General Manager Commercial for KiwiRail

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

The company

KiwiRail is the powerhouse behind New Zealand’s integrated transport network, connecting communities and commerce across the country. As the nation’s leading rail operator, KiwiRail plays a vital role in moving freight efficiently and sustainably, reducing road congestion and carbon emissions. But it doesn’t stop there - KiwiRail is also one of New Zealand’s largest tourism operators, offering unforgettable scenic journeys through the heart of Aotearoa. With a significant footprint in property ownership and development, KiwiRail is helping shape the future of urban infrastructure and regional growth.

The brief

With a relatively new executive leadership team in place, KiwiRail embarked on a transformation journey aimed at reshaping the organisation from an operationally focused business to one that places the customer firmly at its core. This strategic shift required a significant cultural and structural change, including an organisational redesign and a new leadership structure under the CFO.

KiwiRail successfully filled several key roles as part of this restructure. However, despite an extensive recruitment effort, the search for a General Manager - Commercial, Customer and Growth did not secure the right candidate. Recognising the critical importance of this role to their transformation agenda, KiwiRail engaged us to lead a search process to identify and secure the ideal leader.

The challenges

One of the key challenges in filling this role was that KiwiRail had already explored the active talent market without success. Recognising the strategic importance of the position, they turned to us to leverage our targeted executive search capabilities.

The role itself is relatively rare in the New Zealand market, requiring a unique blend of skills and experience. KiwiRail was seeking a finance candidate with a strong background in heavy industry or operational businesses, a proven focus on driving revenue and customer engagement, and a track record of success within large, complex organisations. Additionally, experience in leading or contributing to successful major corporate transformations was important.

This combination of requirements significantly narrowed the talent pool.

Our approach

Given the unique nature of the role and the limited talent pool in New Zealand, we opted for a highly targeted executive search strategy rather than advertising. We began by identifying key corporate organisations across comparable industries, focusing on those with similar scale and complexity, to ensure we sourced candidates with the right blend of transformation experience, commercial acumen, and customer-centric leadership.

We knew that the number of individuals in New Zealand with the required skill set was small. Compounding this challenge was a perception issue in the market: some candidates viewed KiwiRail as a traditional, state-owned enterprise with limited dynamism. The reality is the NZ government is investing billions of dollars in the KiwiRail infrastructure and with a highly engaged leadership team, the organisation is undergoing an exciting transformation to ensure the customer is at the centre of every decision. This presented a rare opportunity to for the right candidate to be a key contributor to a nationally significant change agenda.

Overcoming this perception required a proactive and narrative-driven approach. We engaged directly with potential candidates, clearly articulating KiwiRail’s strategic direction, the scale of the opportunity, and the impact this role would have on shaping the future of transport and infrastructure in New Zealand. This helped shift mindsets and opened the door to meaningful conversations with high-calibre talent who may not have otherwise considered the role.

The outcome

Claire successfully appointed a globally seasoned executive whose career spans the manufacturing, distribution, and service sectors across multiple international markets. With an impressive track record in customer-centric transformation, innovating business models, and unlocking new revenue streams, the candidate stood out as an exceptional fit for the role and KiwiRail’s ambitious agenda.

Bringing a strong strategic mindset and commercial acumen, they demonstrated a proven ability to lead high-performing teams and drive sustainable business outcomes. Their leadership style aligned with KiwiRail’s values and ambition to build a future-ready organisation.

They will be a key addition to the leadership team at KiwiRail and a driving force of the ‘One Future’ transformation plan to help ensure that KiwiRail is building the strategic capability and culture to deliver sustainable performance outcomes for customers, their people, shareholders and New Zealand.

From moving goods across islands to offering world-renowned scenic rail experiences, KiwiRail is shaping a smarter, greener future for Aotearoa - read more here: https://www.kiwirail.co.nz/