Board of Directors

Adrienne Young-Cooper - Chair 

Adrienne was appointed to the Board of Directors in November 2017. She brings more than 30 years' experience in resource management and planning to the role with a particular specialty in spatial planning, metropolitan growth and management, including infrastructure planning and large projects. 

Adrienne is now a full-time director and a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand. Adrienne is the Chair of Auckland Transport (AT) and former Chair of Housing NZ and has also been a director of several property development companies charged with complex urban regeneration projects. Her transport governance experience is extensive - she has previously served on the board of Maritime NZ.

Adrienne was the founder and managing director of Hill Young Cooper Limited a consulting company until 2010. In this role she worked on strategic policy advice to governments and large projects. She led the first major community planning exercise "Tomorrow's Queenstown" in the early 2000s and a similar project for Wanaka as well as being involved in planning for Queenstown Airport. She is also a trustee of several charitable organisations. 

Adrienne spends a lot of time in the Southern Lakes region and lives in Martinborough and Auckland. 

Simon Flood - Deputy Chair

Simon Flood was appointed to the Board of Directors in January 2020. He is an experienced business leader, with more than 25 years’ experience in the global investment management industry having held a variety of senior leadership roles in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Simon is a trustee of the University of Canterbury Foundation and a member of the University of Canterbury Foundation Finance Committee. He is a Trustee for the Lakes District Hospital Foundation in Queenstown.

Simon and his wife Ei-Mynn live with their two children in Queenstown. Simon’s connection with the district dates back to his childhood when he was a frequent visitor; he has owned property here since the late 90’s and moved his family here in April 2015.  

Mark Thomson

Mark was appointed to the Board of Directors in June 2017 following a period as Auckland Airport’s shareholder representative. 

As General Manager Property & Commercial for Auckland Airport, he is responsible for Auckland Airport’s investment property, hotels, and retailing businesses including duty free, specialty retail, valet and car parking. He is also responsible for Auckland Airport’s hotel joint venture with Tainui Group Holdings. Mark is currently a national councillor of the New Zealand Property Council.

Mark has more than 25 years’ experience in real estate management and development, and he brings a wealth of experience in the transport and logistics sectors. Before joining Auckland Airport in April 2014, he was Director, Strategy Execution and Property (Asia) for Toll Global Logistics, responsible for a real estate portfolio spread across 12 countries including China, Singapore and India. Mark has a Bachelor of Commerce from Lincoln University and he has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Anne Urlwin

Wanaka-based Anne Urlwin was appointed to the Board of Directors in October 2020.

Anne is a professional director whose governance experience covers a range of sectors including infrastructure, energy, construction, telecommunications, insurance, steel products, health and financial services.  Her governance roles have spanned publicly listed companies, private companies, statutory entities and Crown and local government-owned companies.

Anne is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand.  Her current directorship roles include publicly listed retirement village operator Summerset Group Holdings Ltd, commercial property company Precinct Properties New Zealand Ltd, and energy company Vector.  She is also a director of Cigna Life Insurance New Zealand Ltd and of City Rail Link Ltd, the joint Crown and Auckland Council-owned company delivering the City Rail Link tunnel project in Auckland.

Her former governance roles include chairmanship of national construction group Naylor Love and as a director of Airways Corporation NZ Ltd and Australasian renewable energy company Tilt Renewables Ltd.

Following enjoyable holidays in Wanaka and Queenstown over a number of years, Anne and her husband shifted to Wanaka from Christchurch in 2001.

Mike Tod

Mike Tod was appointed to the board of directors in October 2020.

Mike brings a wealth of global aviation experience to the Board.  His previous Executive roles include Chief Marketing and Customer Officer for Air New Zealand where led many of the airline’s global award-winning innovations and customer service initiatives, while also having accountability for areas like Government and Regulatory Affairs globally.

Mike has extensive experience in aviation in key markets ranging from here in New Zealand to Australia, Asia, South America, North America and Europe.  He is also a former member of the Star Alliance Marketing Committee.

Mike is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has undertaken professional studies at Harvard and Oxford Universities as well in conjunction with the Darden School of Business.  His professional background also spans leadership roles in financial services, agriculture and the media.  He has also acted in an advisory capacity to Chief Executive Officers and the Chairmen of companies across a variety of sectors and was a member of MasterCard's Asia Pacific Advisory Board.

Andrew Blair

Andrew Blair was appointed to the Board of Directors in October 2020.  Following a successful career in both the public and private sectors Andrew, a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, now undertakes governance roles and provides advisory services to a range of commercial, government and community organisations.  Utilising the vast range of governance and commercial experience gained in his earlier executive management roles and through a large number of directorships Andrew assists owners and boards in the areas of strategic and business planning, change management, growth and productivity, relationship management and troubleshooting.  

Among his current roles he is leading a joint venture to establish an independent hospital for the Queenstown Lakes region and he chairs the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust. Andrew lives in Arrowtown and when he has time he enjoys social golf, off-road cycling and skiing.