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Kordia announces Sheridan Broadbent as new Chair

By  Media Release,
 21 April 2021

Kordia Group welcomes its new Chair, Sheridan Broadbent, as John Quirk steps down from the position after more than a decade in the role.

Broadbent, who was previously Deputy Chair at Kordia and Chair of Kordia Group’s Health and Safety Committee, says she looks forward to building on the strong foundations Quirk has laid.

“I am delighted to take on this new role as Kordia Group Chair and continue on the path John Quirk has steered so ably during his tenure. He leaves a tremendous legacy – Kordia Group is a growing and innovative business that is developing at pace across a range of technologies, with a leadership position in the cyber security market. I am proud to become Chair of such a fantastic organisation as we continue to develop those strong foundations,” says Broadbent.

Broadbent is a respected businessperson with an impressive resume. Throughout her career she has taken on leadership roles across a wide range of industries including utilities, contracting, energy and ICT businesses across both New Zealand and Australia.

She is the Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum, a director of Transpower, a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a chartered member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

Quirk says he has enjoyed the role and is eager to see the great things Kordia will deliver in the future.

“After more than 10 years with Kordia, as Deputy Chair, Chair of the People and Culture Committee and now Chair, I have seen much technological change and immense growth at Kordia. The team have done exceptionally well to keep pace with the rapidly evolving market and cement their place as leaders in the mission-critical technology space,” says Quirk.

Quirk was recently appointed to the Strong Public Media Business Case Governance Group. He is also Chairman of Farm-IQ Systems, SMX Limited, Portainer.io Limited and Cumulo9, and a Director of Aeroqual Limited. He has previously held key leadership and Board roles in a number of iconic ICT companies.

Kordia Chief Executive, Shaun Rendell, is thankful for Quirk’s dedication to Kordia over the last decade and looks forward to Broadbent’s guidance in coming years.

“John is a true technology expert, accomplished businessperson and respected leader who has provided incredible guidance to me and the wider executive team. He also played a key role in supporting our late CEO Scott Bartlett, working with him on the transformation Kordia Group undertook over the last decade.

“We are excited to have Sheridan stepping in with her strong business acumen and tech-focused mind. She has a deep knowledge of Kordia and a drive to continue our growth journey in coming years,” says Rendell.

Current Board member Sophie Haslem has been named as new Deputy Chair. Over her executive career, Sophie worked with a diverse range of companies across New Zealand and Australia developing extensive M&A, innovation and growth strategy experience. She held senior positions at Citibank NA, ANZ Investment Bank, Ernst & Young and New Zealand Post.

Now with over a decade of governance experience, Haslem is currently Chair of The MetService and Deputy Chair of CentrePort. She is a chartered member of the NZIOD and also an Independent Director of Livestock Improvement Corporation (NZX:LIC), Oyster Property Group and Rangatira Investments.