Speakers

Hon David Seymour

Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac)

Hon David Seymour is the Minister of Regulation and the Associate Minister of Health (Pharmac), Finance, and Education (Partnership Schools). He was first elected to Parliament as MP for Epsom in 2014, at which point he became Leader of the ACT Party. David has degrees from the University of Auckland in electrical engineering and philosophy. Before politics, he worked as an electrical engineer in New Zealand and for private sector think tanks in Canada.

Todd Stephenson

ACT Health Spokesperson

Todd Stephenson MP was born in Lumsden and has spent much of his life in rural communities across Southland. Todd has been a member of the ACT Party since its inception and has had a successful career working for multinational healthcare companies overseas. Todd was elected to Parliament as an ACT MP in 2023, and outside of politics enjoys hiking and travelling.

Paula Bennett

Chair of Pharmac

During her distinguished 15-year political career, Paula Bennett has been a transformative leader in New Zealand politics. Serving as Deputy Prime Minister under Sir Bill English, Paula held numerous Cabinet portfolios, including social development, associate finance, state services, social housing, police, local government, and tourism. Known for her dynamic approach and strong leadership, Paula has consistently demonstrated a commitment to making impactful changes.

Since stepping into her new role as Chair of the Pharmac Board, Paula has shown a strong willingness to engage and consult with industry stakeholders. Her leadership is anticipated to bring fresh perspectives and robust engagement with the healthcare sector, driving forward important reforms and initiatives.

David Barnes

Secretary |Federation of NZ Ostomy Societies, Secretary/Treasurer | Wellington Ostomy Assoc.

David has been an ostomate (requiring a colostomy bag) since 2001 following a somewhat unexpected diagnosis of rectal cancer, at what he then thought was rather an early age. As such he has been a pro-active self-managing patient, keen to be able to get the optimal appliance.

He joined the Executive Council of FNZOS in 2009 and has taken an interest in the provision of appropriate supplies, including carrying out a major survey of ostomates to garner their experiences.

With a background in IT following his B.Sc (Hons) in Computer Science, he has been able to take an analytical both to his own use of devices, and to the hurdles that other people face. He has also been monitoring the National Service Specification and the Pharmac schedule.

He has further developed an interest in the problems facing all self-managing patients, such as diabetics, epileptics, etc, whether they be using appliances or self-administering medicines, and the problems facing the medical staff supporting them in this. To this end he started on a Bachelor of Health Health Informatics at Victoria University, and has presented to the Pharmac Board.

Ben Campbell-MacDonald

Manager Assessments | Pharmac

Ben has been at Pharmac for eight years. He started as a Senior Health Economist, and prior to that was a Senior Advisor, National Health Committee, and worked at the Ministry of Health as a Policy Analyst.

As Manager Assessments, Ben has oversight on the assessment process that support Pharmac’s in its decision making in medicines, as well as supporting his team in Pharmac’s growing role in hospital medical devices.

Catherine de Fontenay

Commissioner, Australian Government Productivity Commission

Catherine de Fontenay is a Commissioner with the Productivity Commission since 2019. She has overseen reports on Digital Technology in Healthcare, Productivity in Healthcare, Employment models in Aged Care, and leave entitlements for Carers. Prior to joining the Commission, she was an Associate Professor of Economics at Melbourne Business School.

Catherine Epps

Director, Medical Devices | Pharmac

Catherine joined Pharmac as the Director, Medical Devices in August 2023.

Catherine has held senior leadership roles in public and private healthcare organisations in Aotearoa, for more than 10 years, including as Executive Director Allied Health, Scientific and Technical at Capital and Coast District Health Board. Since then, she has led a broad portfolio at WorkSafe including leading the regulator’s contribution to reducing harm to people’s health from the work they do, including Carcinogens, Mentally Healthy Work, and Musculoskeletal Harm.

Catherine is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers, and originally trained as a Speech-language Therapist working clinically with people with a range of disabilities. Catherine also enjoys a governance career with Board Director roles at Mary Potter Hospice, and as Deputy Chair of the Stroke Foundation NZ.

