Belinda Corder Kruger has joined Oyster Group as a retail leasing executive, where she will be responsible for retail tenant leasing and tenancy mix planning for Oyster managed properties throughout New Zealand. She will be working across a range of retail assets including The Plaza at Whangaparoa, Kelston Shopping Centre, Morrison Square in Nelson and Dress-Smart Hornby in Christchurch. Kruger has worked with Savills in Hong Kong, Marks & Spencer in the management of their retail property portfolio, and RCG in New Zealand.

Image: Oyster Management leasing executive, Oyster Group

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The Global from Day One Fund II has raised NZ$38 million – NZ$5 million more than its first close target.

The New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF) is a cornerstone investor in the fund, committing around NZ$11 million, alongside its Taiwan counterpart, the National Development Fund. The remainder has been raised from foundation investor Sparkbox Investments, the fund’s management team and private investors in New Zealand, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the USA.

New Zealand investors include Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1, Diligent founder Brian Henry, and a range of private investors with technology and finance backgrounds.
 
GD1 Fund II is a cross-border technology-focused fund with the majority of capital to be invested into New Zealand and Taiwanese start-ups with a focus on the US and Asian markets.   

NZVIF investment director Aaron Tregaskis said the successful fund-raising demonstrated the growing appetite in New Zealand for investment into young technology companies.

“Venture capital investment is at healthy levels but we always need new funds coming into the market to continue and build on the momentum which has been achieved. GD1 is occupying a niche in between where the angel market invests and where other VC funds target slightly larger investments.” 

“We now have three New Zealand-based funds actively investing with a fourth raising capital commitments, so the VC sector should be in reasonable shape for the next few years.”

Image: NZVIF investment director Aaron Tregaskis

GD1 Fund II is currently open for investment until final close later this year.

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Callaghan Innovation CEO Mary Quin has been appointed to the board of Westpac New Zealand.

Quin returned to New Zealand in 2013 after a successful near 30 year executive career in the United States that included companies such as Eastman Kodak and Xerox Corporation where she held roles with global responsibility.

Quin has also contributed leadership to community initiatives for organisations such as the American Heart Association, the entrepreneur mentoring programme Athena Society in addition to advocating on healthcare issues and disadvantaged students.

Image: Callaghan Innovation CEO Mary Quin 

In 2014 she was named by the Herald as New Zealander of the Year for her role in testifying at the US trial of a terrorist that masterminded an attack on a tourist party in Yemen that she was part of. She earlier wrote a best-selling book of the attack that included how she tracked down and confronted the terrorist.

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American transportation policy expert, Gregg Dal Ponte, has joined the board of transport technology and services company EROAD.

Image: American transportation policy expert, Gregg Dal Ponte

Dal Ponte has served in multiple executive leadership positions in the transportation industry throughout his career. From 1996 until recently, he served as administrator for Oregon Department of Transportation’s Motor Carrier Transportation Division.

EROAD chairman Michael Bushby said the company had been seeking a US-based director and was delighted to have someone of Dal Ponte’s calibre and experience join the board as a non-executive director as the company continues to develop its business in the United States.

“Gregg’s experience, not only at the helm of Oregon’s highly-regarded regulatory body, but of transport policy and regulations across America, will be a valuable addition to the board’s strategic capability,” said Mr Bushby.

EROAD chief executive Steven Newman said the company was very pleased that Gregg had agreed to join the board.

“EROAD’s knowledge of transportation regulation and our ability to identify opportunities for technology to automate, lower cost and simplify tax, charging and compliance services is a core competitive advantage,” he said. “Gregg’s expertise will further advance this, and his understanding of the US transportation environment more broadly will be invaluable.”

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Invert Robotics, which uses robotics to change the way industrial tanks are inspected, is raising capital to expand into the European dairy market, and is in partnership discussions with an unnamed multi-billion euro turnover company over the use of its technology.

“To be sought out by this European company, who could find no equivalent technology anywhere else in the world, is a massive vote of confidence for Invert Robotics and the team that has supported and guided us,” says James Robertson, Invert Robotics CEO.

“The next step is to expand offshore, serving the sectors we know well before we get into other industries.

“We’re focusing on the European dairy market, because of its potential. Its size – at eight times New Zealand – and the high level of attention paid to health and safety, combine into a huge opportunity, making our robots an attractive and low risk option for tank inspection in that market.”

Invert Robotics is partway through a capital raising, via trans-Tasman equity crowd funding platform Equitise.

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