- Business Events Calendar /
- Eastern Southland /
- BNZ Biz Bites /
- Glass Elevator /
- Export Southland /
- BA5 /
- Register
- Southland Business Excellence Awards /
- Export Southland Recognition Dinner /
- The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme /
- TradeQual
With first-hand experience in a diverse range of business sectors, our team assist Chamber members on a day to day basis. Overseen by a board of directors, our small team has a great understanding of the local business community and are always willing to help.
Advocacy, business advice, strategy, policy, events, networking and membership
Chief Executive Officer | sheree.carey@commercesouth.comCertification of Origin, accounts and reception
Administration | office@commercesouth.comMembership, Young Enterprise Scheme
Membership Manager/YES Co-ordinator | joanne.oconnor@commercesouth.comThe Southland Chamber of Commerce Board was elected at the AGM on 17 March 2016.
For information about becoming a director of the Chamber please contact us.
Neil is a Chartered Accountant and is Managing Principal for Crowe Horwath Southland. He has more than 20 years of valuable experience in accounting and advisory services. He provides advice to a number of rural and urban businesses.
Rod is passionate about business in Southland. Growing up on a sheep farm in Dipton, he has spent his working life in Invercargill, firstly as a Chartered Accountant and then latterly as an IT Consultant.
He founded Focus Technology Group in 1994 from the IT department of what is now Crowe Howarth, and in the ensuing years, that business has grown to a team of 50 located across five branches.
He also has a small farm at Tussock Creek where he lives with his wife and three teenage children.
Carla owns Market South; Southland’s principal marketing and design agency. As Creative Director she heads up a team of marketing consultants, strategists, copywriters and graphic designers. Carla is actively involved in the wider business community, holding a position on the Southern Institute of Technology Post Graduate Business Diploma advisory committee, past chair of the Glass Elevator professional women’s networking group, is a trustee of the Dog Island Motu Piu Trust and sits on the South Island community panel for NZ Oil and Gas.
Mark is the past CEO of Southland’s only NZX listed company, South Port NZ Ltd, which operates the Bluff regional port. Having an accounting background, Mark has worked in the port sector for the past 20 years where his tasks included the management and subsequent realisation of several large rural sector investments. He has been a Chamber board member since 2000, is a director of Invercargill City Properties Ltd and also chairs the virtual organisations Export Southland and Southland Energy Consortium. Mark is also involved in the harness racing industry as a commercial breeder, committee member of Southland Standardbred Breeders and treasurer of Southern Bred-Southern Reared Yearling Sales group.
Luke is a Senior Partner for BNZ, leading the Commercial and Private Banking team in Southland. Luke comes from an Agribusiness finance background having worked for the 10 years prior as a Senior Agribusiness Partner for BNZ out of the Invercargill office. As a born and bred Southlander Luke has a real passion for the region and sits on the advisory board of several local farming businesses.
With nearly 20 years’ experience in the aluminium business, Stew has forged a career beginning in 1996 as a research engineer at New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) before progressing through a variety of operational roles to ultimately lead Pacific Aluminium’s business improvement and technology area for Australia and New Zealand. After spending the past three years in Tanzania with Acacia Mining most recently as General Manager of the Buzwagi Gold Mine in Tanzania, Stew and his family are pleased to return to family and friends in Invercargill to take up the role of Chief Executive and General Manager site at NZAS.
Tradesman, turned boat builder, turned businessman. In 2007, Paul Adams was named a member of the NZ Order of Merit for his services to business. The honour is a fitting tribute for the man who in 1987 pioneered positive buoyancy aluminium boats, transforming New Zealand’s marine industry. “We pride ourselves on making a boat that enables our clients to embark on adventures with the confidence that, even in the worst conditions, they will get home”. Paul is a passionate innovative leader, his focus and drive has taken Stabicraft to a high level receiving multiple National and International Awards throughout its 30 years in business.
Southern Operations Manager - Fonterra. Richard has been in his current role for three years, responsible for Fonterra’s Edendale and Stirling’s manufacturing operations as well as milk collection activities across Otago and Southland. The Edendale site is Fonterra’s largest manufacturing site and exports over 400,000MT of dairy products to over 70 markets annually. Prior to this Richard was involved in the development of a Greenfields manufacturing site in from 2010 to 2014. Richard’s 19 year career in the dairy industry has seen him work across a large number of roles and manufacturing sites within New Zealand. Richard has been a Southland Chamber of Commerce board member for the last 2 years.
Shaun relocated with his family from Vietnam (where he spent two years transforming a local bank), to Invercargill in July 2016 to take up the role of Group Chief Executive at SBS Bank. Having 13 years’ experience in diverse general management roles, specialising in retail banking, payments and strategy, he is a leader who thrives on developing people and businesses.
He has led teams of 1500 plus people, shaped strategy, successfully managed start-up businesses and been involved in business transformation in developed and developing countries. He also holds a Masters of Management.
Kirsty is a business partner at BNZ, an active board member of the Chamber of Commerce, and the chair of professional women’s networking group Glass Elevator. Professionally she operates as a highly skilled partner for Southland businesses, assisting in their growth, business strategy and financials. Kirsty is active in the local community and passionate about re-energising and connecting businesses to promote growth in Invercargill.
I am a born and bred Southlander with a strong family history in our province. I returned to settle in Invercargill in 2014 after many years living in the UK.
My background is in primary teaching, of which I taught for nearly 12 years, before taking a new direction and becoming assistant manager for a local travel firm.
Twenty years ago my parents saw a gap in the market and created a tourism opportunity in Southland by converting our farmlet into what is now known as the Invercargill Top 10 Holiday Park on McIvor Road.
Along with my part time role at Flight Centre, I work alongside my parents to help ensure that the nearly 18,000 tourists that come through our gate every year have the best possible experience in Southland. I am also involved in the regular Accommodation and Hospitality sector meetings which help give an insight in to areas of potential growth and development in our province.
I have been the ACC Relationship Manager for the Southern and Queenstown regions for almost 14 years, with the responsibility of managing a diverse portfolio of Southlands largest employers and intermediaries supporting businesses with advice, strategy and at times advocacy. I also work closely with new to business/ SME’s with ‘one on one’ support or through regular seminars and presentations.
I have established positive working relationships with councils, community partners, industry, Iwi/Maori business. I am strategic and passionate about our people, city and region and I’m driven to look at opportunities (outside the box) to see our region succeed going forward.
My career also includes time spent in the areas of agricultural, banking and disability fields.
