Our People


Meet your advisors: a team of outstanding people at every level of the organisation


Directors

Dan Bonifant

Managing Director

Dan is an experienced public sector lawyer who has worked in local and central government in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Dan's role as Managing Director followed a period of four years leading the NSW office of Morrison Low.

His work at Morrison Low includes a broad spectrum of advice based on his areas of expertise in governance, procurement, reform, amalgamation and project management.

Dan has recently led the Morrison Low team that has advised over 75% of New Zealand councils during the three waters reform process establishing Morrison Low as the leading consultants in this area.

Dan has practical experience in managing large and complex projects with multiple stakeholders, deliverables and tight timeframes.

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Kevin Best

Chair

Kevin was a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers for 28 years where he held a number of leadership and governance roles. Kevin has significant international experience and has worked extensively in Australia. His career also includes senior finance roles in central government and as an adviser to a number of New Zealand regional councils.

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Cushla Anich

Director

Cushla is an experienced infrastructure manager and a chartered professional engineer. She provides strategic advice to clients in central and local government sectors in New Zealand and Australia across a diverse range of assets. She enjoys helping clients build their internal asset management capability. Cushla’s recent experience includes strategic practice reviews, infrastructural health checks, asset management improvement programmes, and procurement advice. She is a recognised strategic manager in the water industry.

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Stephen Bunting

Director

Stephen brings a background in community services and public policy having held a number of executive management roles. He has helped organisations develop, integrate and implement a wide variety of strategic organisational plans as well as conducting organisation and service reviews and establishing associated service levels. More recently he has advised NSW councils on merger and sustainability opportunities. Stephen is involved in industry sector groups and has presented at a number of seminars and conferences on integrated planning.

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Ewen Skinner

Director

Ewen is a qualified civil engineer with extensive experience working with local government across Australasia. He has been involved in a wide variety of projects for councils ranging from organisational and governance reviews through to infrastructure development and complex procurement and project management initiatives. Ewen leads waste management and sustainability team at Morrison Low and has been instrumental in the development of a number of best practice documents for both central and local government in New Zealand.

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Greg Smith

Director

Greg is a CPA with extensive executive management, leadership and project delivery experience and knowledge of local government, electricity and the not for profit sectors. He has been responsible for strategic, operational and service delivery functions and has a proven track record in initiating and delivering business change through strategic corporate projects, service delivery reviews, business process improvements and innovation through ICT and partnerships. His experience extends to financial modelling frameworks for operations and property development.  

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Alice Grace

Director

Alice is an experienced asset manager and qualified engineer and has worked in local government and the private sector in both New Zealand and Australia. Alice has worked across all infrastructure areas and has skills in strategic planning, complex procurement and service delivery reviews, including operations models and contract reviews. Alice also has specialist technical expertise in solid waste management including landfill construction and operation, waste and recycling services, wastewater treatment and biosolids management and the aftercare of closed landfills.

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Janine McKenzie

Associate Director

Janine is an influential leader who brings together a deep commercial background, with a in depth knowledge of local government. Janine’s mission is to help councils solve the critical challenges they face. She has led the mergers, restructures and financial reform for local and state government and the private sector. She has significant expertise in the development of strategy, structure and KPIs to drive the strategic alignment and delivery. She has vital experience championing the transformative change. Janine is a CPA and MBA, and is undertaking a PhD in financial sustainability in local government.

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Gareth Chaplin

Associate Director Central Government

Gareth has had an extensive career in central government, having worked at Treasury and the State Services Commission, and having held senior management roles at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Transport. Gareth’s background is in regulatory economics and policy. He is an expert on funding and business case issues, with a toolkit that includes public policy, public sector funding and finance, business case development, governance, institutional design and regulatory economics.

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Matt Fyffe

Associate Director

Matt has 20 years of experience in both the private and public sector, working in housing, rail and a variety of council infrastructure. Matt has both advised and managed delivery in a diverse range of areas including construction, operations and maintenance service delivery, asset management and information technology. He has also led commercial and contract management, programme and portfolio management and procurement for public sector organisations. Matt has a strong client-side background in complex change and business improvement initiatives covering people, process and systems. 

