Connexa governance

CEO

Rob has a huge passion for New Zealand and it’s future potential. He is determined to play a part in enabling Aotearoa’s digital future, through Connexa. His background in critical digital infrastructure, as well as his natural collaborative style, sets him up well to lead New Zealand’s first specialist mobile tower company.

With almost two decades experience in Telecommunications, then progressing into operational leadership roles, Rob is well respected in the industry and values the partnerships and connections that will help unlock a better connected tomorrow for our country.

Prior to Connexa, Rob has held senior positions within the technology sector, gaining invaluable experience in strategic planning and operations management. Rob is known for his inclusive leadership style and brings this to his role in leading the team at Connexa.

CHAIR & INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

Catherine Drayton is the chair of Connexa Limited, New Zealand, a passive tower infrastructure company that’s majority is owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP). She is also the chair of Mint Innovation, which extracts gold, silver and copper from e‑waste in an environmentally friendly way.

Other directorships include Southern Cross (both a health insurer which is a friendly society and a chain of private hospitals) and Genesis Energy (a gentailer). Catherine was formerly the chair of Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and Christchurch International Airport. Prior to governance roles, Catherine was the managing partner for PwC Central & Eastern Europe, specialising in advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions.

Ilan is a senior advisor to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) with over 20 years of experience in investment, asset management and managing debt processes across multiple infrastructure asset classes. Ilan currently serves on the boards of Spark Infrastructure, Victoria Power Networks, SA Power Networks, Sydney Desalination Plant and Connexa (New Zealand).

Prior to working with OTPP, Ilan was responsible for the transition of the Victorian Land Registry from the Victorian Government and led the Australian New Investments team at Hastings Funds Management.

Jan joined Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) in 2015 and is a member of its Infrastructure & Natural Resources team. He helps manage Ontario Teachers’ investments across the Asia‑Pacific region, including Spark Infrastructure, Transgrid, the Sydney Desalination Plant in Australia, and Connexa in New Zealand.

He worked on the group’s acquisitions of Connexa in 2022, Spark Infrastructure in 2021, Enwave Energy Corporation in 2021, the National Investment & Infrastructure Fund in 2019, and Atlantic Aqua Farms in 2017. In addition to Connexa, Jan also sits on the board of Transgrid.

Susan joined Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) in 2020 and is a member of the Value Creation team within Infrastructure & Natural Resources. She has led Value Creation activities for the Natural Resources team and more recently the Asia-Pacific region. Susan currently serves on the boards of Connexa and Agricola Cran Chile.

Prior to joining Ontario Teachers’, Susan spent almost 9 years at Rogers Communications where she worked in progressive roles focused on strategy. These roles included Senior Director, Strategy and Planning for Rogers B2B business where she worked with the executive team to consolidate formerly multiple business lines into a cohesive standalone business unit.

Stefan has an extensive background in Finance and Telecommunications. He was appointed Finance Director of Spark NZ in December 2019, and has worked across a range of finance and business performance related roles in his time there.

He’s played a key role in important Spark initiatives, including the Turnaround and Quantum business improvement programmes and, more recently, was part of the leadership group that helped shape the organisation’s move to an Agile way of working.

Stefan is a Chartered Accountant and began his career at Deloitte working across both Audit and Corporate Finance. He also has several years’ experience working in the Finance and Banking sector in the UK.

Seán has over 34 years’ experience in the service provider, technology and infrastructure sectors. He has a deep understanding of both financial and operational drivers that make businesses successful.

Seán is the current Principal of Lionra Pty Ltd (providing advisory and consulting services to the technology and telecommunications markets). Previous roles have included Chief Executive Officer for Axicom Pty Ltd, a major TowerCo in Australia, and President and Managing Director, Oceania at Alcatel-Lucent Australia.

He was also a former member of the Business Council of Australia and was on the Board of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association for five years.

Melissa joined Spark in 2009, undertaking a range of legal roles before being appointed as Group General Counsel in 2012 - and to the Spark Leadership Squad on 1 July 2018.

Melissa is the Executive Sponsor for Spark’s Wholesale business, as well as a director on a number of Spark subsidiary boards. She has also played a pivotal role in leading Spark’s diversity and inclusion programme.

Prior to joining Spark, Melissa spent a number of years as a Senior Legal Counsel for UK mobile provider Telefonica O2. She also has extensive experience working for leading corporate law firms in Auckland and the UK.

Becky has extensive experience in infrastructure and telecommunications, having spent 15 years across a range of strategic and commercial roles at Vodafone in the UK and New Zealand. She also led Humes Pipeline Systems, a manufacturer of concrete pipes and supplier of smart, sustainable infrastructure solutions. Most recently she was CEO of Toitū Envirocare, a leader in carbon emissions measurement.

She has been a non-executive Director of Port Otago since May 2021, where she is founding chair of the Sustainability Committee.

Becky has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Columbia Business School (New York).

Debapratim joined Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) in 2021 and is currently a Managing Director in the Asia Infrastructure and Natural Resources team.

Prior to joining Ontario Teachers’, Debapratim had 12 years’ experience in infrastructure investing in India, where he was responsible for both acquisitions and asset management with a focus on the transport sector. Debapratim is currently a non-executive director of Mahindra Susten Private Limited, Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Trust, National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and National Highways Infrastructure Trust.