Board & Management

Isikeli (Keli) Taureka

Non-Executive Chairman

Chair of the Disclosure Committee

• Mr Isikeli Taureka was appointed as a Director of Kina in April 2016.
• As at 14 March 2022, Mr Taureka holds the position of Managing Director of Laba Holdings Limited which comprises shareholdings from four local areas supporting PNG LNG projects. Previously, he held the position of Managing Director of Kumul Consolidated Holdings which is the trustee and shareholder for the Government of PNG in major state-owned entities including Air Niugini, Water PNG, PNG Power Limited, Kumul Telikom Holdings, Ports PNG, Post PNG and Motor Vehicles Insurance Limited.
• Isikeli previously held a number of senior executive roles with Chevron Corporation. Before joining Chevron, he was the Managing Director of the PNG-owned Post and Telecommunication Corporation and held senior management positions in the Bank of South Pacific Limited.
• Isikeli provides extensive knowledge and networks across PNG and Fiji.
• He holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Papua New Guinea and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Greg Pawson

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer

• Mr Greg Pawson was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kina in 2018. He joined the Group with an extensive knowledge of the financial services industry in Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the Pacific.
• Before his appointment, Greg was Regional Head of South Asia Pacific for the Westpac Group and held senior executive roles in retail banking, corporate financial services, financial planning, and funds management. His extensive banking experience includes more than 16 years at Westpac where he had accountability for Westpac’s Country/Institutional, Retail and Commercial banking businesses operating in India, Singapore, Indonesia, PNG and Fiji, and the divestment of Westpac’s retail businesses in the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Prior to this role he was Westpac’s General Manager Commercial Banking for three years leading the Australian Commercial banking customer segment with revenue in excess of $1.2 billion and responsible for 1,500 employees.
• Greg holds a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Management Adelaide and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Andrew Carriline

Non-Executive Director

Member of the Audit and Risk Committee,
Remuneration and Nomination Committee
and the Disclosure Committee

• Mr Andrew Carriline was appointed as a Director of Kina on 16 August 2018.
• Andrew is an experienced business executive, highly skilled at operating successfully in regulated environments. He was an executive at a major Australian bank, where until2017 he was the Chief Risk Officer in the Institutional Bank, as well as Chairman of the bank’s business in PNG. Since2017 Andrew has accepted a number of non-executive roles in the ‘for profit’ and ‘not-for-profit’ sectors.
• Before his focus on purely risk roles, Andrew practised corporate law in the public and private sectors and has held a number of senior legal and operational roles.
• Andrew holds Bachelor degrees in Law and Commerce from UNSW and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Director

Paul Hutchinson

Non-Executive Director

Member of the Audit & Risk Committee

• Mr Paul Hutchinson was appointed as a Director of Kina on 16 August 2018.
• Paul is currently employed by the University of Adelaide in the capacity of Program Director, responsible for largescale organisation restructuring and major projects.
• Previously, Paul was the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Rural Bank (specialising in the provision of financial services to the agribusiness sector), Chief Operating Officer of New Zealand Post and held various other senior appointments with Westpac, National Australia Bank and Bank of New Zealand.
• Paul’s extensive background in strategy, finance, sales and distribution, commercial operations and risk management has been honed over 30 years in the financial services sector. He is well versed in corporate governance practices and currently holds directorships with RSPCA(South Australia), the Planning, Finance and Performance Committee for the SACE Board, Regional Council for the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA) and is the Chair of the University of Adelaide’s Business School Advisory Board and International Centre for Financial Services. Previous board appointments include Rural Bank Ltd, Outsource Australia Ltd and Datamail Group Ltd.
• Paul has attended the Bankers Course in conjunction with the New Zealand Bankers’ Association and the University of Victoria and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School General Management Program. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Services and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, having attended both the Company Directors Course and International Company Directors Course.

