The Background
MTF Finance was founded as a co-operative company in 1970 and maintains many elements of the co-operative model, including its governance and ownership structures. A commercial enterprise with a co-operative spirit, they have built a strong reputation nationally as an innovative provider of consumer finance solutions.
Believing strong corporate governance is critical for achieving the best outcomes for its stakeholders, and faced with an upcoming retirement on the Board, MTF wanted to ensure the Board continued to perform effectively and were looking to appoint an Independent Director with a balance of skills, knowledge, experience and perspectives.
In addition, the specific skills sought for this appointment included a proven Director with consumer marketing, digital innovation, and/or IT/systems experience, ideally coupled with financial acumen sufficient to Chair the Audit & Risk Management Committee.
What We Did To Help
Following detailed discussions with the Board, Sheffield recommended a very targeted Search approach, alongside digital and print advertising.
We received a strong response from candidates which resulted in presenting the Board with a comprehensive applicant summary, eight of whom had applied through our targeted Search process, where our in-house specialist researchers identify and approach potential candidates who fit the brief, but are often not actively looking for new opportunities.
Mark Darrow, Chair of MTF Finance, really valued Mike Stenhouse’s input into the process.
“Mike developed a relationship of mutual trust and had a very strong understanding of the business and what was required for the appointment of a Director. He provided a very thorough, credible and professional process which resulted in three high calibre and appointable candidates to choose from.”
What Happened as a Result
After a rigorous process resulting in three very appointable candidates, MTF was thrilled announce Melanie Templeton as their new Independent Director.
Melanie’s other current governance positions include Chair of PledgeMe Ltd, Independent Director and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee for XERRA Ltd, Independent Director for Booster Investment Management Ltd, and is also a Member of the Inland Revenue Independent Risk and Assurance Committee.
Outside of her governance experience, Melanie has held executive roles with RaboDirect Australia and New Zealand that include Interim Group Executive, General Manager and Head of Marketing.
Mark reflected how much the Board enjoyed working alongside Sheffield:
“It’s all about the people and Mike has built up a high level of trust in his relationship with the MTF Board. He is a seasoned professional, who knows how to run a thorough, robust and professional process”.
We are delighted to have partnered with the MTF Board on the appointment of Melanie Templeton as the new Independent Director.
Congratulations Melanie, the official NZX announcement can be found here.