Chief Executive Officer - Public Trust

Kerridge & Partners; Auckland; On-site; NZD 700,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Public Trust in Auckland is seeking a Chief Executive to provide strategic and business leadership for a Crown entity delivering trustee services. The role focuses on strong commercial performance, fiduciary responsibility and public-purpose outcomes while reporting to the Board.

You will shape the organisation's strategic direction, lead the Executive Team, drive customer and employee outcomes and build a values-based culture of care, capability and accountability in a complex financial

Qualifications

• Proven chief executive or senior executive leadership experience in a complex, customer-facing organisation, ideally within financial services, trustee, legal or professional services, with accountability for commercial, customer and people outcomes.
• Experience leading customer and digital transformation, including modernising service models, products and technology platforms.
• Track record of developing and delivering growth strategy, including commercial negotiations, acquisitions and strategic partnerships.
• Ability to lead a high-performing executive team and build a values-based culture of care, capability and accountability.
• Strong understanding of risk, regulation and governance in a regulated financial services environment; experience working with a Board and regulators.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and business leadership of Public Trust, ensuring outcomes aligned with the Public Trust Act.
• Shape strategic direction and lead the Executive Team to deliver it, building a future-focused organisation.
• Strengthen customer experience across in-person, virtual and digital channels and evolve the product portfolio.
• Grow Corporate Trustee Services, pursue acquisitions and partnerships.
• Maintain oversight of risk and regulation in a complex financial services environment and build trusted relationships with Ministers, regulators and stakeholders.

Skills

Executive leadership

Digital transformation

Growth strategy

Regulatory governance

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Job description

Chief Executive (CEO) - Public Trust

Lead a commercially focused, purpose-led organisation helping New Zealanders plan, protect and pass on what matters.

About Public Trust

Public Trust is a Crown entity and one of New Zealand’s leading providers of trustee services. For more than 150 years it has helped New Zealanders navigate some of life’s most important moments, providing wills, enduring powers of attorney, estate administration, personal and family trusts, and Court-appointed roles. Public Trust is also trustee of more than 400 charitable trusts and, through its Corporate Trustee Services business, a significant participant in New Zealand’s financial markets, with $151.2 billion in funds under supervision as at 30 June 2026.

Operating under the Public Trust Act 2001, Public Trust’s aspiration is to relentlessly deliver value to customers through compelling, relevant and accessible services that lead and shape the industry. With an ageing population, a significant intergenerational transfer of wealth under way and a growing corporate trustee market, the organisation is well placed for its next stage of growth. Public Trust enters its next leadership chapter from a position of strong performance, reporting FY26 revenue of $88 million and net profit before tax of $10.1 million, with investment funds under management of $1.7 billion.

About the role

Reporting to the Board, the Chief Executive provides strategic and business leadership of Public Trust, ensuring strong commercial, customer and employee outcomes while meeting the responsibilities defined in the Public Trust Act. The role combines strong commercial performance with fiduciary, statutory and public-purpose responsibilities, balancing the expectations of shareholding Ministers, regulators, customers and employees while ensuring the organisation’s long-term financial sustainability.

Working with the Board, the Chief Executive will shape Public Trust’s strategic direction and lead the Executive Team in delivering it, building a future-focused organisation that combines strong commercial performance with its fiduciary, statutory and public-purpose responsibilities. Building on Public Trust’s progress in modernising its services, this includes strengthening the customer experience across in-person, virtual and digital channels, evolving the product portfolio, growing Corporate Trustee Services, pursuing acquisitions and strategic partnerships and other growth opportunities. The Chief Executive will also strengthen a values-based culture of care, capability and accountability, developing leaders and making Public Trust a great place to work, maintain robust oversight of risk and regulation in a complex financial services environment, and build trusted relationships with Ministers, government agencies, regulators and the wider trustee sector.

Key competencies include:

• Proven chief executive or senior executive leadership experience in a complex, customer-facing organisation, ideally within financial services, trustee, legal or professional services, with accountability for commercial, customer and people outcomes;
• Demonstrated success leading customer and digital transformation, including modernising service models, products and technology platforms;
• A track record of developing and delivering growth strategy, including commercial negotiations, acquisitions and strategic partnerships;
• Proven ability to lead a high-performing executive team and build a values-based culture of care, capability and accountability;
• Strong understanding of risk, regulation and governance in a regulated financial services environment; experience working effectively with a Board and regulators; and the judgement and credibility to build trusted relationships with Ministers, government officials, and other key stakeholders.

This is a rare opportunity to lead an organisation that has stood alongside New Zealanders for generations, and to shape how trustee services are delivered for the decades ahead.

The role is based in Auckland.