Who we are | Stroke Foundation NZ

Our Leadership Our Board Northern Region Midland Region Central Region Southern Region

Donna McMahon General Manager – Corporate Services

Donna and her team oversee and support the administration, ICT, HR, asset and financial management of the national office and the regional offices. She is responsible for consistent administrative policies and procedures for the whole organisation and for the systems that support regional administration.

Julia Rout General Manager - Health Promotion and Advocacy

Julia and her team work to promote an environment where it is easier for everyone across the country to lead a healthy lifestyle. Their goal is to reduce the risk factors, inequity and number of people experiencing stroke especially in high risk communities.

The team oversees the organisation's advocacy to reduce population stroke risk factors and improve services for people and whānau affected by stroke. They operate two mobile services, providing free blood pressure, pulse checks and lifestyle support to at-risk communities. They also work in partnership with communities and Te Whatu Ora to raise awareness of the signs of stroke using the F.A.S.T. message.

Julia holds a Bachelor of Consumer and Applied Science, majoring in human nutrition with a marketing minor. She also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics and a Diploma in Public Health.

Chris Green National Marketing and Fundraising Manager

Chris is the National Manager - Marketing and Fundraising, heading both teams within the Stroke Foundation which are focused on working with the community to raise the revenue needed to continue the work that is required around the country. The team works in all aspects of fundraising, including events, grants, sponsorships, individual giving and campaigns such as Beanie Up.

Chris has a marketing degree and has had a career in sales and marketing as well as the NFP sector. He has worked in a number of profit and not-for profit organisations, including work for the Cancer Society as Marketing Manager for Otago and Southland and in Wellington as the National Sponsorship and Partnership Manager of the Cancer Society, and the General Manager of Daffodil Enterprises.

Nita Brown General Manager Māori Health

Nita Brown, National Māori Health Advisor - Stroke Foundation

Nita primarily focuses on stroke prevention, reducing risks and the impact of stroke among whanau Māori throughout the country. Nita builds relationships with Māori health organisations such as Whānau Ora, GPs and Disability Support Services to support stroke prevention. She has years of experience in public health and over 20 years’ experience in education.

Nicky Mayne General Manager Midland Region

Nicky joined the Stroke Foundation at the start of 2021 as the organisation’s General Manager for the Midland region.

Nicky has a diverse background leading business and not-for-profit organisations, having most recently spent the last four years as General Manager of a disability service provider in Rotorua. Nicky also regularly presents training conferences to support those in the disability sector.

Nicky aims to complete her Bachelor in Business (Management) this year and is keen to bring her knowledge and insight gained through lived experience of disability into the role, in order to help the stroke community receive better outcomes throughout recovery.

Jo Lambert Chief Executive Officer

Jo was appointed as CEO of the Stroke Foundation in May 2021. Her leadership experience comes from both the non-profit and private sectors. She joined the Foundation from Barnardos, New Zealand’s largest children’s charity, where she was General Manager of Early Learning. Prior to this, Jo was CEO of the consulting firm Maven, where she worked primarily with clients across health and disability services. For ten years, she was a certified Negotiation and Influencing skills strategist, trainer, and coach for ENS International.

Jo is inspired to make a difference to the lives of those affected by stroke because her mother experienced a life-changing stoke when Jo was a teenager, and her father passed away from a stroke 30 years later. She initially joined the Stroke Foundation as a Board Member in 2018.

Jo has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Studies (Hons), majoring in marketing and market research, and a postgraduate qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). She moved to New Zealand in 1995 and is the mother of two adult daughters. She enjoys yoga, dog-walking and reading a good book.

Don Scandrett General Manager Northern Region

Don Scandrett, Northern Region General Manager - Stroke Foundation

Don has managed the Northern region of the Stroke Foundation for more than six years. He oversees the Stroke Foundation’s team of Community Stroke Advisors in Auckland and Northland. He was previously the Fundraising Manager for St John Northern Region, Marketing & Business Manager for the Coastguard Northern region, and Events & Sponsorship Manager at Harbour Sport.

Chris Davis General Manager Southern Region

Chris has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years with roles at World Vision, Science Alive, Ngai Tahu Tourism and the Graeme Dingle Foundation. He is qualified as a primary school teacher and has an honours degree in Social Sciences from Lincoln University and University of California Santa Cruz.

Chris is a keen trail runner, avid reader and loves getting out hiking and running on Banks Peninsula. He is married and he and his wife Maria have three teenage children, Joseph, Marilla and Elsie.

David Halford General Manager Central Region

Following a logistics management background, David spent his last 20 years of employment working as an Evaluation Analyst for the Ministry of Defence. While at the MOD he suffered a stroke on Good Friday 2002.

He joined a stroke club in Lower Hutt and later spent 10 years on the Board of Stroke Central, five as Vice President. In May 2022, he was appointed Interim CEO of Stroke Central. Following amalgamation, he joined the Stroke Foundational as General Manager Central Region.

David and Michele live in Greytown and have six children and nine grandchildren between them.

Dr John Gommans Chairman

Dr John Gommans is a Specialist Physician in both Internal and Geriatric Medicine. His specialty interest is stroke medicine and for over 30 years he has worked with the stroke affected community in a range of settings including stroke prevention, acute treatments and rehabilitation in hospital and the community. He has an active research interest engaged with NZ and international colleagues with over 50 publications and has contributed to the development of guidelines for management of stroke.

