Meet Your Committee

Brendan is co-owner of Quest Highbrook, a hotel apartment franchise business in the Crossings precinct of Highbrook, providing accommodation services to businesses in the Highbrook area. Quest Highbrook employs 19 people and opened for business in 2013. Brendan returned to New Zealand after a 30-year ‘overseas experience’ trip, most of which was with DHL in Europe, where he was a regional operations director and global sales director.

Brendan was elected to the Committee at the 2017 AGM. He was appointed Chair in February 2019 replacing retiring Chair Richard Poole.

Henry joined the East Auckland office of law firm Wynyard Wood in 1992 becoming a partner in 1996. His main areas of work are business transactions, finance, trusts and conveyancing. He is also a Notary Public.

Born in Canada, Henry has lived most of his life in NZ. An avid football fan, he has a University Blue for soccer. This passion is an abiding one despite age and injury limiting his active participation.

Henry is a foundation member of Business East Tamaki and is currently Association Secretary.

I am the Tax Partner at RSM New Zealand, with more than 30 years’ tax experience assisting both domestic clients and multinational organisations. RSM New Zealand is a member firm of the global international audit, tax and consulting group RSM International, located in 120 countries globally. I joined RSM New Zealand in 2017 and have been based at the Highbrook office throughout this time. We have a team of 65 people (including 10 partners) at Highbrook, and 150 people in three offices across Auckland.

On a personal front, I am somewhat of a local, living in Beachlands for 23 years where my husband runs an electrical business, and we have both been involved in supporting the local community. I held the role of treasurer at the local touch rugby club for 9 years. I am currently also treasurer of the Counties Manukau Touch Association. I am keen to be more involved in Business East Tamaki and contribute to its success. I have many clients and friends who operate businesses in East Tamaki and I believe Business East Tamaki is a vital part of ensuring our business community is well represented in the areas of crime reduction, local infrastructure and advocacy. The current pandemic has proved difficult for many, and I want be part of that support network and help deal with issues that the business community is facing.

Lisa joined the Business East Tamaki Committee in 2021 and is the current Treasurer.

Nick is Managing Director of Plummer Compressors Ltd, specialists in energy efficient solutions and ongoing maintenance services for industrial users of compressed air, Nitrogen and vacuum systems. They have a staff of 12 and have been in business since 1995, with the last 18 years based in East Tamaki.

Nick was elected to the Committee at the 2017 AGM. Having lived and worked in the area for over 15 years and been a regular attendee of Business East Tamaki and East Tamaki functions, he feels a close affinity to the area and is very keen to contribute in some way to the prosperity and well-being of the place he calls home.

Andrew is Managing Director of Nautech Group, world leaders in the design, development and manufacture of electronic products and solutions for over 30 years. The Nautech Group of companies include Nautech Electronics, Alitrax, Diver DACAD Systems and Vehiqa with over 100 staff across Australia and New Zealand.

Andrew was elected to the Committee in 2019.

I am the founder and director of Mega Food Services, a foodservice distribution company that has supplied local restaurants for over 20 years. We have been owner-operated in the Highbrook business area since 2004 and now employ 80+ staff members. Over this time, it’s been a pleasure to build lasting relationships with other like-minded business owners in the region and so I am passionate about preserving and improving the wellbeing of all inhabitants of the Greater East Tamaki.

In saying that, I firmly believe in the importance of improving infrastructure and fostering local discourse as a means of prosperity for our community. I believe that Business East Tamaki provides an effective platform for these tenets through forums, networking events and security initiatives that improve the daily lives of the people here.

It would be privilege to work with Business East Tamaki as a committee member so I can be a part of a successful environment and make meaningful differences to those around me.

Alan was elected to the Committee in 2021.

I am a Commercial & Industrial Broker for Bayleys Manukau with a strong focus on East Tamaki. Connecting with East Tamaki business leaders and property owners is at the core of my day to day business. Through my role, I’ve had the privilege to be able to work with a wide range of clients, from small industrial startups to some of New Zealand’s largest businesses and landlords. As well as local businesses, I have also had the opportunity to work with a range of local and central governments.

East Tamaki is New Zealand’s largest industrial precinct and I have spent the majority of the last 7 years working in the area leaving me with a strong appreciation and association with the local community. Passionate about East Tamaki, I am excited by the opportunity to contribute back to the local businesses, property owners and community that have supported my career so far.

Tim was elected to the Committee in 2021.

In 2016, Cozy started his own business - Topland (New Zealand) Ltd from home when he took on a job from a client on the Auckland Ritz Carlton Hotel project. As the business grew rapidly in 2017, he built up a team of 4 and moved to an office floor within Botany Town Centre. At the end of 2018, Topland purchased a 500m2 Grade A office floor in Ormiston, East Tamaki and established Topland Professional Hub, which contains 4 surveyors, 3 engineers, 2 Architectural Designers, 6 Planners, and 3 Management staff. They have been involved in hundreds of projects ranging from residential development to commercial resource consent, covering the whole of Tamaki Makaurau.

Cozy was elected to the committee at the 2022 AGM and is very keen to be part of this community and hopes to make a valuable contribution.

Kia ora, I am the General Manager of Health Improvement Group which is the owner operator of Highbrook Medical GP clinic.

I have been in this role since 2019, after having been a practising physiotherapist that transitioned in management roles supporting the primary and community healthcare sector within Counties Manukau District Health Board (as it was known in that time) for over 20 years. In addition to healthcare roles, my husband and I are well versed in both the opportunities as well as the challenges, in having been SME business owners in the neighbouring Alfriston area for over 10 years, where we learnt the importance of “support local”.

The planning towards opening a medical centre in a commercial area commenced in 2018 but due to Covid we finally opened the doors in September 2021. As newcomers to the Highbrook business community, we have been struck by the significant amount of local company engagement and support which has instrumental in building up our ‘green fields’ start up business in the area. We have had huge support from the Business in East Tamaki Team in terms of connecting us to the East Tamaki business network. This exposure has allowed us to truly co-design our health services to meet the needs of the people who work in this area; our acute walk-in clinic being a key example of a service that has been developed based on feedback from employers in the area.

With my health background, I believe I can add value to the committee by bringing my experience and connections from regional and national health networks to build an increasing awareness of and tangible actions towards enabling the East Tamaki business community to have a strong and resilient workforce, thus allowing businesses to thrive.
It would be an amazing opportunity to work with the Business in East Tamaki committee and give back to the business community that has been influential in supporting a new business owner to establish a footprint and grow.