John is an accomplished public sector CEO and executive with broad regulatory, policy and operational experience in economic, justice, social and education sectors. He brings a track record as an effective, empathetic, and values-based leader and trusted adviser who has delivered significant benefits for the public in complex economic, social, stakeholder and regulatory environments.
John is known as a big picture thinker, engaging communicator, effective deliverer, and a strong change agent. He is an energetic and values-driven leader who inspires confidence and engages and mobilises teams and stakeholders to solve problems and to drive improved performance and outcomes. Resilient and versatile, John has a track record of reforming organisations and statutory regimes, driving modernisation, and achieving award winning regulatory reforms.
John was recently the Chief Executive Officer of the Essential Services Commission of Victoria (ending June 2023). The Essential Services Commission’s regulatory responsibilities include economic regulation of water, energy, local government, and a range of transport responsibilities.
John was previously General Manager, Regulation at the New Zealand Commerce Commission, responsible for regulation of electricity, gas, telecommunications, and airports regulation in New Zealand. John has a strong background in the public sector experience, particularly in strategic micro-economic analysis, budget management, organisational performance and policy development.
John also held several roles at the New Zealand Ministry of Justice and has a PhD in English literature from Victoria University of Wellington.
John is a senior associate of URA, working on a part time basis.
KEY CAPABILITIES
Leadership
- Clear, supportive, and accountable leader who compellingly articulates vision and strategy to garner buy-in and drive motivated action that achieves Government and community outcomes.
- Energetic and authentic builds trust in staff and decision-makers, with a value set based on transparency, respect and empowering people to make a difference.
Regulation
- Extensive experience in regulatory reform, regulatory design, implementation, investigations, and enforcement, building regulatory systems that contribute to effective and efficient industries.
- Developing and implementing a robust legal governance framework; advising the Board and Senior Leaders on legislative, regulatory and industry developments, risks exposures, and contingencies.
Strategy and Policy
- Leader of strategy, policy and delivery, with a clear connection between vision and action, moving with agility from big picture to detail and back.
- A systems thinker who applies political acumen, situational awareness, and extensive knowledge of Government processes to identify emerging issues, find creative solutions to complex issues and effect public value outcomes.
- Proven experience in using systems thinking, design thinking and behavioural economics methodologies to design strategies, processes and operations that consider the ecosystem, participants and dependencies.
Operational Management
- Versatile ability to plan and oversee execution of strategic and policy goals.
- Strong commercial acumen and financial performance management, ensuring sound financial planning.
- Strategic oversight of risk management to ensure compliance requirements and organisational sustainability.
- Adept at working effectively with Ministers, Commissioners, Chairs and Boards.
Stakeholder Relationships and Advocacy
- Builds open and constructive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including Government, Agencies and the private sector.
- Advocates broadly and leads collaborative partnerships to understand and respond to evolving expectations.
- Exceptional communicator who connects, engages, and influences others through trust and respect, enabling genuine collaboration to meet shared objectives, while balancing the needs of diverse stakeholders.
- Leads across organisations and agencies to bring together stakeholders to solve problems, affect change and improve systems.
Leading Change and Transformation
- Creates an imperative for change through a clear rationale, aligning to common goals and building buy-in, and carefully manages the change process with regular communication to staff and stakeholders on progress.
- Track record of leading transformation to deliver organisational and statutory reform, operational excellence, and significant performance improvement.