Hayley Cassidy is an accomplished leader with governance experience in both small and large businesses.

Hayley was a member of the executive team at Bank of New Zealand, and directly supported the Board attending all Board meetings as Chief Legal Counsel. As a director of the KiwiSaver and Wealth Company (standalone business with circa $7bn of funds under management) at BNZ, alongside three independent directors and one other executive, Hayley gained genuine director experience of a large entity.

As an internationally qualified company secretary with postgraduate studies in corporate governance, mediation, leadership and innovation, including on campus study at Harvard Business School, Hayley has received multiple awards for her outstanding leadership, innovation, and industry contribution, including the prestigious INFINZ Emerging Leader of the Year in 2020.

Hayley's passion lies in helping companies operate collectively to bring value beyond what can be achieved individually. With a strong focus on diversity and collaboration, she has co-authored and published a white paper on skills matrices and served as Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Corporate Governance Forum, a consortium of large institutional investors seeking to drive change at listed companies through active and collaborative engagement.

Hayley spent a year contracting as a partner of NZs largest executive and board search firm, Kerridge and Partners, where she reviewed board performance and conformance, often commenting on the quality of papers and secretariat support.

Hayley is currently an Independent Director of Apex Investment Services, which has over $150bn under administration in New Zealand, and an Independent Director of Thankyou Payroll, a small enterprise providing critical payroll services to many small businesses and charities. Hayley also holds a leadership role at Rabobank, as the Chief Compliance Officer.

With her broad experience working with and on Boards, as well as periods of time working as a lawyer, including as a Crown Prosecutor, Hayley is well placed to help lawyers working as company secretaries better support their boards.