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Cian Middleton

Associate Director

Cian is an MBA-qualified local government executive with significant experience in strategic planning and service delivery across a wide range of corporate service functions, including governance and audit, human resources, ICT, finance, communications and customer service. Having served as Corporate Services Director at two local councils, Cian has successfully managed various complex corporate projects from inception to delivery and possesses advanced project management, business improvement and stakeholder engagement skills. Cian holds qualifications in law, business and management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Helen Ramsey

Associate Director

Helen is an experienced chartered professional civil engineer with over 30 years’ experience. She has held a number of senior management roles in local government and the private sector in New Zealand. Helen has a strong background in asset management, maintenance, contract management, financial management, supply chain and operational effectiveness, across a range of infrastructure services.

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Stuart Cross

Associate Director

Stuart is a Chartered Accountant and Better Business Cases Practitioner with significant experience in analysing the business justification for significant investment decisions and the funding and financing of local and central government projects. 

His recent experience includes providing advice on a review into the funding and financing of local government, financial modelling to support development of policy initiatives, development and review of business cases for large scale capital investment, and best practice assessment of business processes. 

Stuart has led a number of reviews commissioned by Central Government pertaining to the funding and financing of local government infrastructure, including the study into the net costs of growth for the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, and reviews of the local government financial management framework and the funding and financing of local government for the Department of Internal Affairs.  He has also been heavily involved in three waters reform projects for both local and central government.

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Mark Wood

Associate Director

Mark has extensive experience in executive management and leadership in local government in the strategy and service delivery of waste, civil, open space and facility management. He has been responsible for developing and maintaining infrastructure, asset planning and delivery strategies for several councils using business improvement processes. Throughout his career, Mark has focused on all facets of council operational service delivery. He has also led and demonstrated the successful reuse of recycled materials in road construction in several projects. Mark has significant expertise in asset management, waste management, maintenance operations and contract management.

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Emma Zadow

Non-Executive Director

Emma has spent two decades in the professional services environment, predominantly in growth-focused roles. Her experience includes working in top tier law firms in Australia and internationally, and steering a boutique firm as CEO. Emma’s responsibilities have spanned people, business development, marketing, operations, finance and technology.

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Consultants

Richard Slater

Senior Consultant

Richard has 14 years’ experience in asset management, embedding systems and processes in the delivery of infrastructure maintenance contracts, specialising in the property and transport sector. He has significant expertise in project planning and delivery, maintenance operations, systems and data analysis. Richard has supported clients in developing systems and processes to continually deliver multi-year programmes of work through data-driven decision making, linking accurate renewal programmes to long term plans resulting in successful investment applications and improvement in asset portfolio condition. He has worked with a variety of contract models: measure and value, alliance, outcomes delivery and lump sum style contracts, and he understands the opportunities and challenges they bring.

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Linda Cook

Senior Consultant

Linda has significant experience in the infrastructure sector, working for a range of clients primarily in local and central government. She currently provides strategic advice to clients in local government sectors across infrastructure assets with a focus on procurement advice and activity management planning.

Her career ranges from construction as a site engineer, civil and environmental design, contract management, resource management planning and strategic advice through to procurement of significant projects and delivery of collaborative initiatives. Her wider skills in project management, communications and engagement together with an ability to think logically and strategically, allows her to develop excellent relationships with clients, colleagues, suppliers and communities.

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Joan Elphingston-Jolly

Senior Consultant

Joan is a civil engineer with five years’ experience in large scale, multidisciplinary infrastructure delivery in the public sector. Her experience includes project and contract management, construction supervision and commissioning. She has delivered several strategic business improvements to great effect owing to her focus on the end user and project outcomes.  She is passionate about the importance of people focused change to deliver long term, sustainable benefits. 

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Egor Ilyukevich

Senior Consultant

Egor is an experienced project engineer with experience in the construction and design industries. He is also skilled in option analysis, modelling and budget preparation and control having managed multiple high profile clients and delivered projects for both the public and private sector. Egor has a variety of experience in tender design and project management with a particular focus on best value, scope management, work health and safety to create a quality end user experience.  

