Alistair Rhodes relishes challenges and working at a fast pace. Photo / John Borren
One of the big attractions for Alistair Rhodes when becoming chief executive of BayTrust at the start of this year was the opportunity to take a region-wide view of the Bay of Plenty.
"The Bay is a tremendously rich and wealthy region," said Mr Rhodes, who previously served two years as chief executive of Rotorua International Airport.
"The trust covers the whole region. And one of the appealing things about this job is that you can stand back and think about what's best for the Bay of Plenty as a whole."
Mr Rhodes knows the region well. He was born and brought up in Hamilton and was a frequent visitor to the Bay and the Coromandel on family holidays.
He completed a five-year law and commerce degree at Victoria University and, in 1997, joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu as a tax consultant. Although he didn't plan to be a tax accountant all his life, the job helped pay for student costs and allowed him to obtain his professional chartered accountant qualifications and be admitted to the bar.
In 2000, he headed off to Europe, spending three years contracting on various projects and travelling. That included a lot of time surfing in Central America. On his return, he and a friend set up Curve International, a business that designs and manufactures in China a range of surfing equipment. After three years building up the business, he sold down his shareholding, although he retains an interest in the company.
Mr Rhodes had begun contracting to Freedom Air, Air New Zealand's then new low-cost carrier. He became finance manager and its key commercial adviser and eventually managed the financial logistics of the fleet integration between Air New Zealand and Freedom Air's A320 fleet, when the airline was folded back into the parent company.
He stayed with Air New Zealand in a succession of roles, each with a strong project focus.
"I kept getting involved in projects where I was given the best people and told to take time to figure out a problem. That's what kept me involved for nine years."
However, the jobs evolved to a more functional focus and began to feel a little stale. While holidaying in the Coromandel, his wife pointed out the vacancy for the head of Rotorua International Airport and, after winning the role, they embarked on a lifestyle change. "It gave us an opportunity to move out of Auckland and into the Bay of Plenty."
They bought a lifestyle property in Pyes Pa, in easy commuting distance between Tauranga and Rotorua. Mr Rhodes cites his achievements at the airport as including refreshing and getting sign-off by the board and shareholders for the airport's new strategy and master plan, which is focused on aligning its commercial network across the Bay of Plenty, unlocking the airport's land potential, and the creation of partnerships.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby, who worked with Mr Rhodes as a board member of the airport, described him as highly energised.
"Alastair's really focused on improving the performance of any organisation," said Mr Crosby. "He likes the challenge of improving an organisation through good systems, processes and structure. He enjoys working at a fast pace and getting stuff done."
BayTrust was formed in 1988 as the Trust Bank Bay of Plenty Community Trust to hold shares in the Trust Bank Group for the benefit of Bay of Plenty communities. In 1996, Westpac acquired Trust Bank and the community's share of $90 million was invested by the Trust. BayTrust, as it became in 2006, now has $193 million of capital invested and provides annual grants and low-cost loans to community organisations across the region.
"The community we support is changing fundamentally and is different from that of 20 years ago," said Mr Rhodes.
"From a granting perspective, we've refreshed our strategy to have more of a focus on outcomes.
"The next process is to refine that and have a series of roadshows around the region illustrating what that means."
Next year, the trust planned to have a regular annual round of strategic funding applications of more than $100,000, to support ideas that made a meaningful difference.
The trust was looking to significantly increase its social investment in areas such as supporting community housing providers. And it was also exploring allocating part of its portfolio through private equity, to access the Australasian market, and to look for opportunities to invest more directly into the Bay of Plenty.
One option on the radar is the Bay private equity fund which is being developed by local fund managers, including Bay of Plenty Regional Council investment vehicle Quadrant.
"I do think partnerships are going to be meaningful to make a difference. We're already working with TECT and Acorn Trust and we want to expand that. If we can get some of the key funders like the local trusts, local government and relevant ministries working together on some of the core issues, that's going to make a difference."
Alistair Rhodes and his nutritionist wife, Anna, live on a lifestyle property in Pyes Pa.
Their daughters, Riley and Indy, attend the primary school nearby and get to indulge a love of dance, ponies and the recent addition of a couple of lambs. He still loves to get out on the water and to surf but says that with young children it is hard to drop everything and hit the beach when the surf is up.
"We're just really loving being in the Bay of Plenty," he said, noting a close friend recently moved to the area, joining many others who had relocated to make the Bay their home.
"It's a fantastic place, the best place to raise a child in New Zealand and that's why we're here. It's got diversity and the natural environment, and it's close to everything Auckland has to offer."
Role: Chief executive, BayTrust
Born: Hamilton, New Zealand
Age: 41
First job: Tax consultant