Management Team
Greg Pollock is Chief Executive and heads a group of five other managers:
Anne Scragg
Derek Pullen
Gillian Peacock
Hannes Strydom
Stuart Ayres
Roshan Abeyesundere
Greg Pollock
Chief Executive
Greg joined DRSL in January 2013. He was previously a Technical Director at Beca, one of New Zealand’s leading professional services firms. Greg has also previously served as a Director on the DRSL Board from February 2010 to June 2011. This experience provided familiarity with the challenges and opportunities ahead for DRSL.
Greg worked for Beca for 13 years, including time in the Auckland, Melbourne and most recently Wellington offices. During that time he had responsibility for managing teams of people in Melbourne and Wellington offices, and also led central government marketing activity. He worked on projects in public policy, town planning and infrastructure and in this capacity, saw a number of opportunities for improved decision making through alternative dispute resolution. This encouraged Greg to complete the Massey Diploma in Dispute Resolution about 10 years ago.
Greg loves living in Wellington with his family, and is proud to be part of the coolest little capital in the world. He has a keen interest in sculpture and the arts and (following) sports.
Anne Scragg
Practice Director - Professional Excellence & Innovation
Anne graduated in law from Canterbury University and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in the 1970s. After working in private practice for some years, Anne returned to university to undertake further study in the arts. In 1986, she started work for ACC as a Review Officer and has conducted over 2000 reviews. Anne is interested in all aspects of medical law and ethics and, during the 1990s, chaired the Ethics Committee of the Southern Regional Health Authority.
Between 1999 and 2001, Anne completed a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Dispute Resolution), specialising in mediation, through Massey University. She is an Associate of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand and on the AMINZ panel of mediators. She is also an AMINZ Council member.
Anne is currently our ACC Manager. She has previously been our Mediation Manager, and is one of the company's front-line mediators. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, music and reading.
Derek Pullen
Manager, Telecommunications Dispute Resolution Services
Derek is our TDR Manager, overseeing all of the company's Telecommunication Dispute Resolution (TDR) service and delivery. The TDR service was established late in 2007, and is managed by DRSL. Derek has been with the company since 1999. For more information about TDR, please go to: www.tdr.org.nz.
Derek holds BA and LLB degrees. He is a Barrister and Solicitor and an associate member of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand. He has many years' experience in legal practice and has also spent some time teaching at a university.
Derek hails from South Africa and has been in New Zealand since 1994. He lives with his wife and two children. He swims to keep fit but is otherwise an enthusiastic armchair sportsman.
Gillian Peacock
Director - Human Resources
Gillian has over fifteen years' experience in senior leadership and consulting in both the private and public sectors. She has a degree in psychology and sociology, a diploma in counselling and is an ICC accredited executive coach. She is currently Chairperson of Volunteering New Zealand.
As a human resource practitioner Gillian has been responsible for the design and delivery of human resource policy, processes and procedures and has assisted organisations and individuals with workforce and succession planning, talent management and leadership development, and organisational and culture change. As a member of the senior leadership team at New Zealand Red Cross Gillian played a significant role as an active member of the Task Force team for NZRC's response to the Canterbury earthquake in 2011. The team made strategic decisions on a daily basis determining the response and the deployment of staff and volunteers.
Hannes Strydom
General Manager - Service Delivery
Hannes has 15 years' litigation and dispute resolution experience and has been responsible for service delivery in courts and at DRSL. Hannes started his career in New Zealand as a case manager working for ACC and also acted as ACC representative at review hearings. In 2008 Hannes was admitted as Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court in New Zealand then worked for a year as a Prosecutor at the New Zealand Police. Hannes joined DRSL in 2009 and held the positions of Reviewer, Executive Reviewer and Manager Adjudication. Prior to moving to New Zealand Hannes worked as a Court Manager and Prosecutor for over 10 years in South Africa. He also spent 3 years in Taiwan as a teacher.
Over the last 2 years he has gained invaluable experience in working directly with ACC to ensure excellence in service delivery to our main client.
Stuart Ayres
Manager, Financial Dispute Resolution Services
Stuart manages the Financial Dispute Resolution Scheme (http://www.fdr.org.nz/). Stuart has an extensive career within the finance sector as well as business and consulting experience in other fields. His finance sector experience includes management roles in UDC and ANZ. He established a successful mortgage broking business and was involved in the establishment and development of the New Zealand Mortgage Brokers Association over several years.
Stuart is a very active member of Rotary in Kapiti.
Roshan Abeyesundere
Chief Financial Officer
Roshan joined DRSL in 2009 from a background of financial planning and reporting, commercial projects identification and implementation, relationship and risk management activity. As Chief Financial Officer he is responsible for DRSL Finance and Support Services. Roshan has strong background in financial planning, reporting, programme and stakeholder management, contract implementation and risk management. He worked for New Zealand Post for ten years.
Roshan is from Sri Lanka and has lived in New Zealand since 1996. He has held many senior financial and commercial roles and is passionate about best practice organisations.
Roshan has an MBA from Victoria University and is a Member of Chartered Management Accountants and Chartered Marketing Institute, UK.