Our Board

Kirsten has a long history of working in the e-mobility space Co-Founding Zilch, Carbn Asset Management and Sustainable Fleet Finance.

Kirsten has a depth of knowledge and experience with fleets, EVs, charging infrastructure, EV finance and change management.

Kirsten has previous governance experience as Chair of Carbn Group and is current Chair of Totara Hospice. Kirsten joined the Drive Electric board in 2021 and will become Chair in January 2024.

Annette Azuma is a Director at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, Chartered Accountants where she specialises in international business and heads Team Japan.

Fluent in Japanese, Annette provides specialised assistance to Japanese clients with their business needs in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.

With a seat on the Drive Electric Board since December 2014, Annette is treasurer and her dedication to EVs is not only professional, but she also personally loves driving her Tesla.

Annette is also a Vice Chair of the Japan New Zealand Business Council and a member of Global Women, contributing to the advancement of women in leadership roles.

BA, BCom, FCA, CPA (NZ/Aus)

Tim leads the Energy Innovation Team at Meridian Energy, with a focus on developing solutions that help homes, businesses and communities decarbonise. He has driven Meridian’s investment in the Zero network, delivering public charging stations across Aotearoa New Zealand, and aiding the development and delivery of home and business EV charging solutions.

Tim is the Board lead and member of Drive Electric’s Charge Point Operator (CPO) sub-group that has been established to focus on working with stakeholders to rectify sector issues associated with investing in charging infrastructure.

Dennis has 45 years’ experience in vehicle leasing, commercial asset financing and banking, with the last 17 years spent at FleetPartners. Dennis was Managing Director of FleetPartners NZ for 8 years, followed by 3 years as Managing Director for FleetPartners Australia, before taking on his current role as Director of the FleetPartners NZ.

Currently Dennis is responsible for new business sales and Corporate and SME Relationship Management for FleetPartners NZ, overseeing key Corporate customer relationships including those that span NZ and Australia.

Prior to his tenure with FleetPartners, Dennis has held several senior executive roles including Managing Director of Hertz Fleetlease NZ, General Manager of Capital Equipment Finance NZ, Regional Manager at Countrywide Bank and General Manager of NZI Bank. He has a passion for and is extremely well informed and positioned to contribute meaningful insights on electric fleet implementation, finance and the wider transport industry.

Sam is Chief Commercial Officer at EO Charging. Sam has a background on large scale infrastructure projects for the resource sector across Australasia and Africa.

After moving to the UK in 2015, Sam developed his passion for e-mobility working for SSE where he led the team that delivered London’s first on-street public charging network, Source London.

More recently he has spent five years with EO Charging building the commercial arm of their business, deploying c. 10,000 chargers throughout UK, Europe, and North America.

Moonis is Group Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Counties Energy
/ OpenLoop. He is a digital / technology and transformation executive with enterprise, scale-up and start-up experience, as well as not-for-profit experience. His career spreads across consulting, energy, fuels and digital services industries, with key experience in infrastructure, utilities, renewable energy, digital products, and new energy services.

Moonis is committed to driving towards a sustainable and customer-focused shift towards a net-zero economy.

Richard has operated internationally as a technology entrepreneur, an investment banker, and both an executive and a director in a variety of global technology companies. He has over 15 years governance experience including for NZ Rugby Union, NZ Post and ASX-listed Harmoney, among others. He is currently Chair of Epic Char, Principal of Wynyard Point Stadium Consortium and Founder/Director of Partnerships for EV Infrastructure Partners. He was previously Chair of ChargeNet (as well as being interim CEO for his final year with them).

Jenny is Chief Financial Officer at Hyundai, a Chartered Accountant and has experience across automotive and logistics. She is also an experienced director in the not-for-profit sector.

Jenny is committed to the mainstream adoption of electric mobility, and creating a cleaner transport future.

Brian is an accomplished executive who has consistently grown and scaled companies, particularly in the mobility and technology sectors. As the former founding Managing Director of Ola New Zealand, successfully led the company from pre-launch to capturing 40% market share and achieving $65M in annual recurring revenue within three years.

During tenure as Board Director at Ola, provided strategic oversight on regulatory compliance and legal matters while spearheading enterprise partnerships across Australia and New Zealand. Led the Go To Market strategy at Ola Electric Mobility, contributing to the company’s expansion and market penetration.

Demonstrated expertise in building businesses from inception, having shaped both Urban Sherpa and Ola NZ’s strategic direction and organisational culture. Holds Microsoft AI certification, reflecting an ongoing commitment to advancing business through emerging technologies. Executive experience includes leadership roles at RICS, where the focus was on driving innovation and strategic growth.

Core strengths include scaling operations, market opportunity identification, team leadership, revenue growth, regulatory navigation, strategic partnerships, and the practical application of AI solutions. Known for combining hands-on leadership with analytical insight to deliver measurable business outcomes across diverse industry sectors.