Sustainable Finance Board adds two new members
From left to right: Burcu Senel (Chief Executive, HSBC New Zealand), Matt Whineray (Chief Executive, NZ Super Fund)
@Resilience roundtable with Hon. Grant Robertson (May 2023)
From left to right: Jo Kelly (Chief Executive, Centre for Sustainable Finance Toitū Tahua), Chris White (Director, Projects in the Financial and Commercial Group, The Treasury), Kristy Graham (Chief Executive, Australian Sustainable Finance Institute)
@State of Sustainable Finance event (Nov 2022)
The Centre for Sustainable Finance: Toitū Tahua (CSF) is pleased to welcome two new Board members to guide the journey to sustainable finance in Aotearoa New Zealand: Matt Whineray and Chris White.
Matt Whineray has been Chief Executive Officer of the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, which manages the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, since July 2018, and is a former co-chair of the Sustainable Finance Forum. He recently announced he will be leaving the Guardians at the end of this year. Chris White is Director, Projects in the Financial and Commercial Group at the Treasury and led the establishment of New Zealand’s Sovereign Green Bonds programme in 2022.
Bridget Coates, CSF Chair said, “The Centre for Sustainable Finance draws on the deep expertise and experience of finance and public sector leaders to ensure Aotearoa New Zealand is well positioned internationally to access global capital markets to help fund and finance our equitable green transition. Chris and Matt have both led crucial pieces of Aotearoa New Zealand’s sustainable finance architecture. We are delighted to welcome them as Directors of the Centre.”
Matt Whineray said, “I have had a particular interest in sustainable finance for some time. This role gives me an opportunity to use what I have learned at the Guardians to help CSF achieve its goal of accelerating progress towards a sustainable and equitable financial system in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Chris White said, “Sustainable finance is a crucial enabler for the transition of our economy to a low-emissions future. It makes sense to draw on expertise across both the public and private sectors to ensure our efforts are targeted, coordinated and leveraging the talents of the many different participants that shape our financial system.”
They join the existing board alongside Bridget Coates, Pip Best, John Duncan, Michele Embling, Fonteyn Moses-Te Kani (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāi Tahu, Tuhoe), Kevin Prime (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Whatua, Tainui and Welsh descent), Simone Robbers, David Tikao (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu) and David Woods.
Bridget Coates said “It has already been a significant year for sustainable finance. There is growing recognition of the costs of climate change, and the need for public, private, iwi and Māori leaders to partner more effectively and redirect capital toward solutions. We are looking forward to seeing even more gains in the year ahead, supported by our new Board members.
More information
Matt Whineray
Matt has been Chief Executive Officer of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund since 2018. Before becoming CEO, he was General Manager, Private Markets and then the Chief Investment Officer, responsible for the Fund's portfolio construction and investment activity in listed and unlisted markets, both directly and through investment managers.
Before joining NZSF, Matt was at Credit Suisse (Hong Kong) as Head of Financial Sponsor Coverage for non-Japan Asia, and previously a Managing Director at First NZ Capital in New Zealand and a Vice President at Credit Suisse First Boston in New York.
Matt is a Director of Netball New Zealand. Matt has previously served as Co-Chair of the Aotearoa Circle’s Sustainable Finance Forum, a member of the World Economic Forum General Agenda Council on the Future of Investing, a member of Focusing Capital on the Long Term, and as Chair of the InZone Education Foundation. He holds degrees in commerce and law from the University of Auckland.
Chris White
Chris is a public servant with over 20 years’ experience in New Zealand and overseas. He has held leadership roles at the Treasury responsible for the Crown’s portfolio of commercial and financial entities, commercial transactions, infrastructure policy and PPPs, housing, climate change and energy policy. He has delivered projects including the sale of minority stakes in Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy and Air New Zealand, the transfer of social houses to community housing providers, the establishment of Te Waihanga/New Zealand Infrastructure Commission and the establishment of New Zealand’s Sovereign Green Bonds Programme.
He spent three years as a policy advisor to the Prime Minister in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on economic strategy, macro-economic issues, fiscal strategy, the Budget, tax policy and commercial ownership policy, and served for two years as New Zealand’s Alternate Executive Director at the board of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts (English) (Honours) from the University of Leeds and an MBA (Distinction) from Victoria University.