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Evan Ou Yang

Senior Consultant

Evan has worked for various organisations in the public infrastructure sector with extensive exposure to asset management activities across water and transportation. He has developed excellent skills in provision of technical consultancy services to clients and the agility to adapt changes of their expectation. Previously he held engineering roles in local government, contracting, and consulting organisations and has a proven track record in delivery of asset management projects on tactical and operational levels.

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Jessie Williams-Shigeeda

Senior Consultant

Jessie brings experience in evaluation, research, public policy and organisational management. With her public law and policy background she is well versed on central government processes and the breadth of topical issues.  More recent private sector experience in supporting the operation of businesses has sharpened skills in systems management and compliance monitoring. 

She has worked with many government, academic, international, not-for-profit and volunteer organisations and is focused on efficiency and bringing the right skills together to deliver for clients and stakeholders. 

At Morrison Low, she supports the Central Government portfolio to provide strategy and policy, commercial, governance, business and funding advice a to a range of clients across central and local government, and the not- for- profit sectors.

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Michelle Drummond

Consultant

Michelle offers a wealth of experience in infrastructure program support and project coordination, gained through roles in local government and scientific research organisations in both the UK and Australia. She has been heavily involved in assisting leadership teams with research, analysis and reporting. Michelle has a background working on human resource, organisational administration and operations issues and understands the intricacies of the local government environment and the need for strong community and staff engagement processes.

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Gillian Woodward

Senior Consultant

Gillian is an engineer by trade with strong experience in consulting, operational management, and project implementation. Her experience spans the public sector in New Zealand and North America, prior to joining Morrison Low she was the Head of Treatment Operations (Inhouse) for Wellington Water.  Gillian has practical experience in operational management, in the design and implementation of projects to meet operational and compliance outcomes and in delivery plans and bylaws related to utility services.

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Lumi Baloi

Senior Consultant

Lumi is an experienced reporting, data and analytics leader with more than 25 years of hands-on experience in advising the energy, telecommunications sectors and local government departments. She has an established reputation as a technical expert with a strong client focus, specialising in data science, quantitative analysis, applied statistics, operations research. Lumi has a record of solving most difficult business problems and managing and delivering innovative, high-quality, best-practice models, and advice. She has highly developed stakeholder management skills with the ability to negotiate and influence concepts and ideas to achieve business outcomes.

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Chris Murray

Senior Consultant

Chris is a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years’ experience in audit and industry across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. Over this time, he has had exposure to a wide range of organisations and their specific strategic and financial objectives, including, listed companies, local government agencies, not for profits and charities. His responsibilities have been focused on creating financial plans aligned with an organisation’s long-term strategy, and the subsequent adherence to these plans through strong relationships with the relevant internal and external stakeholders.

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Peter Brennan

Senior Consultant

Peter has over 30 years’ experience planning, implementing, and leading projects and change programmes in local and central government.  He has led high performing teams, negotiated large-scale, high value commercial contracts and undertaken strategic asset management projects. Peter has proven experience working as a senior business owner and board representative on Council’s largest building projects.

Peter is currently providing programme management for the Ministry of Education supporting delivery of the innovative and highly successful Ngā iti Kahurangi programme.

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Darren Tiddy

Senior Consultant

Darren has over 10 years’ experience in diverse technical and commercial roles. His work has contributed across the waste management, stormwater solutions, resource management, mineral resources, energy, and transport sectors. He has successfully executed projects in Aotearoa New Zealand and other international markets including Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Darren has worked closely with local and central government agencies across his career. His expertise and in-depth understanding across multiple sectors enable him to deliver comprehensive solutions that address their unique challenges. 

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Stefan Borowy

Senior Consultant

Stefan has over 20 years’ experience working in waste management and resource recovery for local government and the private sector in Aotearoa New Zealand and United Kingdom.  He has developed waste management and minimisation plans, procured and managed complex high-value contracts, and implemented successful new services. 

Stefan prides himself on building positive relationships with people at all levels and on his ability to collaborate with and influence key decision makers to deliver excellent solutions.   

