Meridian Energy executive changes

Meridian Energy has appointed Mandy Simpson as its new chief financial officer (CFO) effective September 1, 2025.

She brings a depth of executive experience across finance, operations and technology, in the United Kingdom and in New Zealand, says Meridian, adding this includes CFO roles for the State Services Commission, IT consultancy Fronde Systems and management and accounting roles at Audit New Zealand and Deloitte.

Simpson is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and holds a Master of Law with Honours from Cambridge University and has deep capital markets expertise, including four years as chief operating officer at NZX and operations and investigative roles at the London Stock Exchange, says Meridian.

Most recently she has been Z Energy strategy, delivery and innovation general manager and has been part of that company’s leadership team since 2019, says the company.

Meridian’s incoming chief executive Mike Roan says he is delighted to be welcoming someone of Simpson’s calibre to the company’s executive team.

“Mandy has proven leadership capability and a great mix of strong finance skills and broader operational and technology experience,” he says, adding she also has a strong record delivering organisation change and technology transformation.

As CFO, Simpson will have responsibility for finance, risk, treasury, investor relations and procurement, says Meridian, adding the group’s financial controller Helen Peters has been appointed acting CFO until September 1 and that the company has created a new role of strategy and portfolio general manager, elevating strategy to the executive team and combining it with the financial trading and portfolio management functions of the wholesale team. 

The role of wholesale general manager will be disestablished, and Chris Ewers will initially act in the role of strategy and portfolio general manager then once recruitment for that role is completed Ewers will take up a new position as electricity security manager, reporting to generation general manager Tania Palmer, says Meridian.

The wholesale operations function of the wholesale team also becomes part of the generation team, it says.

 “These changes will enhance collaboration at a time when it’s vital that we have teams working closely together to create long-term value and opportunity,” Roan says.

“Our industry is going through reasonably substantial change, and what I wanted was one of our most capable people focused in on security of supply as we navigate the next few years,” he says.

“Chris has steered us through some turbulent times in the wholesale electricity market and he will bring an enormous amount of industry experience and expertise to his new role.”

Meridian Energy chief executive Neal Barclay steps down from the role in June 2025.