our team

Meet the dedicated individuals who lead ENGAGE towards success. Get to know our board members and team as they work tirelessly to drive innovation and growth in our industry.

  • Chair

    Ngāti Toa Rangatira
    CEO, T4 Group

    Dean is CEO of T4 Group and is based in Invercargill.

    T4 Group provides hyper-scale co-location data centre infrastructure to the NZ market.
    Dean is a Fellow of the Institute of Management NZ and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors NZ. Dean has held many local and national board roles over the last 20 years.

    Dean originated from a trade background and has developed strong governance experience throughout his career. He has a passion for people and a strong Health, Safety, and Well-being culture. Dean believes there is a place where process and progress can live together.

    He aha te mea nui o te ao? He Tangata! He Tangata! He Tangata!
    Dean has been appointed Interim Chair for the Cluster.

  • Independent Director

    Michelle Henderson is an Independent Director based in Invercargill.

    Her current directorships include Meridian Energy Ltd, the group of Fulton Hogan businesses across NZ and Australia and South Port NZ Ltd. She is also a Board Member of Cycling New Zealand Incorporated. Michelle is a Chartered Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

    She brings engineering expertise and broad business understanding to the board room from her executive career with Rio Tinto and PowerNet. Michelle brings a passion for sustainable business outcomes, strong assurance processes and workplace health and safety.

  • Co-ordinator

    Larni was born in Australia but proudly raised in Southland, where she has spent most of her life. After graduating from Southland Girls' High School, she took a gap year before pursuing a degree in Sport and Recreation Management, majoring in Event Management, at Lincoln University. Following three years of study, Larni returned to Southland and began her career as the Events Champion with the Southland Business Chamber. Two years later, she transitioned into the role of Engage Coordinator, where she is excited to collaborate with Southland’s engineering and manufacturing businesses to help shape the region’s future.

    Passionate about connecting people and fostering collaboration, Larni is enthusiastic about working with Engage to support the growth and innovation of Southland’s engineering and manufacturing sector.

  • General Manager

    A proud Kiwi and family man, Brendan is a born and bred Southlander.

    Brendan has spent the last 25 years in the civil contracting, local government, and project management space before recently taking up the role as the general manager of Engage.

    Brendan’s role at Engage is to support, innovate and grow the Engineering & Manufacturing industry and capability in Southland, with a focus on collaboration, connection, new industry, and export opportunities.

  • Director

    CEO, FI Innovations

    Gareth along with his with wife Melissa Dykes own FI Innovations, an award winning company based in Invercargill.

    FI Innovations started in 2002 with one employee and one customer, today they serve clients throughout Australasia with a diversified range of products and services from custom manufacturing of high end composites to Additive Manufacturing and product development.

    Gareth is a self confessed “lean manufacturing fanatic” and has overseen the lean programme since 2009. Continual improvement and change has been engrained into the business and into the team culture. Gareth holds a Level 4 qualification in both Composites and Resin Flooring.

    Away from work, Gareth enjoys spending time with his three active sons, squash, disc golf and mountain biking.

  • Director

    Managing Director,
    E-Type Engineering

    Phil is a born and breed southlander having worked in the engineering field for 42 years.
    Phil is the Managing Director of E-Type Engineering Ltd located in Invercargill and has held this position for 20 years.

    During this time, the company has diversified its expertise to meet the demands of heavy industry, including the New Zealand and international Aluminum sectors, as well as the Hydro sector, among others.

    Aside of the engineering sector, Phil has been heavily involved in the fruit growing industry overseeing the development of organic apple and cherry orchards along with the associated packing businesses in the central Otago region.

    Currently his directorships extend outside of the engineering sector where he holds key positions in Springvale Orchard Ltd, Central Organics Ltd and Central organics Produce Ltd.
    In his leisure time, Phil was a keen pilot for over 25 years but nowadays spends his free time restoring vintage motorcycles.