Karen Smith-Pomeroy

Non-Executive Director

Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee,
Member of the Remuneration and Nomination
Committee and the Disclosure Committee

• Ms Karen Smith-Pomeroy was appointed as a Director of Kina on 12 September 2018.
• Karen is an experienced non-executive director, with involvement across a number of industry sectors. Karen has many years of experience in the financial services sector, including a period of five years as Chief Risk Officer for Suncorp Bank.
• Karen has specific expertise in risk and governance, deep expertise in credit risk and specialist knowledge of a number of industry sectors, including energy, property and agribusiness.
• Karen is currently a non-executive director of Queensland Treasury Corporation and Stanwell Corporation Limited and is Chair of the Regional Investment Corporation and National Affordable Housing.
• Karen holds accounting qualifications and is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Accountants, a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA), a certificate member of the Governance Institute of Australia and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Ila Temu

Non-Executive Director

Member of the Remuneration
and Nomination Committee

• Dr Ila Temu was appointed as a Director of Kina on14 December 2020.
• Ila is Country Manager for Barrick (Niugini) Limited (BNL), a role he has held for some time now. Dr Temu has held various senior roles with Placer Dome Niugini since2000 including General Manager Government Relations, Director Corporate Affairs and Country Manager Tanzania.
• Prior to joining Placer Dome, Ila was Managing Director of Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC),a state-owned organisation that held PNG’s equity in major mining and petroleum projects throughout PNG. He has also held senior positions within a number of public organisations, including a term as a Director of the National Research Institute in PNG, Research Director for the Pacific Islands Program at the Australian National University, Canberra and Senior Lecturer at the University of Papua New Guinea.
• Ila has also held a number of board directorships/memberships in PNG including Dome Resources Ltd, MRDC, Kina Finances Ltd, PNG Incentive Fund, National Economic Fiscal Commission, Independent Public Business Corporation, the Employees Federation of PNG and Bank of South Pacific where he was Director for 13years. He was Chairman of PNG Ports Corporation for five years, Chairman of Bank South Pacific (BSP) Capital for three years, and President of the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum for three years. He is currently a Director of Kina Petroleum Ltd, Director of Kumul Petroleum Holdings Ltd, and a Council Member of the Divine Word University.
• Ila holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Papua New Guinea, a Masters in Agricultural Development Economics from the Australian National University, Canberra Australia and a Ph.D in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis, USA.

Jane Thomason

Non-Executive Director

Chair of the Remuneration
and Nomination Committee

• Dr Jane Thomason was appointed as a Director of Kina on27 April 2018.
• An entrepreneur and innovator, Jane has worked in international development implementation in the Asia Pacific region for 30 years. Her international career has included work for governments and donors including the Asian Development Bank, WHO, World Bank, USAID and AusAID.
• Since 2017, she has focused on Fintech and Blockchain and is a thought leader in the applications of block chain technology to solve social problems. She is the Co-Founder of the British Blockchain and Frontier Technology Association, Chair, Kasei Holdings Blockchain Securities), Aquis Stock Exchange, London, and is on the Editorial Board of both Frontiers in Blockchain and Journal of Metaverse.
• Dr Thomason co-authored the books Blockchain Technologies for Global Social Change and Applied Ethics in a Digital Age. She is a Thinkers 360 in the Top 50Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Blockchain and Sustainability.
• Jane is an active role model for future women leaders and an active supporter of innovation and new technologies, especially blockchain, and their application to the world’s poverty problems.

Lesieli Taviri

Executive General Manager Banking & PNG Country Head

• Lesieli joined Kina Bank in 2020 and is responsible for running the national branch network and a seamless banking experience to personal and small business customers. In her role, Lesieli leads the focus on customer service satisfaction in branch and through the contact centre, along with the development of digital concierge services.
• Prior to joining Kina Bank, Lesieli was the CEO of Origin Energy and she is one of PNG’s most highly regarded executive leaders. She holds a number of high-profile board roles including Founding Chair of the Business Coalition for Women. She served as the Deputy Chair of Nambawan Super Limited.
• PNG’s largest superannuation fund and was formerly a director of Nationwide Microbank Limited. Lesieli is also a graduate member of the Australian and PNG Institute of Company Directors

Johnson Kalo

Acting Chief Financial Officer

• Johnson Kalo was appointed Chief Information Officer in September 2019.Johnson has substantial industry experience in Papua New Guinea having previously held the positions of Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for BSP.
• Johnson played a central role in BSP’s acquisition of Westpac’s Pacific Island Nations and he brings to Kina Bank exceptional leadership qualities. His previous roles also include independent Director of the Board of Credit Corporation and Executive Director of the Port Moresby Stock Exchange (PNGX). He is a fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia and an associate member of Certified Practising Accountants PNG.

