High profile lawyer Mai Chen appointed as a director of BNZ

High profile lawyer Mai Chen is joining BNZ's board.

The bank announced Chen, co-founder of law firm Chen Palmer alongside ex-Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer,  will take up a role as a BNZ independent director effective today, April 21. Her appointment has been approved by the Reserve Bank.

In a statement BNZ chairman John Waller described Chen's appointment as aligning with BNZ’s mission of supporting a higher-achieving New Zealand.

“Mai Chen is an outstanding New Zealand leader, combining expertise in public law with wide-ranging commercial experience.  She will bring fresh and diverse views to board discussions, alongside the formal business of our board," said Waller.

“Mai Chen has had an outstanding and varied career to date. She has acted as an advisor to government ministers on major legislative and policy changes, and chaired government reviews, lectured at leading universities and authored many books. Mai has established influential not-for-profit leadership organisations for women, Asian New Zealanders and Pasifika."

“She has pioneered the practice of public law in New Zealand, including co-founding Chen Palmer, a leading law firm specialising in public and administrative law, legislation and public policy as well as employment law,” Waller added.

Chen has also served on the Securities Commission, on the advisory board of AMP Life Limited,  the NZ Board of Trade and Enterprise’s Beachheads programme, on the Asia New Zealand Foundation board, the Royal NZ Ballet board, and on university and polytechnic councils.

Chen is currently managing partner at Chen Palmer and an adjunct professor at the University of Auckland Law School.

Of the BNZ role Chen said: "I relish the challenge of working in a sector subject to so much disruption and fast-paced change. The challenge of demographic disruption is as important as technological disruption, especially in a super-diverse market like Auckland. "