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Oliver Straiton

Consultant

Oliver brings 18 years of experience in waste and sustainability in both the Australian and UK private and public sectors. He has extensive experience in waste management and sustainability as it pertains to Local Government in Australia with a focus on waste strategy, policy and project development and execution, circular economy and innovation. He also has 3 years’ experience as an independent sustainability and waste consultant, working with other consultants, including WSP on various sustainability and waste projects.

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Alastair Upton

Consultant

Alastair is an urban development specialist with over 12 years’ experience in project management, infrastructure funding and planning, urban design, and spatial planning in Aotearoa New Zealand.   He has a background in local government as a project manager, urban design advisor, and development agreements specialist.  He is inquisitive and collaborative and enjoys using innovative ways of working to achieve project goals and add value. 

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Clare Scanlon

Consultant

Clare is an experienced asset management practitioner with experience in local government and the private sector, in particular in road tunnels, transport and buildings.

Clare has held a variety of roles in infrastructure services and asset management, with a focus on implementing and embedding asset management systems and processes. She is passionate about continually improving asset management practices and developing organisational capability using a variety of assessment methods and frameworks.

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Karen Lam

Senior Consultant

 Karen's work history covers most of the infrastructure development process from a number of different angles.  From strategy and policy development, through asset performance and financial modelling, feasibility studies, project management and all the way to construction by way of her own earthmoving business, Karen understands how to bring together the policy, funding and planning functions with practical field solutions.  Having worked on projects as Council, Consultant and Private Contractor, she understands the similarities and differences between public and private enterprises.  Karen has worked on both sides of the Tasman and received an inaugural scholarship from the Asia New Zealand Foundation to study Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore.

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Tim McCarthy

Senior Consultant

Tim is an experienced council engineer with significant expertise in asset management, project delivery processes, maintenance operations and contract management. His particular focus has been on sustainable asset management practices in councils and he has hands-on knowledge of how a wide range of councils go about asset management and the link between assets, operations and financial management. Tim has tertiary qualifications in engineering, management and law and is NAMS accredited.

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Fiona Plesman

Senior Consultant

Fiona is an experienced leader with thirty years’ of experience managing organisations through change and disruption. She has a strong commitment to improving outcomes for communities, organisations and regions through community and stakeholder engagement, meaningful strategic planning and implementing business innovation.  In 2018 she was nominated by her peers and awarded a High Commendation in the 2018 NSW Ministers' Award for Women in Leadership in Local Government.

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Support

Anna Johnson

Finance Manager

Anna is a Chartered Accountant with sixteen years' experience in various industries including manufacturing, FMCG, telecommunications and banking in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.  Anna is responsible for the financial management of the company, providing support and advice to the Directors and the Boards on business performance.

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Anne Taylor

Operations Manager

Anne brings well rounded business and operations management skills and experience as well as a strong focus on people, culture, and the working environment. Anne’s knowledge of corporate governance, risk management and business planning will be well used as she contributes to our ongoing growth and support of operational objectives.  Anne’s hands-on experience, her broad skillset and multi-tasking finesse from her years as a Business Manager in Public Health along with her Practice Management within corporate environments is a great fit for our team.

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Carlyn Daly

HR Advisor

Carlyn joined Morrison Low in February 2022 bringing a strong background in all facets of Human Resources including recruitment. Carlyn’s experience covers a wide range of organisations and roles which included business analysis, reporting and management accounting. Carlyn is delighted to provide HR advice and support across the business, working closely with managers and the admin team.

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Kristina Foster

Project Support Coordinator

Kristina provides project support for Morrison Low; a dynamic role that covers a range of activities and responsibilities. She works closely with the consulting team, proofing and formatting documents, arranging travel and an assortment of other administrative tasks. Kristina has worked across the private and public sectors and is multi skilled with significant administrative experience.

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Nalini Navaranjan

Project Support Coordinator

Nalini started her admin career in the public health sector and joins Morrison Low with considerable experience in administration and project coordination. Nalini’s main responsibilities include supporting the consultants with document editing and providing administrative support in the Sydney office.

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