TEAM
Our team aligns people, culture, and vision to create meaningful impact.
With many of us contributing over a decade of experience at Kerridge & Partners, we have built a culture defined by integrity, collaboration, and genuine care for the work we do.
Peter Kerridge
Partner
Peter Kerridge, our founding partner, established Kerridge & Partners in 2005. Peter works across all our practices including search, governance and leadership.
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Peter understands what makes boards tick and how the right leaders can transform a business. He relishes the chance to work with clients to ‘solve complex problems’ in the board and executive arena. His reflective style and ability to connect people to both people and concepts is valued by our client community.
He has been asked to lecture MBA classes, speak at international conferences on how organisations achieve excellence, lead board and leadership sessions for top level businesses, and is in demand for leadership development advice from clients in New Zealand and offshore.
Peter’s experience spans four continents. He has an eclectic set of expertise across listed, privately owned, multinational and not-for-profit organisations. Following an M.A. in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, Peter joined the graduate programme at ICI in the UK. As well as working in the UK’s industrial belt, he spent time in Germany and sales operations in Hungary. On his way to New Zealand, he enjoyed a variety of experiences in South America as well as West and East Africa.
In New Zealand Peter joined Mercury Energy and then the listed gas business Enerco New Zealand, where his last role was on the executive team. Upon leaving the corporate world for the second time, Peter began his consultancy career, at first with a boutique business which was soon acquired by a major offshore business, soon thereafter, Kerridge & Partners was born.
Peter is an Ambassador for Leadership New Zealand and a fab 50 member for the Be Institute. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and a director for Knowhow Solutions Ltd. Peter is the author of the book, “Filling the Talent Void”. He previously served on the global board for Association of Executive Search Consultants.
Outside of work and supporting the exploits of a very busy family, Peter loves the outdoors with the ocean being a clear favourite – surfski kayaking and ocean swimming balance the week.
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Vikki Maclean
Partner
Vikki is a native of Scotland and as such brings her wit and directness to dealing with confronting issues. She joined Kerridge & Partners in 2006 and has earned a reputation for successful CEO, C suite and GM appointments, as well as many non-executive director engagements.
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Renowned as an accomplished communicator, she has direct access to networks of talent in both New Zealand and globally.
Vikki has a respected eye for potential and emerging talent; she leads senior appointments across private, public and not-for-profit sectors, as well as SOEs and local government.
Building on her career successes, Vikki completed an intensive programme for executive search specialists at Cornell University in New York. This reinvigorated her appreciation of global leadership trends and reinforced her belief that the Kerridge & Partners’ approach is unique in the world of executive search.
Sixteen years at Kerridge & Partners has provided the opportunity to assemble an amazing team who share the same ethos. Many of the team have long-standing tenure with the organisation; they share the company’s vision of commitment to the wellbeing of our nation and commit to ventures outside of the business including pro bono work for the NGO sector and not-for-profits.
“When we talk about transforming the leadership landscape in New Zealand, we are really talking about allowing business access to the kind of leaders who can make a real difference. These are the leaders who enable New Zealand business to compete with the best.”
Vikki’s has invested 35 years in building her expertise in leadership talent. Her wealth of experience is built on the shifts in business and economies over years and across multiple continents. During previous economic and financial downturns and our latest global crisis Vikki’s passion for executive search is unwavering, reinforcing her mission to consistently appoint great leaders who will champion New Zealand business into the future.
Vikki is married with two sons, one is a secondary school teacher, the other is studying in California on a rowing scholarship.
Outside of work, Vikki is an active supporter of the rowing community and commentates at Rowing New Zealand events. She has run the New York Marathon twice.
In the not-for-profit arena Vikki served on the board of CatWalk Trust and was a trustee for Look Good Feel Better. She is a trustee for Karāpiro Rowing Inc.
In business or in social environments, Vikki has a warm, engaging style, never missing an opportunity to learn about the constant shifts in business that demand new leadership attributes.
