Our people
Chris Roberts – Chief Executive
Before joining NZPSHA in May 2025, Chris was working as a business consultant. His varied career has included almost eight years as chief executive of Tourism Industry Aotearoa, and part-ownership of a respected research agency. He began his career as a radio journalist before working as a media advisor at Parliament. Chris then worked in Corporate Affairs in the energy and tourism sectors before taking on his first association head role with TIA, where he ably led the tourism industry through the COVID pandemic.
Blair Roxborough – President
Blair has been the CEO of St George’s Hospital in Christchurch since January 2021. Blair has been on the NZPSHA Executive Committee since August 2021 and served as vice-President before assuming the President’s role in 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Business, is a member of the CPA and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Directors. Blair also holds Directorships of St George’s, Cancer Care Centre, Heart Centre and RESS Ltd.
Prior to joining St George's Hospital, Blair held executive leadership positions in the tourism sector in New Zealand and overseas. In Australia he was responsible for both luxury and mainstream hotel accommodation brands in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.
Fiona Michel – Vice-President
Since 2021 Fiona has been CEO at Braemar Hospital in Hamilton. She has executive and governance experience in health, technology, banking, insurance, public service, property, primary industry and utilities. She holds an MBA from the University of Auckland, is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, a Chartered Member of the NZ Institute of Directors and the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Chartered Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute.
Fiona joined the NZPSHA Executive Committee in 2022 and has been vice-President since 2024. Fiona is an Independent Director for New Zealand Medical Indemnity Insurance and was recently appointed Chair of the Medical Advisory Board to guide the establishment of the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine in Hamilton.
Graham Dyer – Executive member
Graham was coopted onto the NZPSHA Executive Committee in May 2025 and was elected as a member at the October 2025 AGM. He has over thirty years’ experience in the health sector, with most of these being in executive management or CEO roles. In 2025 he took up the role of CEO at Boulcott Hospital, and prior to that held executive roles at both Southern Cross Health Society and at ACC.
Graham has an MBA from Massey University and bachelor’s degree from Waikato University.
Richard Whitney – Executive member
Richard is the CEO of Mercy Hospital Dunedin. He is a graduate of both Otago and Massey universities and has almost forty years health experience across public and private, primary and secondary sectors both within New Zealand and overseas.
In addition to his CEO role, he also holds Directorships with Mercy Heart Centre and Mercy Cancer Care. Richard was first elected to the NZPSHA Executive Committee in 2011 and filled the President’s role for 7 years.
Katrina Hutching – Executive member
Katrina was coopted onto the NZPSHA Executive Committee in May 2025. She is the Quality Manager – Professional Nurse Lead for Evolution Healthcare hospitals and day surgeries. Katrina is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years’ experience in the healthcare sector across public and private hospitals in New Zealand and the UK.
Katrina has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing and a Master of Health Leadership specialising in clinical quality and safety from the University of Auckland. Prior to joining Evolution, Katrina worked for Te Tāhū Hauora Health Quality and Safety Commission, implementing national quality improvement initiatives.
Pru Sheahan – Executive member
Pru was coopted onto the NZPSHA Executive Committee in May 2025. A registered nurse by training, Pru has more than 25 years' experience in perioperative private and public healthcare.
She has held leadership roles at Braemar Hospital for many years and is currently General Manager Clinical Services, responsible for patient services, theatre services, clinical quality & risk, pre-admission, clinical education, specialist and clinical relationships.
Pru completed the Community Enterprise Leadership Foundation (CELF) programme in 2024 and has an Executive and Performance Leadership Certificate from Cornwell University.
Stacey McDonald – Executive member
Since 2023, Stacey has been General Manager of Columba at Ascot, the day stay surgical facility based in Allevia Hospital Ascot. For the 20 years prior, her background was senior HR leadership positions across education, insurance and corporate sectors.
Mark Watson – Executive member
Mark Watson is General Manager of Grace Hospital in Tauranga. Mark has more than three decades of experience across public and private healthcare in New Zealand and the UK. Before joining Grace Hospital, Mark held a range of senior leadership roles, including CEO of Ormiston Hospital and leadership positions at Waitematā District Health Board, TRG Imaging and Southern Cross Healthcare.
Mark is a director of Mercy Hospice Auckland and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. As a new committee member, he intends to be an advocate for strengthening the role of private surgical hospitals as integral partners in New Zealand’s evolving health system.
Angela Dewhirst – Chair, Quality Managers Network
Angela is the Quality Manager for Mercy Hospital Dunedin. Angela started as a Laboratory Technician and then trained as a Cardiac Physiologist, a role she practiced for eighteen years. Angela then retrained, doing the qualifications to practice in Anaesthetics; assisting anaesthetists, and specialising in perioperative patient care. Angela became President of the New Zealand Anaesthetic Technicians Society and served on the Medical Sciences Council. She was the Professional Lead for Anaesthetics in the Southern District, while also working in a districtwide clinical governance role. In 2022, Angela took up her present role with Mercy and she is a current member of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. Angela’s postgraduate study has focused on Interprofessional Practice, Patient Safety, and Restorative Practice in healthcare.
Lynne Downing – Secretary, Quality Managers Network
Lynne is the Quality Coordinator and Infection Preventionist at Royston Hospital in Hastings. She has extensive experience in the health care field in New Zealand and the United States, including senior hospital management, infection prevention & control, quality & risk management, adult critical care and emergency nursing.
Her project management roles have included hospital construction and renovation, inpatient and outpatient services such as a comprehensive breast health navigation programme, electronic medical record implementation, and centres of excellence programmes including advanced primary stroke and coronary artery disease certification.
Lynne also served as the NZPSHA representative to the Strategic Infection Prevention and Control Advisory Group for two terms and is the lead Infection Preventionist for Evolution Healthcare.
Steph Feldbrugge – Co-Chair Nurse and Clinical Leaders Group
Steph is the Colleague and Capacity Manager at St George’s and her areas of focus within this role are wellbeing and culture, maximising colleague potential, payroll, and operational excellence within the HR portfolio.
Steph has a passion for working with people particularly in areas of developing leaders at all levels within St George’s and building a culture where people love to come to work. Her experience covers a wide range of industries including engineering banking, insurance and FMCG. She is also very passionate about her community involvement with the New Zealand Spinal Trust.
Jacky Bush – Co-Chair Nurse and Clinical Leaders Group
Jacky joined Healthcare Holdings Limited in October 2023 as Group Manager Quality, Safety and Clinical Risk. Before this, she served as the Quality and Risk Manager at Waitematā District Health Board (DHB) for eight years. During her tenure at Waitematā, she spent time supporting the Northern Region’s COVID-19 response as the Quality and Risk Lead.
Jacky has over 20 years of health sector senior leadership experience in both operational and corporate functions, working in the NHS in the United Kingdom and in DHBs in Aotearoa New Zealand. She has extensive experience of successfully creating and implementing governance structures that provide Boards with the confidence of quality and risk performance reporting and accountability. She is passionate about coaching and supporting staff, and organisations, to deliver a safe and effective service, one that learns and improves through the experiences and outcomes of staff, patients and whānau.