Louis Havinga

General Manager - Health Technology Management (HTM) | Health NZ

Louis Havinga is a seasoned leader in health technology management, recognised for his expertise in optimising resource utilisation and driving evidence-based decision-making in healthcare. With a distinguished international career spanning more than 27 years in public health organisations, Louis excels in clinical engineering, asset management, procurement, and project leadership. His current roles encompass strategic oversight of health technology management across New Zealand, focusing on delivering efficient and high-quality healthcare solutions.

Louis recently completed his Masters in Applied Management (MAM) and holds a post-graduate qualification in Health Technology Management (HTM), alongside being a Chartered Member (Eng. Technologist) with Engineering New Zealand. He has led transformative initiatives, including establishing educational pathways in Clinical Engineering and advancing health technology management practices nationally. Louis's strategic acumen and collaborative approach have been instrumental in navigating complex healthcare challenges, including significant contributions during national emergencies such as Whakaari White Island and Covid-19 pandemic response efforts.

Throughout his career, Louis has received commendations for his leadership and project management, exemplified by his role in developing operational models and enhancing healthcare delivery systems. He continues to champion innovation and sustainability in healthcare, ensuring effective deployment of medical technologies to meet the evolving needs of healthcare providers and communities across New Zealand.

Jon Herries

GM Emerging Health Technology & Innovation - Data & Digital | Health NZ

Jon is General Manager of Emerging Health Technology & Innovation in Data & Digital at Health NZ, where he and his team focus on bringing technology to the health sector faster, ensuring that technology provides impact, and establishing a network of interested and expert people and organisations who are working on new technology solutions in health. Jon and his team are actively working with a number of partners to develop new solutions, provide advice and education to the sector on technology innovation and develop a network of innovators.

Jon previously spent four years in Ireland where he worked in healthcare and technology consulting for EY in Europe and the NHS. Previously, Jon was involved in project management, technology development and analytics in operational, commissioning and clinical areas of the Capital & Coast District Health Board. He originally trained and practiced as a physiotherapist and has completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Health.

Michael Johnson

Director Strategy, Policy and Performance | Pharmac

Michael joined Pharmac's senior leadership team in September 2017. His experience and knowledge of the health sector include 9 years working in various roles for the Ministry of Health – with the last 5 years working as Senior Health Advisor to the Minister of Health – and various roles with the NHS in Scotland.

As Director Strategy, Policy and Performance, Michael provides leadership and coordination of Pharmac’s strategy and related project work.

Talani Meikle

Director | GRC Partners + Porter Novelli

Talani is GRCPN’s government relations specialist based in Wellington.

She has nearly two decades’ experience in senior roles, in which she has led the public affairs function for a public sector agency, provided time- sensitive and critical advice to senior government ministers and delivered vital communications and research support to members of parliament.

She combines this government expertise with an eclectic array of experience – having co-owned and operated a successful hospitality business, managed the procurement and inventory functions for a multi- national manufacturer and even spent a short time as a tutor in social policy at Massey University of New Zealand.

Her career to date has spanned the private, public and political environments and allows her to quickly see the ‘big picture’ when advising clients on complex issues.

Talani has a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Massey University and a Certificate in Applied Business from Auckland University of Technology.

Dr Rama Sethuraman

Head of Quality and Regulatory Asia Pacific, Roche Diagnostics

Rama is the APAC Head of Quality and Regulatory in Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific. She leads the regional quality and regulatory functions covering diagnostics and digital products, in the APAC region. Rama has over 15 years of experience in medical device quality and regulatory functions.

Prior to joining Roche, Rama was the Director, Medical Devices in the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), overseeing the pre- and post-market regulatory activities for all medical devices. She represented Singapore as a member of the Management Committee of the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF), Primary Representative for Singapore in the Global Harmonisation Working Party (GHWP) and as the head of delegation for Singapore in the ASEAN Medical Device Committee (AMDC).

Rama holds a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS). Her research focused on chronic neuropathic pain, identifying novel biomarkers related to pain and developing novel diagnostic methods using principles of chemistry in analysis of biological samples.

Liesl Strachan, PhD

Global Health Policy, Health Economics & Reimbursement | Medtronic Australasia Pty Ltd

Liesl Strachan is a Director of Global Health Policy, Reimbursement and Health Economics within the Corporate team at Medtronic Inc. In her current role she supports the Health Economics and Reimbursement functions within Medtronic globally with their efforts towards demonstrating the safety, clinical effectiveness and economic value of Medtronic’s innovative technologies and healthcare solutions whose purpose is to improve the health outcomes of patients around the world.

