John King, QSO
Auckland lawyer and company director John King retired earlier this year from his role as chairman of the NZ Takeovers Panel. He was the inaugural chairman appointed in 1994 and also member of the Australian Takeovers Panel. His public and private company directorships include Telecom, Westpac Bank (NZ advisory board), Mainzeal Group and Mair Astley Holdings. Currently he is director of the NZ Guardian Trust, vice president of the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern), council member of Business NZ, deputy chairman of the Spirit of Adventure Trust and member of the Marsden Cross Trust board. He received the QSO for services to business and the community.
Athol Mann, CMG
Athol Mann became partner at the age of 21 in an accountancy firm which eventually became KPMG. He served on the council and was president of the NZ Society of Accountants, was the first New Zealander on the council of the International Federation of Accountants, member of the Securities Commission and of the Medical Research Council. He relocated to New York and while there he was approached to become Dean of Commerce at Victoria University of Wellington. Mann was inaugural chairman of the NZ Symphony Orchestra, an inaugural director of Te Papa, served on the AMP Society NZ and Smiths City Group boards and is currently director of Pharmaco NZ, NBR NZ Opera and Barnardos NZ. He chairs the Health Sponsorship Council and is on the standing committee of the NZ Institute of International Affairs. He was awarded CMG for service to the accountancy profession, the arts and the community.
Robin Mann, ONZM
Robin Mann joined the tanning company G L Bowron as research chemist, eventually becoming managing director from 1984 until his retirement in 2000. Appointed to the Council of the University of Canterbury in 2001, he was elected chancellor in 2003. He is currently chairman of the NZ Universities Chancellors’ group and Open Strategies, director of Skope Industries, Wool Research Organisation of NZ and an executive member of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association. He was chairman of the subsidiary companies of G L Bowron and Co, and of the establishment board of the Christchurch Brain Research Institute, deputy chairman of Christchurch International Airport and director of Trade New Zealand. He has also been president of the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society, vice president of the Canterbury Employers’ Association and board member of the Christchurch Polytechnic.
Brian Picot, CMG
Brian Picot started work in small Wellington family-owned food retail operation as shop assistant. In 1960 the founding partners of New Zealand’s first major supermarket, Foodtown Otahuhu, experienced enormous public response to their visionary new concept. The Picot family were offered 50 percent interest in the new parent company, Progressive Enterprises. Tom Ah Chee and Brian Picot were joint managing directors and were instrumental in helping develop world class supermarket operation.
Picot was chairman of Progressive’s board for 13 years. He has also served as managing director of E Ellingham & Co, sales director of Bond & Bond, chairman of Philips NZ, director of SC Johnson, Auckland Uniservices, South British Insurance – NZI and NZ Forest Products, chaired the taskforce to review New Zealand education administration and was president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce.
Denis Thom
After becoming partner in Australasian law firm Phillips Fox, Denis Thom specialised in commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, and commercial property law. He retired in 1992 to become full-time professional director. Currently he is chairman of Strategic Finance and Webby Holdings and director and former chairman of Wellington International Airport, Lumley General Insurance (NZ), British American Tobacco (Australasia Holdings) and Kirkcaldie and Staines. He is former chairman of Phillips Fox New Zealand, the NZSE Market Surveillance Panel, Rembrandt Suits, Shortland Properties, Urbus Properties, Victoria University Foundation and the New Zealand Young Persons and their Families management board. He was deputy chairman of the Waterfront Restructuring Authority and has been director of number of private and public companies.
