Lyn Gillingham, National President

Lyn has been Chair of her BC since 2011. In that time, she has been involved in a remediation, the introduction of a professional building management company to the complex, documentation of procedures and projects, and the management of operating and Long Term Maintenance budgets and funds.

Lyn is the foundation Chair of the Auckland branch of BCCG from September 2014. She became involved due to recognition of the need for better resources and the education of BC Chairs and committees. Lyn says the BCCG is an ideal forum to share skills and experiences and to promote good governance, as well as providing opportunities to work with other groups to press for legislative changes to the Unit Titles Act.

Lyn is a director of Asante Designer Jewellery Ltd, Auckland.

She is also Chair of the the Auckland Branch.

David Cuthbert, Vice-President
and Wellington Committee Member

David is the BC chair of a small apartment building in Karori, Wellington, a position held since 2008, and has worked successfully on seismic strengthening issues. He is a past BCCG committee member and co-Chair.

Prior to his retirement, David worked in the parliamentary complex for more than 15 years, including nine years as a senior policy advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and then a senior Cabinet minister.

David has expensive governance experience, being a member of the Victoria University of Wellington Council for a decade and chairs the university's Joint Student Union Board. He is a board member of the NZ Rail and Locomotive Society and a member of the NZ Ship and Marine Society national executive.

David was co-opted onto the National Executive in March 2019, and has served as BCCG Wellington Branch committee member for a few years.

Tony Brindle, Vice-President

Based in the Bay of Plenty, Tony is a Director of Property Managers Body Corporate Ltd and is a BC Administrator/consultant.

Tony is one of 14 in a workgroup formed by MP Nikki Kaye, which presented the NZ Government with a paper addressing the Unit Titles Act 2010 and Regulations 2011 and its required changes. This has since led to Tony becoming an Auckland executive committee member of the BCCG. He believes the BCCG will give him an added advantage as a positive transparent body corporate administration and consultant operative.

A 30 year background in the hospitality industry, with the past 15 years being in the ownership of a five star Apartment Management Rights operation, has given Tony a wealth of body corporate administration knowledge. He has a very sound ownership and operating knowledge in all characteristics pertaining to Executive Corporate Motel, Hotel, and Apartment Management Rights.

Robert Boyd-Bell, National Executive Member

Robert is a retired Television and Film Journalist and Producer, and also a Director of his private company Kaitiaki Productions Limited. Robert has been Secretary of the Auckland branch of the BCCG since its formation, and Chair of his body corporate for two years. He stood down from the Chair in 2016 but remains Secretary.

As a newcomer to inner-city living and to the Chair's role in a BC building of 33 floors and 185 apartments, Robert has valued the ability to join and share his experience with others in the BCCG. He says he has learned a lot and has much more to learn. He has been on the National Executive since 2015.

Robert is also the secretary of the Auckland Branch and has previously been BCCG National co-President.

Sheryl Langley, National Secretary

Sheryl has been BC Chair for two Body Corps since around 2010. Although both Body Corporates are smaller self-managed complexes, they vary greatly in type, construction, and culture of the residents and the Body Corporates. She has held a number of positions within BCCG Wellington Branch and has been National Executive Secretary since inception. Sheryl also manages her own rental properties.

An experienced administrator and business person, Sheryl brings a quiet order to BCCG proceedings, and her inputs are highly valued by BCCG.

David Watt, National Treasurer
and Auckland Branch Treasurer

David has been Treasurer of BCCG Auckland in since 2015, having been a founding committee member, and has previously served on the National Executive. David rejoined the National Executive in 2017.

He has been BC chair since 2010, leading changes to rules and structure arising from the Unit Titles Act 2010 and its regulations and the introduction of Long Term Maintenance plans. His BC has achieved initial compliance with the new Health and Safety requirements and he has shared this experience with BCCG members in a case study in 2016.

An accountant, David has worked in a major corporate and a number of New Zealand horticulture export organisations and local supply chain businesses. He has more recently worked on a contract basis in project management, and is now retired from full time employment.

David was elected as National Treasurer in 2018.

Maggie Miller, National Executive Member
and Wellington Branch Chair

Maggie has been Chair of a 17 unit Body Corporate in Mt Victoria for more than 10 years. The Body Corporate is self- managed and Maggie is also Treasurer. The property is undergoing weather tightness remediation, a project that started well over five years ago and Maggie is managing this.

Maggie is also an active member of an 8 unit Body Corporate in Kelburn where she currently lives.

As a self-employed contractor, she provides secretarial and property management services to residential companies, bodies corporate and similar entities. She has in the past worked as a legal executive, held various Government department positions involving land and housing administration and was a former Private Secretary to the Minister of Housing. She has also worked in public relations.

Maggie has been a BCCG Wellington Branch Committee member since 2017 and was elected Wellington Branch chair in 2018.

As Branch chair, Maggie also sits on the National Executive.

Karin Knedler, National Executive Member
and Wellington Committee Member

Karin has worked in senior government science and policy positions for 30 years. Her involvement with bodies corporate began in 1996 with unit ownership, initially in Wellington and then Auckland. Her experience in body corporate matters includes:

• 17 years as an active body corporate committee member
• 14 years as a body corporate secretary
• co-management of weathertightness remediation

Her legal and policy background enables her to contribute to better governance.

