TAB NZ has appointed Mike Tod as Chief Executive Officer following an international executive search conducted by SEQEL Partners.

Board Chair Mark Stewart says Mike will take up the position on March 21. “The Board and I are thrilled to welcome someone of Mike’s international experience to lead TAB NZ. He is a deeply customer-centric leader with extensive experience in key areas of focus for our organisation, including product and service innovation, marketing, brand and consumer engagement. His appointment and those areas of focus will allow us to drive further revenue growth for our racing and sporting stakeholders” Mr Stewart says.

Mike has held senior roles with TVNZ, Fonterra, Air New Zealand and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. He is a former member of MasterCard’s Asia Pacific Advisory Board, is a Director of Queenstown Airport, and is an advisor to Live Ocean Racing. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Programme and the university’s Sustainability Leadership Programme, and is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

“Mike’s global experience with Air New Zealand - in particular as Chief Marketing and Customer Officer where he led the resurgence of the brand and delivery of proactive and service innovations internationally - places TAB NZ in a strong position to meet its financial potential and to deliver upon the expectations of its stakeholders,” Mr Stewart says. “His experience in highly regulated industries and with organisations with significant stakeholder complexity, will be invaluable to TAB NZ.

Mike says he is thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead TAB NZ into the next exciting chapter of its history. “TAB NZ is an iconic organisation that is inextricably linked to New Zealand’s way of life. Now that the racing industry reforms are well advanced, this allows TAB NZ, as a commercial wagering operator, to focus on its objectives of maximising profits for the long-term benefit of racing in New Zealand, to maximise returns to New Zealand sporting organisations, and to support our communities,” Mike says.

Mike's commencement in the role on March 21 will complete the transition from the New Zealand Racing Board and the Racing Industry Transition Agency to TAB NZ.