Directors

The directors’ primary objective is to increase shareholder value within an appropriate framework of governance and management.

Non-executive directors will be appointed on the understanding that their term of tenure is finite, not exceeding five years. After three years, one new director will be nominated each year, to give new dynamics to the board and to ensure that the Company maintains its innovative and entrepreneurial approach to its business.

The board is comprised of the following directors:

• Sir Don McKinnon
• Ian Malcolm
• Simone Iles
• Tony Falkenstein
• Philip Dash

Rt Hon. Sir Don McKinnon, ONZ, GCVO
Independent Director

Sir Don McKinnon is a former deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Leader of the House, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, and recently was knighted by the Queen becoming a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

Mr McKinnon was made a member of the Order of New Zealand (ONZ) in the 2008 New Year's Honours list for services to New Zealand. The order is New Zealand's highest honour and ordinary membership is limited to 20 living individuals.

Ian Malcolm, CA, ACA, JP
Non-Executive Director

Ian Malcolm is a Chartered Accountant and has been in public practice for 25 years. He is a director with Mabee Halstead & Kiddle Ltd, a long-established and well-respected chartered accounting firm in Central Auckland.

Ian has been actively involved with the establishment and growth of a number of businesses primarily in the ICT sector and is currently on the board of some twenty companies largely in these areas, as well as companies within the Red Eagle Group.

In 1989 Ian started Global Accounting, a computer software business targeting professional firms, which rapidly grew to be a highly successful and respected player in the market. After the sale of this business in 2000 to an Australian public company, Ian continued a high involvement in ICT, recently retiring as Chairperson of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Auckland Computer Group.

Community involvements include Trustee of the Stardome Observatory, Treasurer of a school Board of Trustees, honorary auditor of sports clubs, church parish committee involvements and a Justice of the Peace.

Simone Iles
Independent Director

Simone Iles has spent many years in the marketing, direct marketing and advertising industries in both the NZ and UK markets. She currently holds the position of Head of Home Marketing, Telecom. Simone is concurrently the Chairman of the Marketing Association where she has held a number of executive positions over the last 6 years.

Simone is a leading strategic thinker, with active experience in all facets of the marketing mix - PR, investor relations, media, marketing communications, internet, email and research.
Simone’s wide and varied talents and vast marketing experience span retail, B2B and B2C businesses, advertising agency skills and a raft of segment experience ranging from FMCG to consumer electronics. Her successful corporate career has seen her previously hold the role of General Manager Marketing & Strategic Planning at Briscoe Group (Briscoes Homeware, Rebel Sport, Living & Giving), spend 5 years at Pacific Retail Group (Noel Leeming and Bond & Bond) and she has also been a consultant to IAG NZ Ltd (State and NZI). Additionally she has diverse experience across a wide variety of companies and segments including DB Breweries (Liquorland), Woolworths/Big Fresh, Viko Holdings, NRM Animal Feed and Digital Computers.

Tony Falkenstein, BCom
Executive Director

Tony Falkenstein has been a CEO of companies for over 25 years, including subsidiaries of multi nationals, two NZX-listed companies, and for the past sixteen years, his own family company, Red Eagle Corporation Limited.

He was Chief Executive of one of New Zealand’s most successful public companies in the early 1980’s. He will continue to follow the same principle which brought that company to public success – "Be totally open to shareholders, show them what you are doing, be proud of your results, and treat shareholders with the respect they deserve – they are the owners!".

His business philosophy is uncomplicated: “Keep it simple, enjoy what you are doing, and make a profit”. With this philosophy he has grown the Red Eagle Group to an annual turnover in excess of $150 million.

Tony is a past President and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries, and is currently a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.

He is Chairman of New Zealand’s first business high school, Onehunga High Business School, and is passionate about business education as the key to New Zealand’s economic prosperity.

Philip Dash
Non-Executive Director

Phil Dash has been founder and CEO of two private companies over the last 22 years taking them from start up to become industry leaders in their respective fields.

Born in Timaru and a graduate of Canterbury University (Lincoln), Phil Dash travelled to Australia in 1971 to commence a successful 12 year career in sales, marketing and sales management.

After obtaining extensive experience in these fields, he saw the opportunity to capitalise on new computer Cad-Cam technology, by starting up one of the first companies in Australia utilising computerised vinyl lettering, a product that was to revolutionise the sign industry.

He built up Signcorp over a number of years to be a significant supplier of complete signage packages for corporate fit outs, dealing with major design and building companies such as Lend Lease Interiors, Leighton Holdings, and Geyer Design.

Phil sold the business in 1989 when he realised the potential of water filtration as a growth industry following the introduction of bottled water to the Australian market.

Clearwater Filter Systems commenced business the same year, initially supplying the residential market, but has grown today to be the market leader in Australia supplying P.O.U. filtered cooler systems to the office market, to replace bottled water.

Clearwater, with a turnover of approximately $10M and over 50 staff, has offices or service personnel in all states of Australia. Clearwater saw the opportunity of a merger with Just Water as offering the structure and resources, that a publicly listed company could provide.

Phil believes the merger will provide the ideal opportunity to capitalise on the growth of the office cooler P.O.U. market in Australia.