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Cheewei Kwan
Partner, Leadership
Cheewei leads our Leadership Practice. He has more than 30 years’ experience, having held senior roles across government, corporate sectors and global HR, and leadership consulting firms.
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As a keen student of leadership, he has spent the bulk of his career working with leaders and leadership teams across Asia Pacific. Cheewei relocated to Auckland in 2011 with his family and works with the Kerridge & Partners team to design and deliver leading edge leadership solutions for organisations, which include;
Working with boards and executive teams to design and facilitate leadership team retreats and strategy days. Cheewei’s hallmark is his ability to create a safe and neutral environment for leadership teams to confront, discuss and resolve team conflicts and strategy issues.
Providing onboarding and coaching support for senior executives.
Curating and facilitating Kerridge & Partners’ leadership conferences and events.
In 2019, Cheewei led a piece of research on “Developing the Next Generation of Chief Executives for New Zealand” and the output now forms the framework for our work in the assessment and development of Chief Executive and senior leaders.
Prior to Cheewei’s relocation to Auckland, he was the founding CEO of the Singapore Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI), a government funded institution whose mission is to develop strategic human capital capabilities and thought leadership for Asia. In addition to formulating strategies and initiatives on research and thought leadership, Cheewei was also the lead facilitator for HCLI’s flagship leadership programmes, seminars and conferences.
Since 2015, Cheewei has taken on an additional role as an adjunct faculty with Duke Corporate Education and is now the lead facilitator for senior leadership programmes for a number of Duke Corporate Education’s clients across Asia, with delivery in locations as far afield as Kazakhstan and South Africa.
Cheewei was educated in the UK under a Singapore government scholarship scheme and spent the first 10 years of his career as an organisational psychologist with the Singapore Armed Forces. He has a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from Leeds University (UK) and an MBA from the University of Leicester (UK).
Cheewei was recently appointed to the Board of Outward Bound New Zealand and feels very privileged to be able to contribute to the noble cause of developing future leaders for New Zealand.
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Claire Denison
Partner, Governance
Claire leads the Governance Practice at Kerridge & Partners managing board appointments, board reviews and governance development work for a range of clients.
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She has worked with an extensive selection of New Zealand businesses evaluating the boards of listed companies, private businesses, investment companies, not-for-profits, co-operatives and various other industry organisations.
She has appointed Chairs, NEDs and Trustees, and has worked with many individual executives and directors advising them on their governance portfolios, or how to become involved in governance work. She has also hosted global thought leaders in a range of governance development events. She is passionate about improving the governance landscape in New Zealand.
Prior to coming to New Zealand, Claire worked in strategy, consulting and project management roles primarily in the pharmaceutical industry. She had considerable exposure to directors and senior executives in this capacity which formulated her interest in governance, and specifically, the impact of board dynamics on the effectiveness of a board and the board/management relationship.
Claire is qualified with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Birmingham (UK) and an MBA from the University of Oxford (UK).
Outside of work Claire is kept busy with a young family; when time allows, she enjoys walks on the waterfront and good conversation over a tasty dinner and glass of wine.
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Nick Edlin
Partner
Nick is a Partner in the executive search practice at Kerridge & Partners. He specialises in chief executive and senior executive roles and works across a range of sectors.
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His experience is diverse and includes leading searches to appoint chief executives in many areas of the economy including transport, infrastructure, health, and professional services.
At executive level, Nick regularly works with some of New Zealand’s leading businesses and public sector organisations and has particular interest in the intersection of government and business.
Prior to joining Kerridge & Partners Nick spent 8 years practising law, first in New Zealand and then in the UK. His legal experience is broad and includes commercial and employment litigation, and public law. In London Nick worked as an in-house lawyer in central government advising the Home Office and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Nick lives in Auckland with his wife and two young children. He is passionate about sport, cricket in particular, although the demands of family life mean his playing days are behind him. Nick has written about cricket, rugby and a host of other sports for the New Zealand Herald in a freelance capacity.
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Adelene Lynch
Partner
Adelene has been in the search and recruitment profession since 2008. She joined Kerridge & Partners in 2020 from Air New Zealand where she was the Talent Manager recruiting for the Senior Leadership team.
