Our Team
Kevin Pryor, CEO AUT Enterprises Ltd
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Kevin is Director of Commercialisation and Innovation as well as CEO of AUT Enterprises Limited. Kevin leads the university in developing and promoting innovation and commercialisation both nationally and internationally. He has oversight of three key areas: AUT commercialisation, AUT Business Innovation Centre and AUT Enterprises Limited.
Kevin joined AUT University (formally AIT) in 1991 and has held senior management roles in the Faculty of Business and the marketing directorate. In 2004 Kevin moved into his role as Director of Commercialisation, which has had considerable growth since. Kevin’s career, which has spanned both academic and commercial environments, has positioned him ideally for his role.
Enrcio Tronchin, Business Operations Manager - Commercialisation
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Enrico's role is to commercialise technology developed by the university in partnership/consultation with the private sector. Enrico has worked in science, business and regional and central government and has a PhD and Post-Doc experience in the biological sciences at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He has spent some time innovating within the Market Research industry as an R&D manager at the TNS Global Brand Equity Centre. In early 2010 Enrico moved to New Zealand to take up a role as an ICT Sector Strategist at the Canterbury Development Corporation, followed by a short stint at the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MSI). Enrico's work experience has been diverse and multidisciplinary. He has benefitted from working across a number of economic sectors and industries which has helped him to understand and negotiate differing perspectives around the commercialisation of technology. Enrico has successfully performed bridging roles between industry and science and is excited to be able to continue to perform this function at AUT.
Fay Kassibawi, Technology Development Manager
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Fay has a background in Biotechnology, with specific experiences in drug development and pre-clinical trials. Over the past 3 years Fay worked as an account manager for GE Healthcare. Fay holds a Bachelor of Technology and Master in Biological Sciences Research, from the University of Auckland.
Amber Taylor, Office Manager
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Amber joined AUT Enterprises Ltd in 2010, bringing with her an extensive knowledge of administration systems within the New Zealand Tertiary sector. As Office Manager, Amber is responsible for coordinating and supporting a number of projects and ensuring that the office functions as smoothly as possible.
AUT Enterprises Ltd Board of Directors
AUT Enterprises Ltd (AUTEL) has an independent Board of Directors, which operates within separate corporate governance procedures to AUT University. Our directors aim to operate under best practices for corporate governance, overseeing the growth and development of AUTEL and providing a vision for the future.
Action Chairman: Mike Hannan
Director: Hugh Perrett
Director: Mark Mathews
Director: Dr John Chang
Director: Derek McCormack
Ex Officio: Professor John Raine
CEO: Kevin Pryor
Company Secretary: Dr Andrea Vujnovich
Mike Hannan
Mr Hannan was previously Chief Executive of NZI (New Zealand Insurance Co Ltd) having spent almost 40 years working for the group and its various Parent Coys in NZ, Asia and UK in a range of senior positions including General Manager of the Singapore and Hong Kong business units during a 13 year secondment overseas. In addition to AUTEL, he is currently a Director of Wesfarmers Broking (NZ) Ltd, Crombie Lockwood (NZ) Ltd, NZ Local Government Insurance Corporation Ltd and an Advisory Director to Local Government Mutual Funds Trustee Ltd.
Hugh Perrett
The majority of Mr Perrett's career has been spent in the food industry. From 1964 until 1977 he worked for Lever Bros NZ Ltd based in Petone, in a number of roles including production planning, buying, marketing and sales, culminating in the position of National Sales Controller which he held for some 5 years. In late 1977 he joined Foodstuffs Auckland Ltd where he became Managing Director in 1979. In 1985 he was also appointed Managing Director of Foodstuffs NZ Ltd, the Federation Company for the Foodstuffs organisation throughout New Zealand. He held a number of other associated directorships and was a Director and Chairman of Loyalty NZ Ltd, the parent company of FlyBuys. Mr Perrett was responsible for the introduction of Pak'N Save to the New Zealand marketplace and for driving the major expansion of the Foodstuffs housebrands, Pams and Budget, to become the dominant housebrands in the New Zealand grocery market. He retired from Foodstuffs in 2001 and became a Director of NZ Dairy Foods Ltd and subsequently Goodman Fielder Ltd. Mr Perrett is an inductee of both The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame and The New Zealand Retailers Association Retail Hall of Fame.
Mark Mathews
Mark Mathews is a CEO and company director with a background in the natural products and food industries. He is currently CEO at Good Health Products and has previously held the same position at Nutra-life, Hansells and Healtheries. Mark is a director of Nutrizeal Ltd based in Nelson and is on the Advisory Board of Trilogy Skincare. He also had a period as a business consultant involved in advising on strategy, management, acquisitions and the sale of businesses. Mark has a BMS(Hons) and is a qualified accountant.
Dr John Chang
Dr John Chang is currently the Chief Executive of Development West Coast, responsible for managing over $100m in investment fund. John previously led Canterprise Ltd, the University of Canterbury's commercialisation company before establishing Jardoo Investments Ltd. John has a strong management background with 15 years of executive leadership roles in: technology start-ups for private and public companies; publicly listed company and university environments. John is also on a number of governance positions.
Derek McCormack
Derek McCormack became Vice Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology in April 2004. Previously, he was a Deputy Vice Chancellor at AUT and prior to that General Manager for Auckland Institute of Technology (the precursor organisation of AUT).
His work for AUT has involved leadership of a wide range of key areas during a decade and a half of extensive development and growth for the institution – from major campus developments, to academic structures, processes and programmes, and the advancement of AUT’s university profile.
Starting out teaching Biochemistry at the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic, his career took an early turn into tertiary education policy and management. He has held national roles in a range of authorities, professional bodies, and ministerial and government working parties related to tertiary education and is the current chair of Universities New Zealand. In other fields, Derek has been a Chair of the NZ Academy of Sport network, and is President of the NZ Stroke Foundation, as well as a member of various service and community clubs and societies.
Professor John Raine
Professor John Raine is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Innovation and Enterprise) and Head of the School of Engineering at AUT University. Previously he was Technical Manager at Froude Consine Ltd, U.K., Pro Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and International) at the University of Canterbury, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Albany and International) at Massey University. He co-founded Christchurch company WhisperTech in 1995 with Dr Don Clucas, Canterprise Ltd in 1999, the Canterbury Innovation Incubator in 2001, the HITLabNZ in 2002, and managed the transition of the Massey University e-centre to a company structure in 2005. He currently chairs the board of REANNZ Ltd and is a director of the Committee for Auckland Ltd. Over the past 20 years he has consulted to the Police and legal counsel in vehicle crash analysis.
Dr Andrea Vujnovich
PhD (Auckland), MSc (Hons), LLB (Hons)
General Counsel and Director of Governance, Secretary of the Council of AUT University, Company Secretary of AUT Enterprises Limited and Secretary of the AUT Foundation.
Previously a solicitor at a large Auckland law firm, Andrea has held a number of professional roles in health including the Head of the School of Physiotherapy at AUT University and member of the New Zealand Physiotherapy Board.
Andrea has systematised and improved AUT legal advising, statutory compliance and governance structures while providing direction and crucial assistance to the transformation of AUT’s associated organisations.
