Trustees

The Trust was formed in consultation and with the full support of Pippa, Lady Blake. The Governor General, Hon. Anand Satyanand is the Patron of the Trust and its creation was strongly supported by the Prime Minister and Government of New Zealand.

Day to day operations are managed by the Trust’s Executive team: General Manager, Vicki Watson and Environmental Programme Manager, Laura Fayerman.

The Trustees are:

• Brad Cooper, Chair of the Trust
• Pippa, Lady Blake
• Ross Blackman
• Steven Carden
• Sir Ron Carter
• Christopher Mace
• Professor John Montgomery
• Dr Mark Orams
• Karen Sewell

Brad Cooper

Brad Cooper is CEO Westpac Bank New Zealand.

Prior to his appointment on April 2nd 2007 Brad was Chairman of GE Capital Bank and Chief Executive Officer of GE Consumer Finance UK & Ireland a role he held since January 2003.

Brad has been in consumer finance roles since 1984. Commencing as an Account Representative, he moved through Marketing, Project Management and Leadership positions. Immediately prior to joining GE, he was General Manager of Avco Financial Services, Australia and New Zealand.

In January 1998, Brad joined GE Consumer Finance Australia as Director, Consumer Lending. The subsequent acquisition of Avco Financial Services in July 1999 saw him appointed to the position of Managing Director, GE Consumer Finance Australia. In this position he successfully integrated the acquired business creating significant cross sell capability. Brad transferred to GE Consumer Finance in the UK in July 2001 as the Six Sigma Quality Leader. In this role he drove the UK’s Six Sigma program and was certified as a Quality Leader (Black Belt) in December 2002. He was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of GE Consumer Finance UK in January 2003 and appointed Chairman of GE Capital Bank in April 2004.

Brad holds a Diploma of Business Management from Bayside College in Queensland and received his MBA from Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia (1997). He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, his hobbies include golf, snow skiing, theatre and movies.

Pippa, Lady Blake

"Peter was known as a yachtsman and environmentalist but he was always an enthusiastic educator and motivator, particularly of young people. The aims of this Trust, set up in Peter’s name, have their foundations in the environment, education and leadership and my children and I fully support the programmes that are being developed for the young men and women of New Zealand. We are delighted that the memory of a much-loved husband and father will be perpetuated by the Trust". Pippa, Lady Blake.

Pippa was born in Portsmouth, England 1954 and educated at Downe House School, Berkshire, UK. She studied Fine Art at Camberwell School of Art in London between 1972 and 1976 gaining a First Class BA Honours degree in Painting. She went on to work for the Arts Council of Great Britain and as an assistant to a Museum Designer based in Chelsea, London.

Pippa met Peter Blake at the end of 1978 and they were married in August 1979. Their first adventure followed with a three month journey to Sydney to deliver the yacht Condor of Bermuda for the Sydney Hobart race 1979. They then moved on to New Zealand where Pippa worked in the organisation and liaison for Ceramco NZ and many subsequent races and expeditions.

In 1993 Pippa resumed her painting career and has since held several solo exhibitions in UK and Auckland and exhibited widely in group shows mainly in Sussex, Hampshire and London. Her paintings explore the relationship between human made objects and the natural environment and she works from her studio at home in Emsworth, a small village on the Chichester Harbour on the South Coast of England.

Pippa’s talent as an artist has attracted attention and praise. She was an inaugural award recipient and participant in The Flux Project, a residential artist’s programme with an innovative on-line web portal. She was also a recipient of an award to participate in the National Oceanography Centre of Southampton’s "Ocean’s Project" where artists are matched with marine scientists during an oceanographic voyage.

She is the patron for a variety of organisations including The Devonport Yacht Club here in New Zealand, the Blue™ Climate and Oceans Project based in the UK she serves as a founding Trustee for the Sir Peter Blake Trust.

Ross Blackman

Ross moved from Dunedin in 1972 and has sailed and worked extensively in the marine industry in many parts of the world. Since 1988 he has been involved in the management of New Zealand’s America’s Cup campaigns in roles ranging from sailmaker to Chief Executive. He was one of the founding managers, along with Sir Peter Blake and Alan Sefton, of Team New Zealand in 1993. He is a keen sailor, fisherman and musician.

Steven Carden

Steven Carden is an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Auckland. Prior to joining the New Zealand office in early 2007, Steven spent three years serving North America’s largest companies out of McKinsey’s New York office.  

Sir Ron Carter

Sir Ron has a successful engineering business background which led to him becoming Managing Director of Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Limited in 1986 and Chairman of Beca Group Limited in 1995. Sir Ron was knighted in 1998 for his contribution to engineering and business administration and in 2001 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by the University of Auckland. He has been Chairman of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. He is currently a director of the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry Limited, Rural Equities Limited, Cabletalk Limited and TrustPower Limited. Sir Ron is Chair of the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Awards Selection Panel.

Christopher Mace

Chris is an Auckland based businessman with strong interests in education, conservation and the marine environment. He has chaired both the Crown Research Institute, ESR, and the New Zealand Antarctic Institute, Antarctica New Zealand. Chris is on the Board of Trustees for St Cuthbert’s College, the Auckland Grammar School Foundation and the Antarctic Heritage Trust, and is a member of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. He is a keen sailor and diver.

Professor John Montgomery

Professor John Montgomery holds a Personal Chair in Biological Sciences, and is the Chair of Marine Science at the University of Auckland, and Director of the Leigh Marine Laboratory. His scientific work sits at the interface of marine science and neuroscience and he has published extensively on fish sensory behaviour and physiology. Current work includes studies of larval settlement and work with pelagic species such as tuna and billfish.  His work has been recognised by an International Brain Research Organisation Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship and the New Zealand Physiological Society Gold Medal. As Director of the Leigh Marine Laboratory, Professor Montgomery takes a keen interest in Marine Conservation and sustainability.

Dr Mark Orams

Mark is a successful yachtsman, scientist, environmentalist and adventurer. He grew up "messing around" in boats at Torbay on Auckland’s North Shore before becoming a professional yachtsman and eventually becoming a marine scientist. He has held 12 New Zealand titles in a variety of yachting classes and has won two world masters sailing titles. Dr Orams holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, a master of science and a PhD in marine science and has published numerous books and papers on the management of human impacts on marine resources.

He sailed around the world with Sir Peter Blake on board the winning yacht Steinlager 2 and then worked with Sir Peter in the America’s Cup defence and eventually with Blakexpeditions. Mark was the inaugural Executive Director of the Sir Peter Blake Trust from 2004 to 2007.

Karen Sewell

Karen Sewell is the Secretary for Education and Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

From 2001-2006 she was the Chief Review Officer of the Education Review Office, with responsibility for reviewing and reporting on the quality of early childhood services and schools throughout New Zealand.

Karen’s background is in education. Before she joined ERO Karen was principal of Green Bay High School, a large coeducational secondary school in Auckland. She has been President of the Auckland Secondary Schools Principals’ Association and between 1994 and 1996 she was Chairperson of the Principals’ Council of the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association.

Karen has held a teaching fellowship at Victoria University of Wellington, and a Nuffield Bursary for study at the Institute of Education, University of London. She has delivered keynote addresses and seminars at national and international educational conferences.

In June 2005 Karen took on the role of Acting Chief Executive of the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. She returned to her role as Chief Review Officer in May 2006.

Having vision is not enough. Change comes through. realising the vision and turning it into a reality.”

— Sir Peter Blake