People
Steven Sanderson
Chief Executive Officer
Steve joined Wellington Airport in February 2012. Prior to Wellington Airport, Steve was the CEO for Queenstown Airport. Steve has predominately a career background in infrastructure businesses including CEO for Dynamic Controls a US owned company, which is listed on the NY stock exchange, General Manager NZ/Australia at Powerco Limited, and General Manager at Lyttelton Port Company. He is currently a Director of Pioneer Generation and Port Nelson.
Ayolt Wiertsema
General Manager Aeronautical Operations
Ayolt Wiertsema is responsible for airport operations and joined the Wellington Airport team in 2011. He has significant aviation experience with 12 years at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Ayolt also has a background in service management consultancy and marketing.
Greg Thomas
General Manager Communications
Greg joined the Wellington Airport team in 2011. He has significant experience in Services Marketing, Communications, Public Relations and Sponsorship over the last 20 years. Greg has worked in telecommunications, postal and personal development industries.
Leanne Gibson
GM Facilities & IT
I am responsible for ensuring that all the information & communications techology at the airport is available 24x7, fit for purpose, secure and resiliant. I joined the airport in February 2014 having previously worked for the Ministry of Education as their Chief Information Officer. Prior to that, I worked at the border (for MAF) as the Director of Passenger Clearance and as their Chief Information Officer so I'm well acquainted with the complexities and challenges associated with busy airports and ports.
Martin Harrington
Chief Financial Officer
Martin joined the Wellington Airport team in 2008, prior to this, he held a number of senior finance roles within various industry sectors, including transport, tourism and financial services. He is responsible for financial and management reporting, taxation, treasury, risk management, insurance and regulatory services for the business.
Matt Clarke
Chief Commercial Officer
Matt Clarke joined the Wellington Airport team in 2010 and is responsible for WIAL’s aeronautical and commercial revenue. He has 12 years’ airport senior management experience spanning operational and commercial roles across six airports in New Zealand and abroad. Matt is a Director of Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency and Nelson Airport.
John Howarth
General Manager Infrastructure and Planning
John has a long history with Wellington Airport, he was the Chief Operating Officer, (also acting as CEO) from 2002 till 2013 and returned in March 2017 as the GM Infrastructure. John trained as a civil engineer and has worked in the construction industry for over 30 years. With more than 20 years of his career involved in the planning, development and maintenance of airports John is unashamedly an aviation enthusiast.
Jackie Holley
General Manager People and Culture
Jackie has over 15 years of HR experience, having worked in various HR roles for a diverse range of organisations, including PwC, AXA, Intergen and ACC. Jackie has a Masters in Psychology and her most recent role at ACC was as the Deputy Head of Assurance Services.
