Board Member Profiles
Sam Fairhall - Chair
Sam is Managing Director of The Business Farm Limited, a company that works to assist small to medium enterprises to increase profitability and company value. Prior to this, he was an executive at TVNZ working in various management and business development roles, the last of these as Managing Director of TVNZ Satellite Services Limited. Sam is also currently chairman of TalkLink, a Charitable Trust which was established in 1991 to provide assistive technology services for people who have communication difficulties.
Sam is an experienced senior executive who brings his expertise in negotiation skills, in strategic planning and in all aspects of management to the Home and Family Counselling Board.
Robin Yates - Vice Chair
Robin retired from her 12 year business liaison position at Manukau Institute of Technoloy at the end of 2005. She was also responsible for the short courses run by the institute for three years. Previous to working full time she was actively involved with her children's school committees, Anglican vestry and synod and a ratepayers' association in Coromandel. Robin was also a telephone counsellor for Home and Family and has been interested in the organisation's progress since then.
Ian Jagger - Honorary Treasurer
Ian is a qualified accountant and also holds a BA. ( Hons) Business Studies - first class ( major in computing). He is a Project Manager at OnePath ( formerly ING) and his recent past experience is as CFO of Herbert Insurance Group, with Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the Dresdner bank in the Grand Cayman Islands and contract work for Axa Insurance and Norwich Union Insurance in Norwich, England. He has been honorary treasurer of a number of sports clubs over the years.
Eric Allan
Eric has been a member of the Board since 1990 and is Convenor of the Policy sub-committee. He is a former Director of Catholic Family and Community Services and shares his knowledge as a director of a peer social service agency with Home and Family in particular his insight into the needs of a counselling agency. Through his involvement in a number of other social service agencies he brings a wide perspective and knowledge of social issues.
Christine Fenby
Christine is Director of Fenby & Associates Limited and provides independent marketing and business development consultancy services.
Since setting up her company, Christine spent 3 years as Business Development Director at a leading Auckland brand communication agency and is now involved with a number of different initiatives and organisations. Prior to 2005 Christine worked in the Public Sector at TVNZ, latterly in the role of Marketing Director, TVNZ Satellite Services Limited, a broadcast services export operation.
During this period Christine returned to school and gained a Master of Business Administration (Exec Programme) from the University of Auckland.
Christine’s combination of skills is brought about by varied experience across both the public and private sectors and including international and domestic business operations. Her predilection is market orientation, and the transformation that an innate understanding and practice of the discipline can mean to an organisation.
Christine is originally from Dunedin and lives in Auckland with her commercial architect partner.
Michael Perry
Michael has been a member of the Board (formally the executive committee) since 16 October 2003,
and has been the minutes secretary in August 2005. The father of two adult children, and a resident of Avondale, Michael is employed by Auckland Transport Agency as a traffic engineer. Michael is a great grandson of Henry Wilding, one of the founders, and president for 25 years, of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Women and Children, and Michael follows his cousin, Doreen Harper in maintaining the family involvement with the Society.
Edwina Pio
Dr. Edwina Pio (PhD, MA, BEd, BA, MNZAC) is Associate Professor at the Business School of AUT University, and Visiting Professor at Boston College, USA. Her main research domain is ethnic minority studies where she combines her research interests of management, psychology and spirituality. She has recently published a book "Sari: Indian women at work in New Zealand" and is a passionate advocate of research in action. She has been invited for research and presentations to ESADE Barcelona and Cambridge University, UK and has been published internationally. Edwina is on several boards including the PhD MPhil Committee of AUT and the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, USA. She is the Equity Coordinator of the Business School at AUT. Edwina also works with women and children who have experienced domestic violence on a voluntary basis and is registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors.
Carol White
Carol is a counsellor with over 25 years professional experience. She is a former National President of the NZ Association of Counsellors (NZAC) and is a Life Member of the Association. She is a member of the NZAC's National Ethics Committee and teaches course on ethical practice for various counselling programmes. She has a counselling and supervision practice.
Carol has been closely involved with Home and Family counsellors for more than ten years. She has been elected to the Board particularly to provide guidance about the professional work of the counsellors