Call for Nominations 2023

MAS is calling for nominations for the role of Practitioner Trustee of MAS Members’ Trust.  

Practitioner Trustees must be Full Members of MAS – that is, a Doctor, Dentist, or Vet.  

Any candidate who is validly nominated, and designated as Eligible by the MAS Board, may stand for appointment on a vote of Full Members at the 2023 AGM.  

Steve Merchant is an incumbent and is standing for re-appointment. 

About the roles 

MAS is a mutual group of companies, owned by its Members, offering financial products and services to Members including general insurance, life and disability insurance, KiwiSaver, retirement savings, and financial advice.  

MAS is governed by the Trustees of the MAS Members’ Trust. Trustees also serve as directors of the parent company of the MAS Group, Medical Assurance Society New Zealand Limited.  

Being a director of MAS means you are responsible for overseeing all of MAS’ business affairs. You will help ensure MAS achieves its strategic goals, achieves strong financial performance, and both meets and exceeds legal, regulatory, Member and community expectations. 

Appointment as a Trustee requires a significant time investment. Trustees meet most months for Board and Board Committees. Board meetings are held for a full day. Committee meetings are held for half days. Trustees often serve on multiple Board Committees. Special business is also regularly conducted by email circular and short (one-hour) special Board meetings. Due to the breadth and complexity of MAS’ business, a significant time investment is required to prepare for these meetings. In total, three to five days per month is required of Trustees’ time. 

Over time, Trustees are expected to develop and demonstrate the skills and experience required to be appointed to Board committees and the MAS Group subsidiary boards, including MAS’ licensed insurance companies, which are regulated by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Demonstrating this level of competence requires a substantial investment in formal learning, which is delivered by MAS and MAS’ external learning and development providers. 

Nominations 

The process for nominations is: 

• MAS must receive valid notice in writing of the nomination by 5pm on Friday 30 June 2023. A valid nomination must be signed by two Full Members, include the candidate’s contact details, a description of the candidate and their experience, qualifications, and competencies for the role of Practitioner Trustee.   
• A Nominations Committee of the MAS Board will assess the Eligibility of candidates who have submitted valid nominations. This may involve one or two interviews and further assessments as determined by the Nominations Committee.  
• Full Members of MAS will vote on Eligible candidates at this year’s AGM, which is scheduled for the evening of 30 August 2023.  

Eligibility 

To stand for appointment, Practitioner Trustee candidates must be designated “Eligible” after an assessment by the MAS Board. Eligibility requires the candidate to: 

• meet the requirements of MAS’ Fit and Proper Policy 
• understand and support the principles of the MAS Group as a mutual business 
• have significant governance experience  
• possess commercial acumen and strategic focus 
• demonstrate how they can enhance the diversity of thought of the Board, and 
• be connected to professional groups in the medical, dental or veterinary professions respectively. 

Additional skills and experience that are desirable include:  

• Recent governance experience relating to significant change in an organisation, such as overseeing delivery of a growth strategy.  
• Recent governance experience of major projects, particularly IT projects.  

The MAS Board may set additional criteria for the particular role and will advise the candidate and seek their input on whether they meet that criteria through the nominations process accordingly. 

Next steps 

If you have the skills, experience, and drive to sit on the MAS Board, please email us for more information at nominations@mas.co.nz.