About Us
Institute Staff
Dr Keith Turner has 39 years experience in the New Zealand electricity industry and has spent the last 25 years in senior executive positions. He has played a key role in the reform of the industry, in both review teams and acting for government on a range of industry boards to establish Transpower, Contact Energy, Meridian Energy and M-Co (the market operations company). Keith has held positions as Managing Director DesignPower (a professional engineering consultancy to the electricity industry), Chief Operating Officer for ECNZ, prior to its breakup, and as a specialist industry advisor on a range of reform initiatives and development projects. Having sat on the Market Surveillance Committee of the New Zealand electricity market from 1996 to 1999, Keith later accepted the position of Chief Executive of Meridian Energy. After nine years leading Meridian, Keith made the decision to resign in March 2008 to pursue new challenges.
Rick leads the New Zealand Institute. He has been a strategic management consultant for the past 25 years and was the founding partner of the Boston Consulting Group in New Zealand. In recent years Rick has been a professional director and a consultant. His directorships include ASB Bank, Wellington Drive Technologies (chair) and Simtics. Rick has worked with leading companies in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.A in a wide range of industries including Financial Services, Industrial Distribution, Energy, Telecommunications and On-Line, Transport, Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Information Technology. He has a Ph.D. in Environment Management from the University of Auckland, a Master of Business Administration degree from the Australian Graduate School of Management, as well as a Master of Arts (Psychology) degree from Victoria University of Wellington. Rick was an Honorary Fellow at Victoria University Graduate School of Management in Wellington for two years, and has publications in Social Welfare, the Sociology of Education, Strategic Management, Business Ethics and Mathematical Psychology. Rick is an accredited fellow of the Institute of Directors.
Dan Bidois is a Research Analyst at the New Zealand Institute and is working on the NZAhead project, on economic strategy, and on ensuring supply of capital and talent to New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem. Dan has a BA/BCom in Economics and Marketing and a BCom(Hons) in Economics from the University of Auckland. Dan was previously a consultant with Deloitte, advising public sector clients on strategy and operational issues. Dan has recently been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study public policy in the US.
Kajal is in her fourth year of study for a Bcom (Hons) in Accounting and Finance, and also an LLB student. She has been an active member of Beta Alpha Psi, an Accounting, Finance and Information systems Honours Society since 2008. She held the position of Vice President of Beta Alpha Psi in 2009 and has now been elected President of the society for 2010. Kajal recently returned from New York after representing the University of Auckland Business School at the Annual Conference hosted by Beta Alpha Psi. Kajal has helped set up and run Daffodil day around the University of Auckland since 2008, she is a regular participant in The Round the Bays, and has been a volunteer for the Leukemia Foundation.
Neeharika is a third year BCom majoring in Finance and LLB at the University of Auckland. She has been part of the Management Consulting Club and has represented the University at case competitions both internationally, in Hong Kong and Seattle, and nationally. This year Neeharika was the Co-President of the club and will be organising the Champions Trophy which brings together the top performing universities from around the world. Neeharika has been involved with debating since secondary school and continues her engagement with debating through adjudication at the University. Neeharika recently travelled to the APEC Conference as a youth representative to explore the future of trade within the Asia-Pacific region.
Lisa Bailey, Executive Assistant
Lisa Bailey manages the operational systems which facilitate the work of the Institute including executive support, office administration, organisation and events management, communications activities and assistance in maintaining business intelligence.