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Adelene has led global searches for a range of New Zealand organisations from high growth start-ups to large corporates including Air New Zealand where several of her engagements sought top global talent from Asia-Pacific, US and UK. Her search engagements span a diversity of functions and industries, with particular focus on C-suite roles in organisations that are globally-oriented or undergoing enterprise transformation.
Adelene has a particular interest in technology and innovation-focused organisations and enjoys working at the intersection of people, technology and transformation. Adelene had previously been the Global HR and Recruitment Manager for a New Zealand high tech organisation which was at the frontier of taking wireless power charging solutions to consumer electronics and industrial sectors. In that role, she grew the company from a start-up stage of 40 FTE to over 100 employees across US and New Zealand, before the company was successfully acquired by Apple.
Adelene is passionate about Future of Work and how that shapes the talent and leadership skills organisations need. She is an Agile-trained facilitator and certified in Hogan assessments. Prior to becoming a search professional, Adelene had a career in international sales and had lived in Singapore, Canada and Japan. This lends well to providing a very personal candidate experience when headhunting offshore talent. Adelene is also on the Advisory Board of Massey University Executive Education.
Adelene graduated from National University of Singapore with Bachelor of Science (Hons) majoring in Marine Biology. Outside of work, Adelene is a nature lover, avid diver and enjoys travelling the world and Aotearoa with her family.
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Tim Scanlan
Partner
Tim joined Kerridge & Partners in 2017 and is a Partner in the executive search practice based in Sydney, Australia. He collaborates with publicly listed organisations and large private companies, specialising in executive appointments that involve complex commercial and stakeholder challenges, or that occur during times of change.
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Tim leads much of our work in financial services and has also developed a practice in collaboration with private equity firms. He specialises in placing executives into operating companies across New Zealand, with plans to expand soon into Australia.
Tim joined Kerridge & Partners shortly after completing a Bachelor of Commerce with First Class Honours in Finance. Outside of work, he enjoys boxing and is an enthusiastic recreational flyer.
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Zoë Whittington
Senior Consultant
As a Senior Consultant in the executive search team at Kerridge & Partners, Zoë provides key research, reporting, client and candidate support for C suite and senior leadership searches across a broad range of sectors.
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Her breadth of insight and astute written work assist clients and candidates alike to find the right fit and enjoy a smooth search experience.
In addition to enabling the delivery of advice, Zoë plays a key role in upholding best practice for Kerridge & Partners’ internal systems - using her diligent nature and sharp attention to detail to ensure that we are providing top quality insights both internally and externally.
Zoë’s previous experience in management consulting and people and culture fostered her interest in executive search – finding the right person to take each organisation to the next level.
Zoë holds a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) specialising in Human Resource Management and Psychology from Victoria University of Wellington.
Outside of the office Zoë enjoys cooking, travel, and learning about film photography.
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Sam Webster
Consultant
Sam joined the team at Kerridge & Partners in 2022, bringing a unique perspective from his fourteen-year career as an Olympic track cyclist. His list of accolades includes an Olympic silver medal in 2016, four Commonwealth Games gold medals, and three World Championship gold medals.
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Transitioning from the world of high-performance sports to executive search, Sam applies his seasoned understanding of dynamic communication, key success drivers, and in-depth performance analysis to targeted research and the multifaceted challenges of leadership. His firsthand experience in top-tier competitive environments equips him with a nuanced appreciation for leadership impact.
In his role at Kerridge & Partners, Sam operates across the executive search and leadership practices, contributing to a diverse array of sectors that include Technology, Financial Services, and Retail.
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Erin Rapley
Consultant
Erin is a Consultant in the executive search team at Kerridge & Partners, where she contributes research, reporting, and client and candidate care to support executive searches across various industries
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Erin is a Consultant in the executive search team at Kerridge & Partners, where she contributes research, reporting, and client and candidate care to support executive searches across various industries. She brings with her a passion for leadership and shaping the future of Aotearoa, which was sparked during her time at Be. Lab - a social change organisation.
