• Elena Trout, Chair

    Elena has been a board member since 2013 and was appointed Chair in 2019. She has a Masters of Civil Engineering and is a fellow of Engineering NZ. She has held executive roles in the transport, infrastructure and energy sectors and has managed the planning and delivery of large infrastructure services. Elena is an independent director of several boards and often undertakes independent assessments of organisations’ infrastructure programmes.

  • Catherine Taylor, Deputy Chair

    Catherine was appointed to the board in 2017. She is a chartered accountant and has held senior management positions in the public and private sector including five years as director and chief executive of Maritime New Zealand. She has a number of governance roles with public and private sector organisations.

  • Albert Brantley

    Albert was appointed to the board in 2021. Trained as an engineer and geologist, he has led the construction and operation of large-scale oil and gas, mining and utility assets throughout the world. He has provided board-level governance for the past 25 years, is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and has held various CE-level roles. He now concentrates on governance roles, particularly in the primary production, services and transport sectors.

  • Loretta Lovell

    Loretta was appointed to the board in 2021. She is a solicitor, independent environmental commissioner and professional director, and for over 20 years has specialised in commercial, energy, and resource management law. She has sat on the boards of several Iwi Māori and community organisations, holds a number of governance positions on Crown entity boards, and is a member of a number of advisory groups to public sector agencies.

  • Karen Sherry, QSM

    Karen was appointed to the board in 2017. She is a principal of law firm Donnell Sherry where she specialises in commercial and trust law. She has extensive experience in the energy industry and is a trustee and former chair of Entrust. Karen is also a chartered fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.

  • Norman Smith

    Norman was appointed to the board in 2019. He is a consultant and academic who has worked on energy efficiency and renewable energy start-ups. This includes research, strategic and operational projects, and leading post-graduate training programmes in energy management and carbon reduction for private companies, the energy sector, central and local government. He is a life member of the Carbon and Energy Manager Professionals New Zealand.

  • Dr Linda Wright

    Linda was appointed to the board in 2019. She has driven innovation across the sustainability, solid waste and renewable energy sectors for more than 20 years. As a consultant, she has provided strategic advice and technical expertise to organisations from small businesses to multinational organisations and central and local government. She founded the New Zealand Hydrogen Energy Consortium and is Chief Executive of the New Zealand Hydrogen Council.