Chief Executive WellingtonNZ

John Allen is Chief Executive of WellingtonNZ, the Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency and Chancellor at Victoria University Wellington - Te Herenga Waka. He Chairs the Barnardos Board of Directors and sits on the advisory board of Koi Tu: The Centre for Informed Futures, and Wellington Uni-Professional.

John has held a number of senior business leadership positions including as Chief Executive of New Zealand Post, Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Racing Board. A former Partner of Rudd Watts & Stone, specialising in commercial and public policy issues, John has also been a visiting Lecturer in Law at Victoria University of Wellington. He is an experienced company director having been on Boards including Kiwibank, Datacom, Te Papa, The New Zealand Festival, New Zealand Stroke Foundation.