Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2016 Winners Edition

www.finance-monthly.com Chris Day CFO at Z Energy Limited About Chris Day Chris leads the finance and ICT team (Business Services) at Z Energy Limited. He has held general management, CFO and financial controller roles in a range of listed and commercial companies and has extensive experience in both New Zealand and overseas. He is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Institute of Finance Professionals New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Directors. At Z we place a high priority on effective engaged leadership. My leadership at Z has identified the following five distinctive areas of my contribution to Z: Investor relations – integrity in reporting, communication, leadership As an NZX10 company listed on two exchanges with a diverse shareholder register, how Z communicates with the market is incredibly important to me. There is a large and growing interest in Z from the global investment community and typically I’d hold more than 100 structured meetings and conversations with investors, potential investors, analysts and brokers every year. I believe quality investor relations is as much about personal relationships, trust and the way we communicate as it is about delivering the numbers. Z listed in August 2013 at NZ$3.50 per share and currently trades at NZ$8.30 per share having also paid circa NZ 73 cents per share in dividends. While the share price growth is a reflection of our strategy and the strength of our business, I believe it is also about taking the time to communicate clearly, consistently and on building strong personal relationships. Backing people It’s a privilege to lead Z’s Business Services Team. This team comprises professionals in Risk and Assurance; Financial Control; Treasury; Business Planning, Performance and Procurement; and ICT, including Projects and Programme Services. I take my leadership responsibilities seriously, both in role modelling Z’s organisational values and leadership behaviours and particularly in terms of the responsibility I feel to actively back and develop the potential in people. Of all the feedback I receive from others, that I am most pleased with is the strong recognition of my commitment to the success of others. At its essence, it has been boiled down to ‘backing people’, which is one of Z’s organisational values and one which I believe is the foundation of real leadership. Financing and M&A One of the most stimulating professional challenges of my career has been the transaction just completed which saw Z gain regulatory approval to purchase the downstream business of Chevron in New Zealand - which trades under the Caltex brand. This NZ$785 million transaction settled on 1 June 2016 and has seen Z achieve real scale in the local market with circa 47% market share. Importantly this scale opens up options and opportunities for the company in an evolving and dynamic energy sector. Sourcing financing through Z’s banking syndicate, working with investment bankers and external accountants while at the same time developing a package that addressed the Board’s appetite for risk was a particular highlight. Embracing the potential of technology; continuous improvement I am passionate about the value that’s Z’s investment in technology can create. We have commenced an enterprise wide ERP ‘reinstancing’ project to broaden, deepen and leverage Z’s ERP to enable finance and customer facing roles more easily generate much greater business insight. Our programme is also about reducing complexity and lifting productivity in a competitive and dynamic market environment to enable Z to deliver on its strategy and generate shareholder value through to 2025 and beyond. Firm Profile In April 2010, Z was formed following the purchase of Shell’s New Zealand downstream energy business by infrastructure investor Infratil and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Z aims to be a ‘world class kiwi company’ and has the purpose of ‘solving what matters for a moving world’. Prior to the acquisition of Chevron New Zealand, Z comprised 213 service stations, 90 truckstops, seven terminals and interests in industry owned infrastructure. Z also has around 60 million customer transactions per year making it one of New Zealand’s largest retailers. The acquisition of Chevron New Zealand has seen Z acquire around 150 more service stations, 73 truckstops, seven terminals and further holdings in industry infrastructure. Z supplies fuel to retail customers and large commercial customers such as airlines, trucking companies, mines, shipping companies and vehicle fleet operators. We also provide bitumen to roading contractors. The combined business sells around 4 billion litres of fuel annually. Z’s aim is to bring our purpose to life for our customers, shareholders and stakeholders. That purpose which guides everything we do is to simply ‘solve what matters for a moving world’. For more information on Z please refer to z.co.nz NEW ZEALAND Finance Monthly CFO Awards 2016 Contact Details Chris Day Z Energy Limited 3 Queens Wharf, PO Box 2091, Wellington 6140, New Zealand Tel: +64 4 462 4620 | Mob: +64 21 594 772 Web: z.co.nz 67