Craig Winterburn —Chief Executive Officer

Craig joined SHARE NZ in July 2020 after a long career spanning 25 years in financial services. He’s held various Adviser distribution based roles at AXA, AMP, Asteron Life and most recently as General Manager, Adviser Distribution for Fidelity Life.

Craig brings a passion for the financial advice industry and the life changing value that quality advice and Advisers deliver to New Zealander’s and their families every day. His role with SHARE NZ and Newpark is to develop the Adviser networks and support Adviser’s growth and compliance strategies.

Craig lives in Mairangi Bay with his wife Kylie, two daughters and Cooper the red Cavoodle.

Claire Varney —SHARE Operations

A highly organised administrator with proven office management skills and lots of initiative, Claire plays a vital role in SHARE’s busy office environment.  Claire manages the process of adviser corporatisation, from initial adviser query through to full ownership by SHARE and subsequent client servicing contract with the adviser. Along with providing office support, this gives Claire daily opportunities to share her ability and charm with people at all levels.

Kathryn Kennedy —Financial Controller

Kathryn joined SHARE in January 2021 after a long career in the travel industry.  Kathryn is an experienced Finance Executive with over 20 years’ experience in both listed (NZX & ASX) and private companies.

Kathryn is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and has a passion for growing profit and business value through strategic & financial commercialism whilst maintaining robust financial controls and governance.

Leigh Austin —Quality Assurance & Training Manager

Leigh’s introduction to financial adviser world was during her 18 years spent in ACC, where she worked with financial advisers to help them understand the ACC scheme and its processes, and delivered training on ACC CoverPlus Extra.

Since then, she spent over 2 years as a professional development manager with Fidelity Life, where she facilitated many NZ Cert in Financial Services (Level 5) courses, and developed and delivered a variety of training tools, to support financial advice businesses, and to help prepare for them new regulatory regime that started March 2021.

She is thrilled to have joined the SHARE team, where she will be working in the training and quality assurance space

Cheryl Grant —Newpark Adviser Relationship Manager

Cheryl is the longest serving member of the Newpark team having started in 2002. She is passionate about what she does and enjoys working closely with the Advisers in their business.

Prior to joining Newpark, Cheryl spent five years working for State Insurance as Customer Relationship Manager.  In her spare time she enjoys a little bit (lot) of retail therapy.

Tara Cudby —NHL Performance and Remuneration Specialist

Tara is an experienced administrator in both the financial services and building industries.

She loves working with large data sets and is a self-confessed nerd when it comes to numbers. She is skilled in data analysis, administration, information systems management, sales reporting, project management and process improvement. Tara enjoys problem solving and thinking of end-to-end solutions.

Outside of work, she loves to travel and enjoys cooking.

Clive Scott —Technical Support Manager

Clive has over 20 years of experience in IT and has joined us from Newpark Financial Services where he was the IT Development Manager for 8 years. Clive has worked across many different area’s of IT in New Zealand since graduating from Massey University and has always had a deep interest in computer hardware and software. Clive is also the developer/admin of Newpark’s CRM system ‘Toolbox’

Cian Brady —Adviser Remuneration Specialist

Elize Pretorius —Quality Assurance Specialist

Elize’s journey in financial services and education spans two continents. Having made New Zealand her home for the past six years, she has made significant contributions to the education and quality assurance sectors.

Elize’s tenure at Strategi Institute, spanning five years, saw her assume the pivotal role of Academic Manager. In this capacity, she diligently ensured compliance with the standards set forth by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), and the Workforce Development Council (WDC). During her time at Strategi Institute she was proactively involved in reviewing and updating the content for the New Zealand Certificate in Financial Services (Level 5). Additionally, she provided guidance and support to students during their studies.

Before embarking on her New Zealand journey, Elize gained experience in quality assurance across diverse industries in South Africa.

Elize’s latest adventure brings her to the SHARE, where she will continue her journey as part of the quality assurance team.

Vanya Southan —Client Adviser Support

I joined SHARE Head office in April 2023 after prior working with SHARE advisors from 2019 – 2023.

Having worked across a number of industries in varied administrative and finance roles, has enabled me support our inhouse advisers and finance team to provide our clients the best possible timely service.

Helping people is rewarding, and I enjoy being part of a team that focuses on guiding people to a place that offers peace of mind.

Colin Nepson —Adviser Practice Development Manager

Colin, has more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry, offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise in his position as Quality Advice & Adviser Practice Development Manager. He spearheads the development and improvement of SHARE’s CRM system to guarantee a strong and efficient advice process that complies with regulation. Outside of work, Colin dedicates his time to volunteering with various community sports organisations and cherishes moments spent with family and friends.

Richard Thomas

Richard commenced his career as a Financial Adviser in 1983 and has been an advocate for New Zealanders receiving financial advice ever since.  Richard is Chairman of SHARE and is committed to the SHARE philosophy of delivering financial solutions and peace of mind through quality advice.

Peter Leitch

Peter has been assisting clients since 1994 and loves helping clients to grow and protect their wealth. Peter graduated with MA (Hons) from Victoria University of Wellington in 1992. Peter is a financial adviser and meets the ongoing education requirements of the Financial Markets Authority.

Peter was a board member of the Professional Advisers Association for 14 years, including being Chair for 6 years.

Fergus Smith

Fergus is a Financial Adviser and has worked in the financial services sector since 1996 in roles in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.  He has been an insurance adviser since 2008.

His specialist area of expertise is assisting Small to Medium sized business owners and their families understand and manage the risk of something happening to them, a fellow shareholder or key person within their business or member of their family.  Where appropriate, this extends to assisting clients manage and structure their ACC requirements in the most efficient and cost effective way.  Fergus’s overall aim is to ensure that clients can maintain their businesses as going concerns and maintain their personal lifestyles in the event of something catastrophic occurring.

Mark Armstrong

Mark is a qualified accountant and a Financial Adviser with a broad range of commercial business experience. Since joining the financial advisory industry in 2011 Mark has assisted many self-employed clients to establish appropriate risk management plans to ensure they are well covered in regard to both their personal lives and their businesses. Having been a business owner himself, Mark has a particular affinity for this area of commercial work. With a strong financial background Mark is able to work with accountants and other key advisers to ensure business owners have effective risk mitigation plans.

Jonathan Parsons

Jonathan has been a Financial Adviser for 12 years and has a focus on financial planning and wealth protection. Jonathan has a Master’s in Finance & Management and is a Certified Financial Planner, CFPcm.

Prior to joining SHARE Jonathan had a background in education and business and has dealt with a wide range of business and professional people over the years.