OUR PEOPLE
SUE SARGENT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Prior to taking up the role with the University of Auckland, Sue worked as an independent consultant strategically advising, training and mentoring in the field of higher education. She has also worked for the universities of Loughborough and Warwick for over 10 years in their alumni relations and development functions. At Loughborough she held the position of Director, Development and Alumni Relations, for several years and headed up their office. Sue has also worked in the charity sector for international development and disability charities. She holds an MBA from Loughborough and a BA(Hons) in Business and Marketing from the University of Lancashire.
MR ERIC TRACEY, CHAIR OF THE UK BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Eric is currently a partner in activist investment manager, Governance for Owners LLP, an independent director at Findel Plc (LSE listed) and National Exhibition Centre Ltd, a trustee of Goodenough College, The Stroke Association, and The Christchurch Earthquake Appeal UK. He is the NZ Society UK New Zealander of the Year 2014.
UK BOARD OF TRUSTEES
MATT BARRETT
Matt is currently CEO and co-founder at Adaptive Financial Consulting. In 2012 Matt, and his three co-founders, launched Adaptive, which builds real time electronic trading systems for financial services, capital and commodities market participants.
He spends his time with Adaptive's clients and employees, working on strategy and their approach to capital markets technology problems.
In 2004 Matt graduated with an MSc (Hons) in Computer Science. He worked briefly as a software developer for Uniservices, before moving to London in 2005. He worked for a variety of firms as a software developer until starting Adaptive.
NATALIE BARAGWANATH
Natalie is an accomplished sales and business development professional with extensive experience and contacts across a wide range of industry sectors, predominantly luxury, lifestyle, and sustainability. She has also been a copywriter and sub-editor for two decades.
She has spent the past 16 years in London connecting people, businesses and ideas - involving strategic networking; launching and developing start-up projects; driving sales, business development and PR; and introducing investment opportunities.
As a Kiwi she supports a number of environmental initiatives - particularly those pertaining to the welfare, sustainability and protection of the oceans and marine habitats.
She is delighted to join the UK Friends of the University of Auckland as a Trustee.
DR PENELOPE BROOK
Dr Penelope Brook’s “first career” spanned over 3 decades working as a practitioner, leader, and advisor of leaders, in complex roles in public policy and international development, with a focus on equity and inclusion. From 1993 to 2016 she worked for the World Bank Group, where she played a leading role developing the institution’s approach to inclusive private sector infrastructure delivery, led the World Bank’s engagement in the energy sector in South Asia (2002 to 2006), co-wrote the 2008 financial sector strategy for the World Bank Group, and shepherded the launch of the Women, Business and the Law database. After a stint in Buenos Aires responsible for the World Bank's relationships with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (2010 to 2014), she served as World Bank Group Ombudsman. In 2017 Penelope relocated to Oxford to develop and launch the Atlantic Institute, based at the Rhodes Trust. With the Institute successfully established, she had what she describes as the luxury of being able to pause and think about "what next". This took her back to a longstanding love of making art, and a growing interest in how art helps shape narratives – what we care about, and what inspires us to act. She is currently completing a 2-year full-time Masters programme at the Royal College of Art, specializing in textiles. A Rhodes Scholar in 1984, Penelope also received the University of Auckland Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998.
LADY ROSEMARY BUCHANAN
A former principal dancer with the New Zealand Ballet, Lady Buchanan married the late Sir John Gordon St Clair Buchanan. Rosemary has a lifelong interest in dance and is aware of how it can delay dementia and support wellbeing for the elderly, and is a significant supporter of work in this area at the University and in memory of John.In addition to the Board of UK Friends she holds positions on the Nutcracker Gala Committee, Artistic Director's Circle of the English National Ballet and UK Friends of Auckland Grammar School.
MR MIKE BUTLER
Mike is a tutor at the University of Law on business law, intellectual property and cyberlaw. He was previously a partner in an international law firm and then general counsel for the world's first private equity-backed ABS.
DR SETH RANKIN
Dr Seth Rankin was born in Whangarei and grew up in Australia, Napier, Papua New Guinea, Timaru, Palmerston North, and Christchurch. He first studied theology for 2 years then turned to medicine, completing his medical degree at Auckland University in 1990 and continued being peripatetic until finally settling in London in 1998 where he now feels at home. He initially worked for International SOS, then became a GP partner and commissioner in the NHS for perhaps too long, before focussing his restless creativity on medical entrepreneurial endeavours. Firstly, founding London Travel Clinic in 2010, then London Doctors Clinic in 2014. His wife Flavia founded London Medical Laboratory in 2017 where he is currently CEO. London Medical Laboratory has grown from 5 to 250 staff in the 2 years of the covid epidemic, so they have been very busy. He currently lives in Surrey with his amazing wife and business partner and their 2 long-suffering teenage daughters, who keep telling them that if they don’t stop talking about business all the time there will be drastic consequences. He tries to stay fit but is somewhat hampered by his enjoyment of food and wine. He loves skiing, Ronnie Scotts, and talking endlessly about how and why people believe what they believe.
SEAN TOPHAM
Sean is the co-Founder of creative advertising agency, Topham Guerin. In this role Sean has worked on advertising campaigns for major brands and organisations, and on successful election campaigns for Prime Ministers in NZ, Australia and the United Kingdom. Sean’s agency also played key roles in supporting the New Zealand and UK government’s communications responses to Covid-19. Outside of ad-land, Sean has a keen interest in developing film and television media, sailing, and traveling. Sean graduated from the University of Auckland in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws.
JON VOLLEMAERE
Jon is a financial markets entrepreneur, always working with new financial technology in its early days, for banks, brokers, funds and exchanges around the world, resulting in the founding of his own FinTech companies. Jon is a regular speaker at conferences, contributor to finance industry media and acts as an advisor to a number of early stage FinTech firms as a founding mentor at Level39. He was awarded eFX Person of the Year in 2016 by FXWeek Magazine and more recently was invited to join the UK Prime Minister's business delegation to China.
MR ROBERT WHITEHOUSE
Rob is the Director of Piccadilly Pictures, a specialist arranger of film production finance to the UK and International film and television industries since 2009. He is an experienced international film producer, lawyer and financier; a member of the California and New Zealand Bars; and has been involved in various aspects of the film industry since 1980. Rob is a law graduate from the University of Auckland.
