position of any note was, as for many of us, on the school board. Here I made use of my strategic planning, business planning, financial management, and economics background. I also attended a governance workshop or two run by the New Zealand School Trustees Association. Some years later I attended a UK based, six-month e-course for company board directors.

Prior to being on the school board, I was a director and the trustee in charge of investments of the BP and Europa Staff Credit Union. It was very much a hands-on role, because we dealt directly with members as they made deposits and borrowed money.

I've had the privilege of being elected onto professional association boards. I've also be invited to join or form a couple of brand-new finance (and risk and audit) committees, plus a strategy task force and so on. Indeed, my peers decided that I should be the Chair of one of the finance committees.