His Governance experience includes being the Chief Medical and Dental Officer for the Hawke's Bay District Health Board from 2010 to 2018. He is a Past President and Director of the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand. He was President of the New Zealand Geriatric Society at the time of its amalgamation with the Australian Society and a past Chair of the NZ Adult Medicine Committee of the Royal Australian College of Physicians.

Derek McCormack Board Member

Derek McCormack is the Vice Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
He began his career as a biochemist at the University of Otago and the Otago Polytechnic, working in academic roles from 1978 to 1986, when he became the President of the New Zealand Association of Staff in Tertiary Education, a role he held until 1990. The late 1980s was a period of extensive reform of the national tertiary education system along with much else in the state sector, and during it Derek served on numerous government committees and working parties, including the establishment body of the NZ Qualifications Authority. He joined the senior management of Auckland Institute of Technology in 1991 eventually as its General Manager and worked on the re-establishment of the institute as a university, which took effect from 2000.
Derek became AUT’s Deputy Vice Chancellor in 2000 and was appointed as the Vice Chancellor in 2004. He has led the extensive transformation and growth of AUT as a university since then.
Over the years Derek has served as chair for a number of national organisations including the New Zealand Academy of Sport, the New Zealand Stroke Foundation, the New Zealand Vice Chancellors Committee and Universities New Zealand.

Tereki Stewart Board Member

Tereki has spent the larger part of his working life in iwi roles and Māori organisations, mostly in Māori health and the primary/community sectors. He has held a number of executive roles including Manukura Hauora (Health Lead) for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, and is the former Chief Executive of two Māori-led PHOs. His previous governance experience has included sitting on the boards of private GP practices, iwi partnership organisations, and appointments to the former DHB community and public health and Māori health advisory committees. Tereki is also currently the Chair of Te Taumata Hauora o Te Kahu o Taonui, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) in the North stretching from the Tāmaki estuary in Auckland, mai ki te Rerenga Wairua (to the top of the North Island).

Tereki brings a lived experience to the Board as a stroke survivor and is also passionate about achieving equitable outcomes for Māori and other population groups ‘under-served’ by the health system. His other passion is ‘hanging’ with his whānau, especially his mokopuna.

Bill Hardie Board Member

Bill Hardie is a chartered accountant and a self-employed business consultant based in Christchurch. He specialises in financial management, systems, analysis and reporting and has a particular interest in (and focus on) the NGO and social business sectors. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand (CA) and holds B Com and MBA degrees from Canterbury University and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Development Studies from Massey University.

He was appointed as a director of the Stroke Foundation in 2012, after returning from a VSA assignment in Timor Leste. He is also a trustee of Stepping Stone Trust (a mental health service provider) and is a member of the governance group for the Federation of Workers’ Educational Associations which operates the nationwide Book Discussion Scheme.

Ruth Payne Board Member

Ruth has held general management roles in large NZ organisations, with responsibilities across HR, Planning & Performance, Communications and other corporate functions. She has also led a range of change initiatives, including major restructuring programmes and innovation processes. She applies her wide-ranging experience of corporate management, strategy and organisation development in her work as an independent contractor and in governance roles.

Ruth holds Masters’ degrees in History and Management and has a post-graduate Diploma in Creative Writing. She is a Fellow of HRINZ and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

Ruth joined the Board of the Stroke Foundation in 2018 and is based in Wellington.

Catherine Epps Board Member

Catherine Epps is the General Manager Health and Technical Services at WorkSafe, and before that was Executive Director Allied Health, Scientific and Technical at Capital and Coast District Health Board. She’s held senior leadership roles in public and private healthcare organisations for over a decade.

Catherine has a Masters in Human Communication and Deaf Studies, and is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers. She also has clinical expertise as a Speech-language Therapist specialising in neuro rehabilitation, including supporting those with brain injuries to return to work.

Catherine migrated from the UK in 2006, and now identifies as a Kiwi who loves pastimes that allow her to enjoy the best of New Zealand; tramping, sailing, and hanging out with her whānau. She joined the Stroke Foundation Board in 2021.

Mark Ford Board Member

Mark Ford is a chartered accountant and is an executive within Fulton Hogan, based in Christchurch.

His executive experience ranges from New Zealand Chief Financial Officer through to Commercial and operational based roles. Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Canterbury University and is a current member of the Institute of Directors.

He was appointed as a director of the Stroke Foundation in 2021 and has previously held many board positions on Boards in the Construction Sector.

Mark's passion for his involvement in the Stroke Foundation comes from his own lived experience. As a fit and active 41-year-old Mark suffered a stroke in February 2019. This experience allows him to contribute to the Board and see perspectives through a stroke survivor's eyes.

Fuimaono Taulauniu Tuiasau Board Member

Fuimaono has led strategic planning and development for many NFPs and NGOs and has actively participated in government committees and NFP bodies. Fuimaono enjoys strengthening strategic partnerships between diverse communities, government agencies, businesses and academia that enhances sustainability for positive outcomes.

Fuimaono’s extensive governance experience in national and regional entities include EMBER Services Ltd, the Public Service Open Government Partnerships, Ethics Committee at Auckland University, New Zealand Youth Mentoring Trust, Transparency International NZ, Otara Health Charitable Services and the Great Potentials Foundation. Fuimaono is a qualified lawyer and is a Samoan matai.