Our senior leadership team
Our senior leadership team works collaboratively to set and guide our strategic direction.
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Nic Blakeley, Chief Executive
Nic Blakeley was appointed to his role as Chief Executive of MBIE and Secretary for Economic Growth in January 2026.
Nic joined MBIE in July 2023 from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) where he held Deputy Chief Executive roles since 2013 in Social Policy, Strategy and Insights and most recently Transformation.
Nic has also worked at Treasury in a range of policy areas, including a period as economic advisor to the Minister of Finance.
He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics from the University of Canterbury.
Anna Clark, Acting Deputy Secretary, Labour, Science and Enterprise
Anna Clark is the Acting Deputy Secretary for Labour, Science and Enterprise as of Monday 26 January 2026.
Anna has worked at MBIE previously as the General Manager of the Workplace Relations and Safety policy branch. For the past year, she has been in the Policy Advice Group at Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet working in Health and several other portfolios.
Anna has previously held leadership roles at the Ministry of Health, including as Deputy Director-General, Health Workforce and acting Deputy Director-General Regulatory Services. Prior to the public service, Anna worked as a lawyer in private practice and in-house for a large New Zealand business.
The Labour, Science and Enterprise group works with people, businesses, regions, and the science, innovation and education systems to help the country and New Zealanders to be successful.
Jennifer Nathan, Acting Deputy Secretary, Corporate and Digital Shared Services
Jen Nathan has been appointed as Acting Deputy Secretary for Corporate and Digital Shared Services as of 22 January 2026.
Prior to taking up this acting role, Jen has been MBIE’s Chief People Officer since August 2021 where she provides strategic leadership across workforce strategy, organisational development, Māori capability, diversity and inclusion, employment relations, remuneration, and payroll operations. Jen (Ngāti Porou) has over 25 years’ experience in people leadership, organisational strategy and system‑level transformation across central government, financial services, and professional services in New Zealand.
Prior to MBIE, Jennifer was Chief People Officer at Crown Law, where she led strategic HR reform, collective bargaining, values development and operating model change, while also serving concurrently as Acting General Manager of Operational Services. Her earlier career in the private sector includes senior leadership roles at the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), where she led large, complex HR portfolios supporting transformation programmes, organisational change, and workforce capability across technology, digital, product, customer operations and financial services. Prior to BNZ Jen was at Chapman Tripp where she was the HR Manager for their Wellington and Christchurch offices.
Jen has a Bachelor of Arts from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.
Corporate and Digital Shared Services works in partnership with business groups to enable them to deliver their objectives and portfolio obligations.
Alison McDonald, Deputy Secretary, Immigration
Alison leads Immigration New Zealand, which provides stewardship of the immigration system to facilitate and protect New Zealand's interests. It aims to deliver outstanding immigration services, bringing the best people to New Zealand to make it prosper.
Alison brings a wealth of operational leadership experience from public service in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She arrived in New Zealand in 2013 and spent 3 years at Te Kawa Mataaho (formerly the State Services Commission) where she was the Deputy Commissioner for Performance Improvement. She went on to become Director of the Customs 2020 transformation programme, before taking up the role of Deputy Chief Executive Services for Children and Families (South) at Oranga Tamariki in 2017.
Alison was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2008 for her work with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Robert Pigou, Deputy Secretary, Regional Development & Commercial Services
Robert is Deputy Secretary, Regional Development & Commercial Services which manages a number of Government funding initiatives.
Previously, Robert was Head of Investment Management at Provincial Development Unit (PDU), the team responsible for detailed assessments, analysis, and critiquing of all funding applications, and making recommendations to decision-makers.
Robert has extensive experience in the corporate finance and banking sectors both in New Zealand and Asia. He has held senior leadership roles at EY, AsiaPower Developments Limited and Lloyds Bank, The National Bank of New Zealand and Southpac.
He has more recently served in senior roles in the public sector, including as Deputy Secretary, Higher Courts at the Ministry of Justice and as General Manager, NZ Petroleum and Minerals at Ministry of Economic Development.
Robert has been a member of the Institute of Directors since 2016.
Melanie Porter, Deputy Secretary, Strategy and Assurance
Melanie Porter is the Deputy Secretary, Strategy and Assurance. Strategy and Assurance manages MBIE’s organisational strategy and strategic risks and provides assurance to the Chief Executive, holding a medium to long-term focus on organisational performance.
Melanie’s previous role was as Deputy Secretary, Strategic Policy and Programmes leading MBIE teams responsible for economic strategy, climate change advice, improving outcomes for Māori and Pasifika, and regulatory stewardship. She has had previous experience in corporate roles and previously led policy teams in competition, consumer, economic regulation and corporate governance at the Ministry of Economic Development.
Mel and her husband Tusi live in Wellington with their 3 children.
Paul Stocks, Deputy Secretary, Building, Resources and Markets
Paul leads our Building, Resources and Markets Group, which works is responsible for many of the regulatory systems that govern New Zealand’s markets including building, communications, competition, consumer and commercial, energy markets, financial markets, intellectual property, and petroleum and minerals.
The Group’s role supports a fair, competitive business environment and well-functioning telecommunications, building and construction and resources markets.
Before his current role, Paul was Deputy Secretary for our Labour, Science and Enterprise group, and as Deputy Director General at the Ministry for Primary Industries, responsible for Policy and Deputy Director General Strategy and Performance.
Paul has held a number of management roles at Treasury, with responsibility for areas including education, market interventions and tax policy. He also worked at the Ministry of Health and the New Zealand Planning Council.
Suzanne Stew, Deputy Secretary, Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery
Suzanne brings extensive private sector experience to her leadership role. She began her career as a product engineer in the United Kingdom, working for British Telecom and Sony, where she developed deep expertise in technology, business operations and commercialisation. Following her move to New Zealand in 2001, Suzanne held senior management positions at TelstraClear and Wrightson. This private sector foundation informs her approach to public service delivery and organisational leadership.
Suzanne joined the New Zealand public service in 2011 as a member of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Executive team before joining the Ministry of Justice as Deputy Secretary Corporate and Governance. Suzanne joined MBIE in 2019.
Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electronic and Microprocessor Engineering from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, and an MBA from Imperial College London.
Lesley McConnell, Chief Advisor to the Secretary
Lesley McConnell is the Chief Advisor to the Secretary. She has had a long career at MBIE, previously as the Head of the Office of the Deputy Secretary in the Building, Resource and Markets and in the Labour, Science and Enterprise group.
Lesley also served as Counsellor for Science and Innovation at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC, accredited to Canada, from 2008 to 2013. Since joining MBIE (and its predecessor agencies MSI and MoRST) in 2004, Lesley has worked across science funding and international teams, leading bilateral relationships, funding initiatives and serving as a Private Secretary.
Lesley has a Masters in Environmental Policy from Lincoln University, a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington, and a Bachelor of Science and Technology in Earth Sciences from the University of Waikato.
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Chief Executive expenses disclosure
Expenses, gifts and hospitality expended by the Chief Executive.