Liesl has over 20 years’ experience within the field of Health Outcomes research both locally and internationally working for industry and on behalf of government bodies within Australia and Europe. Liesl graduated from the University of technology, Sydney (UTS) with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science and a PhD in Neuropharmacology and a Graduate Diploma in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Denise Taylor

Professor | Auckland University of Technology

Denise is a Professor of Physiotherapy at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). Originally from the UK, she has lived for 20+ years in NZ. Denise is Director of the Health and Rehabilitation Research Institute and leads a team of researchers, The REHABILITATION INNOVATON CENTRE who are interested in neurological rehabilitation. She is a Co-Leader of Te Titoki Mataora (National medtech research acceleration programme) and represents AUT on the Medtech-iQ Tāmaki Makaurau leadership team and has a position on the Medtech-iQ national stewardship group. Her interests are broadly in rehabilitation and specifically in balance, bringing new technologies and treatments to people with neurological and vestibular disorders.

Maree Warne

Chair | NZNO College of Stomal Therapy Nursing Committee

Maree has been nursing for 19 years – this includes two years in Melbourne as a New Graduate and Grade 2 Programmes. Maree returned home to New Zealand and worked in General Surgery, Colorectal and Vascular Wards at Te Whatu Ora Te Matau-a-Māui, Hawke’s Bay. In 2017, she trained under Dorothy Ferguson and Sharon Elson as a Stoma Nurse, became a Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2019 and completed her Master of Nursing of Science in 2021.

Maree was seconded onto the CSTN Committee as Secretary in November 2022 and has enjoyed the collaborative and supportive culture of the committee. Maree has learned a lot in her time on the committee and says it has been amazing to meet and get to know other Stoma nurses from around New Zealand. This has enhanced her practice and given her confidence to reach out with any conundrums she came across in her work. Maree says it is rewarding to know that she am contributing to Stomal Therapy in New Zealand, and she would like to continue this by remaining on the committee at this time.

Mark Watts

Managing Partner | GRC Partners + Porter Novelli

With a 30-year career advising chief executives, board members and a prime minister, Mark delivers expert advice in public affairs and strategic communications.

Mark has held senior positions and consulted at several of New Zealand’s leading companies, including BNZ, Westpac and Telecom (now Spark).

Between 1996 and 2002, he was a press secretary for Rt Hon Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Mark’s advice to his clients in Australia and New Zealand is informed by a deep strategic perspective, and his extensive networks in the worlds of business, politics and the news media.

Mark has a record of innovation in government relations and is proud to work closely with leaders of influential New Zealand businesses.

Mark is based in Auckland and regularly works in Wellington.

Andy Windsor

National Director for Procurement, Supply Chain and Health Technology Management | Health NZ

Andy Windsor is a Commercial Leader with over 25 years’ experience in General Management, Procurement and Supply Chain across a variety of regions.

Andy recently joined Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora as National Director for Procurement, Supply Chain and Health Technology Management.

Before leaving the UK in January 2023, Andy worked for the National Health Service (NHS) Supply Chain, where his team were responsible for the procurement and supply of over NZD9 billion of products and services.

Prior to this period in the Public Sector Andy led Kimberly-Clark’s B2B business as Managing Director across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa based in Dubai, UAE. Before the move into General Management Andy gained over 15 years of Supply Chain experience where he reached the position of Regional Procurement Director for Kimberly-Clark Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Andy earned his MBA at Henley Business School in the UK, and a Bachelor of Business Administration and International Business degree from Lancaster University, UK and ICADE University, Spain.