Karin is the immediate past Secretary of the BCCG Wellington Branch, a position she held from 2015-2019, and has been active in committee matters and in planning the 2016 Wellington Earthquake Seminar Series.

Karin was elected to the National Executive in 2018.

Wendy Booth, Executive member
and Wellington Branch Treasurer

Wendy is also one of the co-founders of the BCCG, working with Neil to establish the organisation. She has been a BC Chair since 2010. Hers is a particularly challenging body corporate, involving three different types of buildings in a single complex, giving her direct experience of the challenges of ownership and utility interest.

Wendy has been Treasurer of the Wellington Branch and National Executive from the outset.

Wendy stepped down for the National Treasurer's role in 2018 but continues as an elected National Executive Member and Wellington Branch Treasurer.

Neil Cooper

Neil co-founded the Body Corporate Chairs' Group in 2012 with a vision that by combining their knowledge and skills, chairpersons could assist one another, along with input from other professionals, to establish higher levels of body corporate governance. He also felt that a single national organisation that spoke for chairpersons collectively, would be beneficial.

He has had extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector for several decades. His body corporate experience started in Auckland in 2001 and he became chair of his body corporate in Wellington in 2009. Since 2007 he has been a manager in several government departments.

Neil had been on the BCCG Wellington branch committee and National President since the group's inception but stepped down from these roles in 2017. He continued on the National Executive until 2018 when he stepped down from all executive duties. Neil remains an active member of BCCG through the membership of his home BC.

In recognition of his outstanding services to BCCG, Neil was made a Life Member in 2018.

Lyn Gillingham, Chair

Lyn is the BCCG National President (supported by Robert Boyd-Bell in a co-President capacity). See above for bio.

David Watt, Treasurer

David is National Treasurer. See above for bio.

Robert Boyd-Bell, Secretary

Robert is a member of the BCCG National Executive. See above for bio.

Tony Brindle, Committee Member

Tony is the Vice-President of the BCCG National Executive. See above for bio.

Karl Hutton, Committee Member

Karl is the Chair of a 60 unit mixed-use BC and has been in the role since 2011. He has a background in the Navy where he managed their property portfolio for 11 years, before moving on to manage the property portfolio for the Ministry of Education Northern Region for a further 10 years.

Karl also has an engineering background, working in private consulting engineering organisations in the 1970s and 1980s. He is a registered Engineering Associate (civil and structural).

Jeremy Whyte, Committee Member

Jeremy has been the Chair for the last 2.5 years, and a Committee Member since 2012, of a large BC of 85 terraced townhouses that suffers from leaks and is currently undergoing remediation.

He grew up in Taranaki before relocating to Auckland to study towards a conjoint LLB/BBUS majoring in Accounting. He is now a Senior Solicitor with Pidgeon Law practicing in the unit titles and residential and commercial property areas.

Jeremy says he and his BC have greatly benefited by being a member of the BCCG Auckland Group over the last 2 years in preparing for their remediation project.

Toni Millar, Committee Member

Toni was elected the inaugural BC Chair and BC Committee Chair in 2015. Her involvement included setting up the committee, dealing with new build challenges and continuing to deal with development faults and flaws.

Toni has extensive governance experience including: trustee of NZ's largest philanthropic organisation, board member and chair of finance and risk of a Crown Entity, past Auckland City Councillor, past Chair of the Eastern Bays Community Board, with Institute of Directors NZ certification. Toni has also run her own business. She is a qualified Commissioner/Chair for Resource Consents under the RMA.

Her community involvement includes: Past President - Rotary Club of St Johns Inc., fighting to save/create parks and open spaces for the community to enjoy, Friends of Auckland Art Gallery.

Toni is a past BCCG National Executive committee member.

Daniel Lord, Committee Member (resigned October 2018)

Maggie Miller, Chair

As Branch chair, Maggie sits on the National Executive. See above for bio.

Wendy Booth, Treasurer

Wendy is also an elected member of the BCCG National Executive. See above for bio.

Judy Glackin, Secretary

Since 2015 Judy has been Chair of a 14 unit BC which is in a character villa more than 100 years old. Maintenance is the major issue for the BC given the age of the building. The costs of major projects such as painting and re-roofing has to be shared between a small number of owners, and putting a realistically costed LTMP in place has been a particular challenge.

Judy's background is as a policy manager and advisor in central government, including building and construction policy and legislation. She hopes her background will contribute to BCCG submissions on government policy on BC issues. She also has a particular interest in supporting the BCCG's role of developing resources and education for BC chairs and committees.

Karin Knedler, Committee Member

Karin is also an elected member of the BCCG National Executive. See above for bio.

Andy Robertson, Committee Member

Andy Robertson is relatively new to inner-city living. He has been Chair of his 24 townhouse complex for two years and has been able to contribute his extensive building and electrical experience of 30 years. In addition, his body corporate has recently reviewed and registered new body corporate rules.

Barin Das, Committee Member

Barin is currently the Chairman of a complex which consists of over 140 apartments and 700 car parks. He has been a committee member of this BC and earlier, at 185 Victoria St, for over 6 years. He has lived in inner city Wellington for more than 16 years and is very familiar with the complex issues facing apartment living. Tertiary qualified, Barin has extensive experience in analysis and economics both here and overseas.

David Cuthbert, Committee Member and co-opted National Executive Member

David is also a co-opted member of the BCCG National Executive. See above for bio.