Spark announces new CFO and Corporate Relations Director

Spark New Zealand Limited
ARBN 050 611 277 Spark City, 167 Victoria Street West, Private Bag 92028, Auckland, New Zealand


MARKET RELEASE
18 October 2019

Spark New Zealand announces new Chief Financial Officer,
Corporate Relations Director to Leadership Squad

Spark New Zealand announced today Stefan Knight will become Chief Financial Officer,
effective 1 March 2020. Mr Knight will succeed David Chalmers who after three years is
leaving to return home with his family to Melbourne, Australia.

Currently Finance Lead Partner, Mr Knight has been with Spark since 2003 and has
worked across a range of finance- and business performance-related roles. He played a
key role over recent years 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 brings an exemplary breadth and depth of experience to the CFO role, has
delivered outstanding commercial, customer and cultural results and proved himself as
a strong internal successor,” said Spark’s Chief Executive Jolie Hodson.

Ms Hodson recognised Mr Chalmers’ strong contribution since he joined Spark in
October 2016: “David’s commercial acumen and extensive business experience have
seen him successfully lead several strategic business initiatives over the last three years,
especially our evolving media strategy which has successfully established Spark Sport as
a major new player in New Zealand’s sports media landscape.”

Spark also announced today that Ms Leela Gantman will take on the role of Corporate
Relations Director in January 2020, succeeding Andrew Pirie who, as was announced in
August, is leaving his leadership role at Spark at the end of 2019.

Ms Gantman is a highly-experienced corporate communications professional with over
18 years experience in corporate and agency roles in New Zealand and Australia. She
has been head of communications at Fletcher Building since April 2017, and prior to this

Spark New Zealand Limited
ARBN 050 611 277 Spark City, 167 Victoria Street West, Private Bag 92028, Auckland, New Zealand


was external relations director at beverages group Lion in Australia. “Leela will join my
Leadership Squad and brings to Spark her outstanding experience across reputation
strategy, sustainability, community and government engagement. She is passionate
about Spark’s purpose and is keen to help articulate the significant role we play for so
many New Zealanders,” Ms Hodson commented.

Effective 1 March 2020, the Spark Leadership Squad will be as follows:
Chief Executive Jolie Hodson
Corporate Relations Director Leela Gantman
Customer Director Grant McBeath
Finance Director (CFO) Stefan Knight
General Counsel Melissa Anastasiou
Human Resources Director Heather Polglase
Marketing Director Matt Bain
Product Director Tessa Tierney
Technology Director Mark Beder

- ENDS –
For media queries, please contact:
Andrew Pirie
Lead, Corporate Relations
+64 (0) 27 555 0275

For investor relations queries, please contact:
Dean Werder
Finance Lead Partner – Product and Performance
+64 (0) 27 259 7176