Commissioners

Chris Black – Board Chair

CA, PGDip Accounting, BSurv, MInstD 

Chris brings more than 25 years’ governance and executive experience with a strong background in insurance, banking and investment management.  

He was previously Chief Executive of FMG (Farmers Mutual Group) from 2008 to 2021, has been the President of the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) and served on the Board of the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) Scheme. Chris has expertise in corporate strategy, customer service, financial and risk management, and leading cultural change. Chris was appointed to the NHC Toka Tū Ake Board in April 2022 and as Chair from 1 July 2022. He is also Chair of Rabobank NZ, on several Boards in the Southern Cross health group and a trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. 

Term ends: 31 March 2025

Hon Ruth Dyson - Deputy Chair

QSO

Ruth Dyson has had a lengthy political career, serving as President of the NZ Labour Party from 1988 to 1992 and as a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2020 representing the electorates of Lyttelton, Banks Peninsula and Port Hills. She was a Cabinet Minister between 1999 and 2008, serving as Minister for Social Development, ACC, Labour, Disability Issues and Senior Citizens amongst others. She has a strong public policy background and a track record of working for her constituents following the Canterbury earthquakes. She was Opposition spokesperson for Earthquake recovery, Chief Whip and Assistant Speaker prior to her retirement. Ruth joined the NHC Toka Tū Ake Board in May 2021 and was appointed Deputy Chair in April 2022.

Term ends: 30 April 2026

Alastair Hercus

BA (Hons), LLB, CMInstD

Alastair has been a Partner at Buddle Findlay since 1995, following an earlier career as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He brings legal, governance and government sector experience. He has insurance sector experience as former Deputy Chair of the Medical Assurance Society and is currently Chair of Co-operative Life Ltd. He is also a Director of Invercargill Airport Ltd and the Fonterra Shareholders' Fund, and Chair of the Risk and Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Alastair brings a focus on NHC Toka Tū Ake policy, regulatory and commercial environment, including responses to the Public Inquiry, regulatory changes, and the NHC Toka Tū Ake relationship with the private insurance industry. Alastair joined the NHC Toka Tū Ake Board on 1 March 2020, and is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Terms ends: 30 June 2025

Erica Seville

PhD, BE (Hons), CMInstD, Hon FBCI

Erica brings a strong focus on building broader resilience for NHC Toka Tū Ake, as well as preparing for our role during a disaster recovery. She is the co-founder of Resilient Organisations, a social enterprise undertaking both public-good research and consulting to help organisations and communities to improve their resilience. Erica has a PhD in risk management and has experience leading several major research programmes in the fields of disaster management, economic and business recovery, and the efficacy of insurance. In addition to her role with NHC Toka Tū Ake, Erica is also a director for Resilient Organisations, BRANZ, and is Chair of RRANZ.  Erica joined the NHC Toka Tū Ake Board in 2018 and is the Chair of the People and Culture sub-committee. 

Terms ends: 30 June 2027

Fiona Wilson

B.Sc, M.Sc, GradDipApplStats, CMInstD

Fiona brings a focus on sustainable growth and business improvement with a deep understanding of the ability of data and technology to enable change. She has been responsible for leading successful change programmes and improving business resilience across organisations, ranging from privately held through to entire public health systems. 

Fiona has spent a good deal of her career in the public sector so is highly experienced working in complex businesses involving diverse stakeholder groups.  She has held Chief Information Officer and Chief Executive Officer roles in Australia and New Zealand.  As CEO of an analytics business, she has guided major organisations in public and private sectors to develop analytics capability, data governance maturity and programme delivery performance.

With a background in medical research and statistics, Fiona is passionate about helping businesses make greater use of data and analytics to improve their processes, decision-making and overall business performance.  

Term ends: 31 August 2027

Scott Lewis

BBS, FIAA, FNZSA, CMInstD

Scott has more than 30 years experience in the insurance industry in New Zealand and overseas. He has held senior management positions at Vero, Lumley and IAG, and has also worked in the public sector at Oranga Tamariki.

Scott has a passion for helping to understand how modelling and analytics can provide meaningful insights to improve decision making. He has expertise in capital management, reinsurance, pricing, data analytics and risk management. He has also worked on the Canterbury earthquakes claims response for a major insurer.

Scott is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and the NZ Society of Actuaries. He is currently President of the NZ Society of Actuaries.

Scott joined the NHC Toka Tū Ake Board in 2020 and is Chair of the Loss Modelling and Risk Financing Committee.

Term ends: 28 February 2026

Ziena Jalil

MA (Hons), BCS, DipIntlTrade, MInstD

Ziena brings rich experience as an accomplished business and public sector leader with a focus on delivering equity and opportunity for those with diverse cultures, abilities and experiences.

She holds senior leadership and governance roles across public, private and not-for-profit sectors, and is a keynote speaker on leadership, Asia business, international education, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Recognised by Campaign Asia Pacific as part of its 2020 Women to Watch, a group of 40 outstanding women in the Asia Pacific, Ziena has received several international awards for her work promoting New Zealand trade and education in Asia, where she was based for ten years. Her current board roles include Education New Zealand, NHC Toka Tū Ake, and the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

Term ends: 30 June 2025