With a distinctive perspective on accessibility and social impact, Erin draws on her diverse career spanning the public sector, travel, and events planning to assist organisations to discover their next leaders.
Erin holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours. Outside of work, she is a craft beer enthusiast, powerlifter, and lifelong learner who enjoys the sun and spending time with friends and family.
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Elizabeth Gretton
Associate Consultant
As an Associate Consultant with the Executive Search team at Kerridge & Partners, Elizabeth conducts research and prepares reports.
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Additionally, she supports both clients and candidates in the recruitment process for C-Suite and Senior Leadership roles across diverse industries.
Before joining Kerridge & Partners, Elizabeth gained valuable experience in agency recruitment and people and culture roles. Her work with both external and internal recruitment teams provided her with deep insights into the job market and an understanding of candidate perspectives, further cultivating her interest in Executive Search.
Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science with a dual focus on Psychology and Sustainability, alongside a Certificate in Health Science specializing in Māori and Pacific Health. These qualifications not only sparked her interest in research but also honed her skills in the field, which she effectively applies in her role at Kerridge & Partners.
Outside of work you’ll find Elizabeth with her family, baking, or watching sport, rugby and F1 in particular.
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Gemma Torr
General Manager
Gemma is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day running of the administration team in support of the business. She also works closely with our partners as secretary to the Kerridge & Partners board.
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Highly organised and efficient, Gemma brings order to our very busy office. She manages internal HR, IT, finance and marketing, and coordinates best practice alongside the administrative team ensuring the office systems run smoothly.
Gemma honed her multi-tasking skills in the UK where she worked for several years as a management accountant before emigrating to New Zealand in 2002. She worked with the Auckland Regional Council and managed the finance team at the Auckland Regional Transport Authority prior to joining Kerridge & Partners in 2010.
She has a BA (Geography) from the University of Leeds (UK) and is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Gemma enjoys knitting and felting and is on the committee for Creative Fibre Auckland.
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Amelia Long
Project Co-ordinator
Amelia has been with Kerridge & Partners for many years. Currently her focus is on organising large-scale end-to-end events and workshops, as well as project management, internal business improvement projects and general executive assistant responsibilities in support of the business.
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Previously to Kerridge & Partners, Amelia’s roles included working in the local government, real estate and insurance sectors.
She is currently working for Kerridge & Partners in a part-time capacity and is kept busy by balancing life around 2 young children.
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Amanda Jeffs
Executive Assistant
Amanda supports the Executive Search team at Kerridge & Partners. She joined the business in 2010 as Executive Assistant to Vikki Maclean.
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Following a lengthy tenure through a period of strong growth and change, Amanda left in 2017 to spend time with family in the UK. She returned to New Zealand and re-joined Kerridge & Partners in early 2022.
Amanda has held previous retail management and HR related positions and also worked in local government in the UK. This experience set her up well for anticipating the requirements of clients, candidates and our own consultants for each of our assignments. She gains enormous satisfaction from the inclusive approach we have to our work. Amanda works intuitively and is our “go to” person for any task that’s out of the ordinary.
Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Psychology and Sociology.
Outside of work, Amanda enjoys cooking, attending Latin and Ballroom dance classes, exploring new walks across NZ, and is interested in travel.
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E J Thompson
Governance Co-ordinator
EJ supports the governance team at Kerridge & Partners. She is no stranger to the business having worked with the team in the early years of Kerridge and Partners’ inception.
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Having had a successful career spanning 20 years in the Television industry as a production manager both in New Zealand and the UK, EJ comes to us with a wealth of experience.
A career highlight for her was managing a live current affairs election broadcast with the Rt Hon Tony Blair, as well as working many years on the iconic Fair Go television series with TVNZ.
EJ holds a Bachelor of Business in Management.
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Nicole See
Executive Assistant
Nicole joined Kerridge & Partners in 2022 supporting Tim Scanlan and Nick Edlin as an Executive Assistant, as well as supporting the wider business with events and project management.
