Sam was appointed in 2023 to lead Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service at the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Sam joined the Ministry for Primary Industries in 2010.  He has held various operational and leadership roles across the forestry system, including in his previous role as General Manager of Crown Forestry. 

Sam has a Bachelor of Forestry Science (Hons), a Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply, and 20 years’ experience in forest operations and commercial management. He has worked across the private and public sectors both here and in Australia.

Dan McGuinness is a Director and the General Manager of LT McGuinness Ltd, with over 25 years of experience delivering large-scale, complex commercial projects across Aotearoa. Beginning his career on the tools, Dan brings a practical, solutions-driven approach to leadership, underpinned by strong commercial acumen and a deep understanding of what makes a successful build from both a technical and human perspective.

 Dan holds a Bachelor of Construction (Quantity Surveying) from Massey University and is a Registered Quantity Surveyor. He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NZIQS), a member of the New Zealand Institute of Building (NZIOB), and contributes his expertise to the many boards, committees, and trusts across the country. 

Across his career, Dan has originally managed a significant amount of our companies’ projects over the last 20 years. Today Dan is across all our major projects and activities, in a Governance capacity, and taking as active involvement as required to ensure successful and outstanding project outcomes for all.

Dan’s strength lies in his ability to navigate complexity—both in the built environment and among diverse stakeholders. He builds high-performing teams, fosters trusted relationships, and is deeply respected for his calm, considered decision-making. His operational oversight spans all regions LT McGuinness operates in, with a focus on quality, programme, budget performance, and broader legacy outcomes.

Alongside his project work, Dan has led the company’s movement toward sustainable construction, positioning LT McGuinness to become one of the country’s first zero-carbon certified contractors. He is also a committed advocate for social procurement and community engagement, working closely with iwi, local clubs, and schools. 

Dan has a proven ability to guide teams through challenging, first-of-their-kind builds and delivers projects that are both technically excellent and community-minded. As a Director of LT McGuinness, he brings high-level governance experience and is an empowered decision-maker with a clear stake in the successful outcome of every project.

As CEO of BusinessNZ is the peak advocacy organisation for New Zealand business, Katherine brings a wealth of experience from her career in both politics and industry.

She has served as a Member of Parliament from 1999 to 2008.

Prior to joining BusinessNZ, Katherine was the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council from 2009 to 2023, advocating for the interests of grocery manufacturers and suppliers as well as advocating for trade liberalisation as a member of APEC Business Council for five years.

Katherine holds a Batchelor of Commerce in Marketing and Batchelor of Arts in Economics from University of Otago. Her early career included roles in both public and private sectors.

Katherine continues to be a prominent voice in New Zealand's business and political spheres and her leadership at BusinessNZ focuses on fostering a thriving business environment and advocating for policies that support economic grown and sustainability.

Dr Elizabeth Heeg is Chief Executive of the New Zealand Forest Owners Association (FOA), which represents the owners of New Zealand's commercial plantation forests. FOA and its members are committed to the highest standards of sustainable silviculture, environmental practice and workforce safety.

Elizabeth has a strong background in forest systems and the regulatory and policy frameworks supporting them, including climate, biodiversity and water policy.

Elizabeth has worked for MPI, DoC and the QEII Trust.

She is passionate about forestry’s role in the bioeconomy and the potential for forests to provide social, environmental and economic benefits.

Henri was born in Toulouse, France, and grew up near the Atlantic coast in the vast Landes Forest, where his passion for trees inspired him to pursue studies in forest management, wood industry engineering, and ultimately a PhD in wood science. His career spans a wide range of forestry disciplines, with extensive experience in Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) across Europe, Australia, and other continents. Henri has led numerous national and international projects, collaborating with diverse academic and industry partners to deliver practical solutions for the forestry sector. 

During his fourteen years in Australia, he headed the Forest Products Innovation Team at the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, developing research relevant to forest performance and engineered wood products. He later managed product development at a major wood processing company specialising in structural timber, CLT, and glulam.

Currently, as General Manager for Forests to Timber Products at Scion, he leads programmes that strengthen the forestry sector’s role in New Zealand’s bioeconomy and enhance the value obtained from forest resources. Throughout his career, Henri has remained committed to making a positive, sustainable impact by ensuring that his research teams directly benefit foresters, manufacturers, and end-users.

Keith has a research background centered on wood chemistry. He worked with Forest Research Institute (now SCION) for 25 years in various research areas (fibre board products, wood to energy, environmental) and in management roles. He was Chief Scientist between 1998 and 2003.

He was then appointed CEO of the first partnership consortium, WQI limited which delivered science and commercial outcomes for the forestry and wood processing sectors in NZ and Australia. WQI Limited finished operations in 2016 and provided Keith with extensive industry experience and knowledge of RS&T providers in Australasia.

Simon Dorries is the Chief Executive Officer of Responsible Wood Responsible Wood is accredited as a Standards Development Organisation by Standards Australia to write, maintain and updating the Australian Standards which underpin the Responsible Wood Certification System. These Standards include AS4707- Chain of Custody for Forest Products and AS/NZS4708 Sustainable Forest Management.

Simon holds a Bachelor of Applied Science and has worked in the Forest and Wood Products Industry for over 40 years. Commencing in 1985 as a cadet scientist while undertaking a science degree through part-time study.

Wayne is the founder and CEO of NZ Bio Forestry.  Wayne is a businessman and investor with entrepreneurial instincts with extensive international market experience and networks.  Wayne has been involved in technology and biotechnology for a number of decades. Wayne holds a Master of Management from the University of Auckland,
specialising in systems thinking and research.   Wayne has completed two Innovation and Design Thinking Courses at Stanford University and SAP and Wayne attended two Executive Queenstown Agribusiness Summits in 2013 and 2015 - these courses taught by Harvard University Professors.

Wayne's tribal affiliations are:  Te Atiawa - Taranaki Whanui (Wellington), Ngaati Maniapoto and Nga Mahanga a Tairi.