Food and agribusiness specialist Rabobank New Zealand has announced that Chris Black will join its board and become the new chair, following a decision by current chair Andy Borland to step down from the board in November 2022.
Mr Black has considerable governance and executive experience, with a strong background in rural insurance, banking and investment management. He retired last year after 13 years as chief executive of rural insurance group Farmers Mutual Group (FMG).
Mr Black will be an observer at the next Rabobank New Zealand board meeting in September and will formally join the board at its November meeting.
Mr Borland, who is managing director of diversified agribusiness Scales Group, joined the Rabobank New Zealand board in 2016 and became chair in April 2020. After six years on the board, Mr Borland has confirmed that he will step down following the Rabobank board meeting in November
Announcing the changes, Rabobank Group’s managing board member, Berry Marttin, said the notice Mr Borland had provided of his intention to step down would ensure a smooth transition for both the board and Rabobank’s New Zealand business.
New Rabobank New Zealand board chair, Chris Black
“We are fortunate to have someone of Chris’s considerable experience in a mutual and cooperative setting and a strong background in the rural sector joining the New Zealand board,” Mr Marttin said. “It will allow us to continue building on the growth momentum across our New Zealand business.
“I also wish to acknowledge Andy’s significant contribution to our New Zealand board over the past six years. His in-depth knowledge of agribusiness and banking and finance has been of enormous value, and I want to thank Andy for his leadership of our New Zealand board since 2020.”
Mr Black, who is a chartered accountant, began his career in the public sector. He later worked in the financial sector, including at CitiGroup and UBS in the United Kingdom.
Returning to New Zealand, Mr Black spent nearly 15 years with Bank of New Zealand and its parent company National Australia Bank in a number of senior general management, specialist risk, and merger and acquisition roles.
During his 13 years as chief executive of FMG, Mr Black oversaw a significant increase in FMG’s market share and growth in its brand profile.
He recently joined the board of the two core entities at Southern Cross and was appointed chair of the Earthquake Commission and a trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. Mr Black was previously president of the Insurance Council of New Zealand and on the board of the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme.
Rabobank New Zealand is a part of the global Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 40 countries, servicing the needs of about 10 million clients worldwide through a network of close to 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank New Zealand is one of the country's leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the New Zealand food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 32 offices throughout New Zealand.
Media contacts:
David Johnston
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank New Zealand
Phone: 04 819 2711 or 027 477 8153
Email: david.johnston@rabobank.com
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: +612 8115 2744 or +61 2 439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com