Experienced sports and not-for-profit leaders Mike Bishop and Blair Gilbert have been elected to the Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) Board.
Mike is a longstanding director/trustee and chief executive with more than 30 years’ experience in the sports industry at both a high performance and community level. Currently the CEO at Harbour Sport, Mike, who himself has Cerebral Palsy, has played, coached and administered sport at a high-performance level. He also serves as Chair of Disability Sport Auckland and as a Board member and Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee of the Laura Fergusson Trust.
Highly motivated by his new role as Board member at PNZ, Mike said: “I feel very privileged and honoured to be elected on to the PNZ Board. Working with and improving outcomes for the disability community is a major focus of mine and I look forward to adding my energy and commitment to a highly skilled Board as we work alongside the PNZ staff and our wonderful athletes.”
Blair currently serves as CEO for the philanthropic Rotorua Trust – and he has significant experience in Government and non-government organisations, having worked closely with Government Ministers, Iwi and Community leaders. Blair has previously worked as National Manager at the New Zealand Blind Foundation and is currently Chair at Blind Sport NZ.
Blair adds of his role as PNZ Board Member: “I was drawn to PNZ as it promotes a diverse and inclusive society. I am an advocate for social change who believes in the power of sport, and that no body should be limited by ableist societal structures.”
PNZ Board Chair Jana Rangooni added: “Blair and Mike bring a great deal of leadership experience as well as a strong understanding of governance and disability sports and I am confident they will be valuable assets to the Board in the next stage of our development.”
PNZ also wishes to acknowledge and thank outgoing Board members – Aaron Mills and Dr Catriona McBean.
“Aaron has made an outstanding contribution over the past four years,” adds Jana. “His organisational skills and experience were highly valued by the Board and Catriona leaves a legacy from her time on the PNZ Board. She has led many of the improvements to our governance frameworks as Chair of the Governance Committee, including achieving a Sport NZ Governance Mark and has been a strong advocate for disability sport at all levels.”