Deepak Gupta

Executive General Manager of Business Partners and Wealth

• Deepak Gupta is Executive General Manager Business Partners and Wealth is responsible for Wealth management and Corporate banking at Kina. He has held a variety of senior positions with Westpac, AMP and domestic New Zealand institutions. These roles have spanned all facets of institutional funds management, private equity investment, funds administration, financial planning and corporate trusteeship.
• In addition, Deepak has strong governance experience having acted as a non-executive director on the boards of NZX and ASX-listed companies. He brings substantial experience and a track record of success and innovation across a number of areas in financial services including successful development of New Zealand’s first institutional private equity fund for retail investors.
• Deepak holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University, New Zealand, and an MBA from Massey University, New Zealand. He has a Certificate of Investment Analysis from the University of Otago, New Zealand and is a Fellow of the Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand.

Karen Mathers

Chief Risk Officer

• Karen is our Group Chief Risk Officer and responsible for overseeing Kina’s strategy for holistic risk management and compliance*. This includes best practice governance and regulatory management from the various supervisory authorities. She is a member of the company’s executive management team.
• Karen has enjoyed a career in finance that spans over 25 years. She has held executive positions at ANZ Banking Group (Australia, and overseas) as Chief Finance, Chief Operating and Chief Risk Officer and is well versed in the multidisciplined divisions in Banking. With her unique skillset (accounting, law and risk management), she has had responsibilities that had oversight of all financial operations of the companies in a multitude of industries in Australia, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.
• Karen is degree qualified as an accountant with post-graduate qualifications in commercial law and forensic accounting.
• Her team provides independent oversight for managing risk and ensuring governance is in place with a robust compliance program

Samantha Miller

Executive General Manager Investor Relations, Corporate Affairs and ESG

• Sam joined Kina Bank in February 2022*. In the role of Executive General Manager Investor Relations, Corporate Affairs and ESG, Sam is responsible for managing KSL investors, management of corporate affairs and the implementation of Kina’s ESG framework.
• Sam has 20 years’ experience across a diverse range of roles in financial services. Prior to her joining Kina she worked in Treasury, Investor Relations, Group Finance, Strategy Customer solutions at Suncorp and Heritage Bank.
• Sam holds a Bachelor of International Business from Queensland University of Technology, Masters of Applied Finance from Macquarie University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Judith Ugava-Taunao

Chief of Staff

• Judith Ugava-Taunao was appointed Chief of Staff in June 2021.
• She is responsible for developing and delivering key strategic business priorities. For 18 years Jude has built a career that spans across international borders and sectors. She has worked in international development, organisational transformation, and human resource development and leadership.
• Prior to joining Kina Bank, she was at Oil Search where she served as the Vice President, Change Management Lead and as the General Manager for OSL’s Citizen Development Program.

Asi Nauna

Executive General Manager Lending

• Asi joined Kina Bank in 2018 to assist with the acquisition of ANZ’s Retail, SME and Commercial operations leading the integration of the SME and Commercial customer streams.
• In the last two years she has held a senior leadership role in our Business Partners and Wealth team, establishing herself as a dynamic and successful leader with a track record of delivering exceptional results.
• In her role as Executive General Manager Lending, Asi is responsible for end to end retail and business lending. Prior to joining Kina Bank, Asi was ANZ’s Associate Director, Institutional Banking.

Ivan Vidovich

Chief Transformation Officer

• Ivan joined Kina Bank in 2019. In the role of Chief Transformation Officer Ivan is responsible for Group Strategy and Planning, People and Culture, Digital Channels, Innovation, Design, Product and Marketing.
• He brings significant experience in people and culture transformational change and is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Ivan holds a Bachelor of Arts from La Trobe University and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Nathaniel Wingti

GM Treasury and Financial Markets

• Nathan joined Kina in February 2016 as GM Treasury and Financial Markets. Prior to joining Kina, he spent 15 years at ANZ Bank where his last role was Head of Global Markets PNG and Balance Sheet Manager for ANZ across the Pacific. Nathan has 20 years’ experience in foreign exchange, money markets and balance sheet management across the Pacific region having worked in PNG, Fiji and Australia.
• Nathan holds a Bachelor of Business from the Queensland University of Technology. He has also completed the AFMA Dealer Accreditation Program and the PNG Institute of Directors Program. He is a current serving Board Member of the Business Council of PNG.