We are delighted to welcome our two new directors to the board, Gus Gilmore and Renae Smart who officially joined our board in December 2021.

Gus Gilmore
Gus is an experienced director and senior executive. He is currently the Chief Executive at the Manukau Institute of Technology and Unitec Limited. He has had a career in aviation and tourism, holding senior leadership roles with the Star Alliance and Air New Zealand. He graduated from the University of Auckland with a Masters of Business Administration.

Gus’s current role in tertiary education has given him a strong understanding of complex regulatory environments and compliments his broad knowledge and experience in operations, specifically operational readiness.

He has worked internationally in several countries and is very comfortable in multi-cultural environments. He has led large teams and is passionate about good governance and aviation.

Gus enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities including watching rugby, cricket and running. He is developing his enjoyment and interest in gardening. He is married, has three adult children and two granddaughters.

Renae Smart
Renae brings her experience and skills from the commercial sector to contribute to the significant experience of the WRAL board.

Renae is currently the Managing Director of a construction company headquartered in the Waikato. As the leader of a high growth company with a nationwide presence, Renae has an extensive knowledge of strategy, regulatory environments, health & safety and risk management. Coupled with her previous career in IT project management, process optimisation and change management, Renae is well positioned to contribute to the board. In addition to WRAL, Renae also holds other governance positions in the Engineering and Health sectors.