Dr Thérèse Arseneau has been appointed to the role following Bryan Pearson's retirement
A new independent non-executive board chair is steering the ship at Lane Neave.
Dr Thérèse Arseneau took the mantle following the retirement of longtime chair Bryan Pearson at the end of June.
“We are delighted to have attracted a chair of the calibre of Thérèse. She is experienced across a number of private and public sectors, and has earned a reputation as a very effective chair and director with a focus on collaboration, clarity and stakeholder engagement”, managing partner Andrew Shaw said. “She has a leadership style that enables high-performing boards, chief executives and organisations”.
Arseneau has held diverse governance roles in both New Zealand and Canada. She chairs ChristchurchNZ Holdings Ltd and is a member of the Education New Zealand board, in addition to serving as a director at J Ballantyne & Company Limited.
She also led Ara Institute of Canterbury, Regenerate Christchurch, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Enterprise North Canterbury as chair in the past, and was a director at The Open Polytechnic of NZ Ltd.
Arseneau said that she is approaching the new role as “a long-standing client in various capacities”.
“Lane Neave’s rich history of placing the client at the centre, making complex issues simple, and
providing innovative solutions tailored to the client’s needs attracted me to the firm and this role. I’m looking forward to supporting Lane Neave as it continues to grow and thrive. This is a firm with a view to the future, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve together”, she said.
Shaw added that he was eager to see Arseneau’s contribution given the calibre of her predecessors.
“Bryan certainly leaves a large pair of shoes to fill, and we will always be grateful to him for the
guidance and stewardship he showed to the firm over many years. Lane Neave is incredibly fortunate to have been served by outstanding independent chairs, firstly by the late Stephen Collins and more latterly by Bryan”, Shaw explained. “Each chair brings their own persona and skillset to the role and we are now excited to see the contribution of Thérèse to the continued growth and success of Lane Neave”.
Arseneau was elected to the role after what the firm described as a “nation-wide talent search”.