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Piror to joining Kerridge & Partners, Nicole worked in a variety of industries in both Australia and New Zealand, ranging from healthcare, engineering, to finance and fashion. She joined Kerridge and Partners with a keen interest in recruitment.
Nicole holds a Diploma in Executive Assisting functions, Certificate in Business Administration and Technology, and a Certificate in First Line Management.
Outside of work, Nicole enjoys hosting dinners at home, going to the gym, weekend trips away and painting, with 7 of her pieces sold to cafes/restaurants around Sydney.
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Lesley Watts
Receptionist / Administrator
As a dedicated Receptionist and Administrator at Kerridge & Partners, Lesley plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of the office.
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With a passion for providing exceptional service, Lesley manages front desk operations, coordinates administrative tasks, and supports the team with efficiency and professionalism.
Before joining Kerridge & Partners, Lesley worked on the front desk of a tier one law firm. In this role, Lesley's expertise and friendly, professional demeanour made her the welcoming face of the company. This experience has seamlessly translated to her current role at Kerridge & Partners, where she continues to excel in providing top-notch administrative support.
Prior to this, Lesley gained valuable experience in purchasing for a Pan-European networking company, honing skills in procurement, vendor management, and strategic sourcing. Since moving to New Zealand, Lesley has successfully transitioned into various administrative and office management roles, bringing a wealth of experience and a versatile skill set to each position.
Outside of work, Lesley is kept busy with her two children, balancing professional responsibilities with family life.
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T +64 9 969 9900
Paul Yan
Paul is a long serving member of the Kerridge & Partners team. He manages and administers the IT infrastructure and day-to-day technical operations of the business.
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From budgeting and project delivery to change management and transformation, Paul devotes his time and expertise to ensure Kerridge & Partners stay at the forefront of the rapidly changing world of technology.
As a trusted adviser, Paul keeps the business informed of trending technologies and helps the leadership team make decisions on their application to the business while balancing business value, risk and cost. He is constantly striving for improvements to the way we use our systems and workflow and looking to the future to ensure our technology not only keeps pace with our growing business, but also helps us grow.
Prior to joining Kerridge & Partners Paul had a background in project management across IT, construction, and education.
As a keen learner, Paul has a Bachelor of Laws, a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, and a Bachelor of Arts in Language Studies. Paul is proficient in English, Mandarin Chinese, and a few programming languages.
In his spare time, Paul is with his family and is active in the tech community. He offers his knowledge to not-for-profit organisations to help them navigate through the complexities of technology choices.
He is a published app developer and is active in the open source community contributing to projects on GitHub.
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Daniel Chua
Data Entry | Office Admin Assistant
As a Data Entry and Office Administrator at Kerridge & Partners, Daniel supports the team mainly with data entry and occasional research throughout the recruitment process.
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In addition to data entry, he also helps with general administration requirements. Daniel is a determined penultimate student, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Science Conjoint degree, majoring in Business Analytics and Statistics at the University of Auckland. Daniel also works as a teaching assistant at the University of Auckland, supporting lecturers with marking assignments and providing general insight on class performances.
Daniel is currently an executive member of Biztech Society, a club that focuses on the integration of business and technology at the University of Auckland. As an executive member, Daniel supports the team in the preparation, planning and organising of social events.
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T +64 9 969 9900
Arezo Nazari
Data Entry | Office Admin Assistant
Arezo joined Kerridge & Partners in 2024, supporting the wider team with data and administration tasks.
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She is a motivated first-year student at the University of Auckland, pursuing a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce. Arezo possesses excellent communications skills and values discipline, accuracy, and attention to detail in her work.
During the Afghan Evacuation, Arezo emigrated from Afghanistan to New Zealand. Since her arrival she has been keen to explore the country and learn about Kiwi culture. In addition to her studies and professional commitments, Arezo is currently a youth leader at Mixit - a youth organisation where young people from refugee backgrounds collaborate on creative projects.
Outside of work, Arezo enjoys reading books, hiking in nature, photography, and cooking.
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T +64 9 969 9900