Simon Moutter
Chairman
Simon is best known from his time as Managing Director of Spark New Zealand between 2012-2019. He was named NZ CEO of the Year in the 2017 Deloitte Top 200 awards in recognition of his leadership of Spark. Before this, Simon led Auckland International Airport as its Chief Executive from 2008-2012 and was Chief Operating Officer for NZ Telecom from 2003-2008. As well as Smart, Simon is currently working with both Agility CIS Ltd and Intellihub NZ Ltd, working alongside the Management Teams of these companies to help them deliver their strategic plans and improve their market performance. He also invests in and chairs the board of fashion start-up Designer Wardrobe Ltd. Simon has a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury and a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Massey University.
Current Board Governance roles include:
- Chairman – Designer Wardrobe Ltd
- Chairman – Intellihub Ltd
- Director – Spark Investment Holdco Pty Ltd
- Director – Taconic Midco Ltd
- Member – King’s School Board of Governors
Former Board Governance roles include:
- Managing Director – Spark New Zealand Limited
- Chairman – CEO Forum of Business New Zealand
- Chairman – New Zealand Airports Association
- Director – North Queensland Airports Pty Ltd
- Director – New Zealand Racing Board
- Director – Energy Brokers New Zealand Limited
- Director – The Marketplace Company Limited
- Managing Director – Electrotech Consultants Ltd
Grahame Christian
Director and Shareholder
Grahame established Smart in 1993 and was Managing Director until 2019 when he stood down. He formed the company from zero staff to, on his departure, a nationwide business with over 500 staff and the largest privately owned company in the industry.
Grahame sold the majority interest in the business to Maui Private Equity and remains as an active shareholder and director.
He has had numerous roles on boards, and committees over the years.
Current Governance roles include:
- Director and Shareholder – Smart Environmental Limited
- Managing Director – Smart Contracting Group Limited
- Member – Thames Coromandel Economic Development Committee
- Board Member – WasteMINZ
Former roles include:
- Founder – Streetsmart Limited
- Director – Touch New Zealand
- Chairman – Pare Hauraki Asset Holdings Limited
- Chairman – Preserve New Chum Inc
- Chairman – Hauraki Fishing Group
- Director – Taimoana Marine Farms
Brooke Bone
Director
Brooke is an Investment Director for Milford’s Funds and co-manages the Milford Private Equity Fund II. He is currently a director of a number of companies on behalf of the Milford Active Growth Fund. Brooke joined Milford in 2012 from Macquarie Securities in New Zealand where he was a Senior Research Analyst covering a variety of sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, mining and oil and gas. Prior to that, Brooke was a Vice President at Morgan Stanley in London, covering Pan-European retail companies. Brooke also worked for the corporate finance and property team of Marks and Spencer in the UK. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young and is a CFA Charterholder..
Brent Lawgun
Director
Brent brings over 25 years’ business experience across a range of industries and companies, and expertise in private equity, corporate finance, business strategy and commercial law.
Brent is a founder and executive director of private equity firm Maui Capital, which manages $500 million of committed capital, and serves on the investment committees of both the Maui Capital Indigo and Maui Capital Aqua Funds.
Brent has managed four private equity funds since 2002. Since establishing Maui in 2008, he has managed Maui’s Aqua Fund (2012) and Indigo Fund (2008). Before that, Brent was a Director of Private Equity at Goldman Sachs JBWere and managed the Hauraki No. 2 Fund (2004) and the Hauraki No. 1 Fund (2002).
Brent is a current or past director of various investee companies of the Maui Indigo and Aqua Funds and the Hauraki No. 1 and No. 2 Funds. He is also a past member of the St Cuthbert’s College Educational Trust Board and the New Zealand Private Equity and Venture Capital Association Council.
Brent holds a Bachelor of Commerce (in Finance) and a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of Laws (with First Class Honours).
Mark Hickling
Director
Mark is a Maui Capital Investment Director and has been working with growth-orientated private businesses for more than a decade, both as an advisor and investor, mapping out and implementing growth strategies.
During that time Mark has served on the Boards of several Maui portfolio companies with operations throughout Australasia, including the Freshmax Group and Ball & Doggett.
Mark is a qualified Chartered Accountant and before joining Maui worked in various corporate and corporate advisory roles in Auckland with BDO and London with UBS.