Rabobank New Zealand has made the decision to appoint Chris Black as Chair following a board search process conducted by SEQEL Partners.

Chris has considerable governance and executive experience, with a strong background in rural insurance, banking and investment management. He retired last year after 13 years as chief executive of rural insurance group Farmers Mutual Group (FMG).

Chris, who is a chartered accountant, began his career in the public sector. He later worked in the financial sector, including at CitiGroup and UBS in the United Kingdom. Returning to New Zealand, Chris spent nearly 15 years with Bank of New Zealand and its parent company National Australia Bank in a number of senior general management, specialist risk, and merger and acquisition roles. During his 13 years as chief executive of FMG, he oversaw a significant increase in FMG’s market share and growth in its brand profile.

Chris recently joined the board of the two core entities at Southern Cross and was appointed chair of the Earthquake Commission and a trustee of the Mental Health Foundation. He was previously president of the Insurance Council of New Zealand and on the board of the Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Surveying from Otago University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting from Victoria University, and is a Chartered Accountant.

Chris will join the board and become the new chair, following a decision by current chair, Andy Borland to step down in November 2022.