Leanne Hartge - Panelist

Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Compliance ANZ | Solventum

Over 25 years’ experience in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management Systems. Leanne’s area of expertise is across a range of regulations from Medical Devices, IVDs, Prescription and OTC medicine. She has worked in numerous industries involved in Dental and Orthodontic products, Blood Products, Surgical wound care products, Surgical preps, IVD kits and Pharmaceuticals. She started her career in quality, GMP, moving on to become a third-party auditor assessing ISO9000 quality systems in healthcare industries. Then moving to the USA, she transferred to Regulatory where she was involved in IVD devices. Moving back to NZ 13 years later she has remained in Regulatory Affairs managing a team in Australia from New Zealand across a wide portfolio of Medical Devices and Medicines. She has been engaged in external associations such as MTAA in Australia; MTANZ in NZ and CHMP for OTC medicines in NZ. Holding a science degree in molecular biology and pharmacology and RAC certification in global regulatory affairs has led to a rewarding career in healthcare. Leanne focuses on pragmatic solutions to complex regulations to ensure patient care remains at the forefront of regulation.

Leanne is based in New Zealand.

David MacCallum - Panelist

General Manager, Regulatory Affairs & Technical Services| Fisher and Paykel Healthcare

David MacCallum is the General Manager for Regulatory Affairs & Technical Services at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, aiming for strategic advantage while obtaining and maintaining market access for products exported to over 120 countries. Responsibilities also include the specialist services of biocompatibility, toxicology, cybersecurity, human factors and standards management for F&P.

David started his career 27 years ago, graduating from Auckland University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. In product development at F&P he specialised in neonatal respiratory care, before managing the engineering, clinical and marketing team for hospital respiratory humidification systems. For the last 15 years he has strategic leadership roles within Quality and Regulatory Affairs, ensuring compliance to the dynamic global medical device environment.

Aileen O'Connor - Panelist

Senior RA Manager | Abbott

Originally hailing from Ireland, with a BSc in Applied Science (Physics and Chemistry), Aileen came to Australia in 2001 with experience in the chemical and cosmetic Industries in Dublin. Moving into Quality and Regulatory roles in Analytical and Pharmaceutical Industries, she then embarked on a career in Diagnostics, where she has been for over 17 years now. In her current position as Snr RA Manager in Abbott, she leads a team across Point of Care, Molecular and Core Diagnostics, where she advises on regulation changes and their impacts to the local business. She also contributes and collaborates with global teams in the US and Europe on technical dossiers for submissions to the Australian regulator, TGA.

She is a member of various working groups in Australia, mostly working on aspects of new or changing regulations within the Australian regulatory framework and processes, including IT, SaMD, and MDSAP. She is the current Chair of the Technical and Regulatory Standing Committee (TARSC), for the Australian Pathology Industry Association, Pathology Technology Australia (PTA) and a member of the MTANZ Regulatory Advisory Group. She is passionate in ensuring the patient and patient safety is the focus of all aspects of regulations and enjoys working in a collaborative environment with Industry and regulators alike, to ensure this goal is achieved.

Aileen is based in Sydney, Australia.

Amy Wilkinson - Panelist

General Manager and Country Director | New Zealand Johnson & Johnson MedTech

Amy Wilkinson was appointed General Manager and Country Director of Johnson & Johnson MedTech New Zealand in January 2024. She was previously Country Manager for Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicines in New Zealand.

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Amy worked in Strategy Management Consulting at L.E.K. across a wide range of industries and geographies. Her experience in this role provided a unique skillset to advise businesses and sectors facing complex challenges to solve.

Following her time in Consulting, Amy held several senior positions within the medicines industry that spanned numerous functions including Sales, Marketing, Data & Digital Strategy, Commercial Excellence, Market Access, and Government Affairs & Policy whist based in Sydney, Australia.

Amy is passionate about driving better outcomes for communities. This passion led to Amy working as a volunteer for Outcomes Australia which saw the creation of the Leading for Outcomes talent development program and development of a world leading mentoring program that aims to enhance the learning outcomes of disadvantaged children. This work displayed Amy’s keen pursuit of opportunities for organisations to drive positive and sustainable change in their communities. This outlook is the driving force behind her quest for better health equity for New Zealanders.

Amy is also a skilled businesswoman with a strong drive and sense of advocacy. She is passionate about using her experience to improve health outcomes across New Zealand. A proud Kiwi, Amy is focused on bringing New Zealanders access to innovative technologies through collaborative partnerships across the health sector. She was a Medicines New Zealand Industry Board Director between 2021 and 2023, and currently serves on the Board of the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand.

Amy graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing and Finance, and also spent time studying in the United States.