Spark Names Stewart Taylor as Chief Financial Officer

Spark has appointed Stewart Taylor as Chief Financial Officer, effective 9 December 2024. Stewart has over 25 years’ experience across a range of finance and executive roles in the financial services sector.

He was most recently Chief Financial Officer at Partners Life, where he worked with private equity firm Blackstone on the sale and transition of ownership of the business to Dai-ichi Life Holdings. This followed a substantial 15-year career at ANZ New Zealand, including as Chief Financial Officer for over four years and Chief Executive Officer of ANZ Investments, along with a series of other senior finance roles.

Spark CEO Jolie Hodson said, “I’m delighted to appoint someone of Stewart’s calibre, with strong financial and capital markets experience. Stewart brings with him a proven track record of delivering on strategy and business results in large, complex businesses. He is a results-oriented people leader, and we look forward to him joining our leadership team.”

Stewart is a Chartered Accountant, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Durham, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Stewart will also be appointed as a director of Spark Finance Limited from 20 December 2024.

As previously announced, outgoing Finance Director Stefan Knight will depart the business on 20 December 2024.

Once the changes are effective the Spark Leadership Squad will include:

Jolie Hodson, CEO
Stewart Taylor, Chief Financial Officer
Mark Beder, Customer Director Enterprise and Government
Greg Clark, SME and Consumer Director
Matt Bain, Marketing Director
Renee Mateparae, Network and Operations Director
Heather Polglase, People and Culture Director
Melissa Anastasiou, General Counsel
Leela Ashford, Corporate Relations and Sustainability Director
John Wesley-Smith, Strategy and Regulatory Director