Next Executive
And Board
Executive
Andrew Grant
Andrew Grant is a passionate environmentalist and philanthropist, who joined NEXT in 2025 as CEO to lead its fund.
Prior to his NEXT role, Andrew was a Senior Partner with international business consultants McKinsey and Company. He was a long-standing Global Board member and formerly led McKinsey’s Global Public Sector Practice and its Greater China region. He has broad international expertise from stints in Greater China, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Japan. Latterly his focus was helping public-sector clients, particularly with economic development, health care and infrastructure.
Andrew was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he received a first class honours degree in politics, philosophy and economics.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Auckland. He is a board member of The Education Hub, the Auckland Art Gallery, Pure Advantage and the Onehunga Business High School. He was previously a member of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council.
Alice Emeny
Alice Emeny grew up in Wharekauri/Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands), where she developed a deep connection to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s natural environment. This connection drives her passion and commitment to building a sustainable future for the next generation of Kiwis.
Alice joined NEXT in 2026 to support project delivery across the NEXT investments.
Previously she worked in New Zealand and Australia at McKinsey & Company, where she supported organisations on complex strategy and implementation projects across energy, financial services, logistics, and telecommunications. Prior to this she was at New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, specialising in investment efforts for early‑stage Kiwi businesses across technology sectors.
Alice studied at the University of Auckland, completing a conjoint degree in Global Studies and Science, majoring in Sustainable Development, Global Environments, Psychology, and Spanish. She received the Hilary Chung Prize for the highest academic achievement in Global Studies.
Charles Royal
Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal is a composer, researcher and advisor. He has been a long time researcher and advocate of mātauranga Māori and is particularly interested in the 'creative potential' of mātauranga Māori and how it is manifested and expressed in a variety of ways.
Charles is currently Director of the EcoQuest Centre of Indigeneity, Ecology and Creativity, a Private Training Establishment located in Kaiaua on the Firth of Thames. Previously he was a Director of Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, Professor of Indigenous Development at the University of Auckland and Director of Graduate Studies and Research at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa, Ōtaki.
Charles completed doctoral studies at Victoria University of Wellington in 1998. His dissertation concerned 'whare tapere' - tribal 'houses' of storytelling, music, dance, puppetry, games and other entertainments. Charles belongs to Ngāti Whanaunga and Ngāti Tamaterā of Hauraki, as well as Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāpuhi.
Devon McLean QSM
Devon McLean is a one of New Zealand’s most experienced conservationists and has been NEXT’s environmental advisor since its inception.
His background to his environmental work is a 30-year career in the New Zealand forest industry. Devon held a number of management positions including Chief Operating Officer of Carter Holt Harvey. He was also the Chairman of the NZ Forest Industries Council and a Director of the Forest Research Institute (Scion). He was also one of the founders of Project Crimson – a trust devoted to the protection of New Zealand’s pōhutukawa and rātā trees.
Through NEXT, Devon is a director of Te Manahuna Aoraki, Predator Free South Westland, Project Janszoon, Taranaki Mounga, Predator Free South Westland, Predator Free Wellington and Zero Invasive Predators. He was previously Chair of Zero Invasive Predators for its first 11 years.
Jon Hartley QSO
Jon Hartley is a highly experienced businessman, advisor and director who is a senior advisor to NEXT on its environmental investments.
Jon chairs the NEXT supported environmental initiative Zero Invasive Predators. He is also Chair of Kaingaroa Tipu Limited and a director of Ngāi Tahu Holdings. He has previously held governance roles with Kiwibank, ASB, Sovereign Assurance, Chorus, Mercury Energy, and Air New Zealand
Jon has more than 30 years of voluntary leadership experience, including chairing VisionFund International, the global microfinance subsidiary of World Vision, and the Wellington City Mission. Earlier in his career, he worked across the UK, Sudan, Zambia, Australia and New Zealand in executive roles such as CEO and CFO. Jon is also an ordained Anglican priest.
He graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Institutes in England and Wales, in Australia and New Zealand, and of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Board
Chris Liddell CNZM
Christopher (Chris) Liddell is the Founding and current Chairman of NEXT Foundation. He has had a career spanning the private, public, and philanthropic sectors and has been instrumental in setting the vision and agenda for NEXT since it was launched in March 2014.
In the private sector, he served as Chief Financial Officer at both Microsoft and International Paper, overseeing their global finance operations. He was also Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer at General Motors. In New Zealand, he was CEO of Carter Holt Harvey and Chairman of Xero Corporation. In the public sector, he held positions in the United States White House as Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Director of the American Technology Council. He has been involved in four presidential transition cycles and has written two books on the topic. In the philanthropic sector, in addition to NEXT, he has been Chairman of Project Crimson and a Patron of the University of Auckland fundraising campaign and a Director of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
In 2026 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Anthropic, one of the world’s leading AI companies. He is also a Director of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and of the leading US think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations. He was awarded a Resident Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, for the Spring semester.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Auckland and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oxford. In the 2016 New Year Honours, he was awarded a CNZM for services to the country.
Carol Campbell
Carol Campbell is an experienced company director who has extensive financial experience, and a sound understanding of efficient board governance. She is a director of broad spectrum of companies, including NEXT supported Zero Invasive Predators, NZME, T&G Global, Chubb Insurance New Zealand and Hick Bros Holdings. Carol was a Director of NZ Post for 12 years, three as Chair.
Carol also acts a trustee and advisor to a number of family offices and trusts, and a Director of a number of private companies.
She is a fellow of both Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and the Institute of Directors and is a member of the Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Carol had her own chartered accountancy practice for 11 years after a successful career as a partner at Ernst and Young for over 25 years.
Bill Kermode MNZM
Bill Kermode is a former Chair and CEO of the NEXT Foundation and currently CEO and founder of the NEXT supported Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, an advisory service sharing resources, connections, knowledge and experience about giving. Bill was appointed founding CEO of NEXT in 2014, and led it through its first ten year $100million spenddown, including five years as Chair from 2021.
Prior to NEXT, Bill had, for the previous two decades been a founding Director of Direct Capital, New Zealand’s most experienced private company investor, and Director of a number of private companies, including Ryman Healthcare, PF Olsen, NZ Pharmaceuticals, and EziBuy. He was until 2019 a Director of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship, offering global social change-makers a path to New Zealand citizenship through New Zealand’s Global Impact Visa, and is Chairman of the Palmerston North BHS Educational Foundation Trust and a graduate of Massey and Oxford Universities.
In 2025 Bill was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to governance and philanthropy.
Peter Plowman
Peter Plowman is an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist with a passion for New Zealand’s great outdoors.
He is the eldest son of NEXT founders, Neal and Annette Plowman.
Based in Australia, Peter established and was managing director of Australian Uniform Service, a prominent uniform and laundry business, for over 15 years - before following his parent's legacy and selling the business to Alsco in 2017.
He then transitioned into private investment and directorships. Peter is deeply committed to the principles of strategic philanthropy and “giving while living”. His current personal focus is on youth centred philanthropy backing social organisations and initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for young people.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Auckland.
Scott St John
Scott St John joined NEXT as a director in February 2017. Scott has an extensive background in investment advisory and capital markets. Scott is Chair of ANZ Bank New Zealand and Mercury NZ and a director of the ANZ Group.
He was formerly a director of Fonterra Cooperative Group, Chair of Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, a member of the Capital Markets Development Taskforce and the Financial Markets Authority Establishment Board and was Chancellor of the University of Auckland. He was the Chief Executive of First NZ Capital (now Jarden) from 2002 to 2017.