As former Director of Spark, Simon was responsible for the overall leadership, strategic direction and management of Spark New Zealand, through its various business divisions and the brands that provide digital services to millions of New Zealanders and thousands of New Zealand businesses.
Simon led the reinvention of Telecom to Spark, to better reflect the fast-changing new world of digital services in which the business now operates. As a passionate and committed Kiwi, his ambition was for Spark to help all New Zealanders to live more amazing lives and build more successful businesses, through the power of digital technology.
He also led the company to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation launching an ongoing and wide-ranging programme in 2017 to grow a truly inclusive and diverse culture.
Simon returned to Spark from mid-2012 to mid-2019, having managed most parts of Telecom as Chief Operating Officer during 2003 to 2008. In the intervening years, he led Auckland International Airport for a period of four years in which he transformed the customer experience and delivered a significant uplift in its growth trajectory. Simon also spent 13 years in the electricity and gas industry including as chief executive of Powerco (1992 to 1999).
Simon currently sits on the Board of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, is a director and operating partner of Smart Environment Ltd, Agility CIS Ltd and Intellihub Ltd along with being the Chairman of Designer Wardrobe Ltd.
Simon has a Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Canterbury and a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Massey University. He lives with his wife Sophie and two of his children, Ben and Jack, in Auckland. Together they are into school activities, sports, fishing and travel, and sometimes the family indulges Simon’s interest in race horses.
