The team behind the Foundation

Sarah Davey

Chief Executive

Sarah has a proven track record of leadership in healthcare organisations, having held key senior management, executive and governance positions across health, disability, NGO and government sectors in New Zealand over two decades. Her most recent roles have been with Te Whatu Ora (and previously the Bay of Plenty DHB) in leading service improvement, innovation, design, and development. Along with her background in leadership and innovation, Sarah also brings a strong commitment to equity. Her extensive knowledge of healthcare systems, strategic planning, and collaborative approach will undoubtedly strengthen the efforts to reduce the burden of hepatitis in New Zealand.

Cherie Stevenson

Communications Advisor

Cherie has a varied role that ranges from communications, education, digital channel management, events, social media and building relationships with staff and stakeholders.

She has over 15 years of marketing communication expertise. Specialities include digital marketing, planning, strategy, stakeholder management, project management, design (including web) and event management.

Alex Lampen-Smith

Clinician

After completing a Masters in palliative care in end-stage liver disease and a fellowship in hepatology, Alex became a consultant gastroenterologist at Bay of Plenty District Health Board, specialising in hepatology. Since May 2016 she has also been our clinical director, providing specialist knowledge and support to our community nurses and the many thousands of people living with hepatitis B. In November 2019 she was promoted to head of the gastroenterology department at Tauranga Hospital.

Chris Moyes

Clinician

Chris has been interested in hepatitis since 1979, when he studied the epidemiology of hepatitis B and undertook vaccine trials. He has been involved in treating people with hepatitis B and C since the early 1990s. Chris has initial specialist qualifications in adult medicine and paediatrics. He is partly retired but still works in hepatitis and paediatrics. Chris is married with one child and lives in Whakatane. His interests include trout fishing, sailing, kayaking, classical guitar and European travel.

Wayne Bai

Clinician

Wayne is a gastroenterologist at Waikato Hospital. Originally from Hong Kong, he came to New Zealand in 1993 and loves Hamilton because of its central location. He also likes travelling, cars, dogs, coffee and apples, not necessarily in that order. Wayne is passionate about gastroenterology, with a particular interest in portal hypertension and fatty liver disease. He's fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin and belongs to the NZ Society of Gastroenterology, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

Lucy Rio

Maori Engagement Co-ordinator

Lucy is of Cook Island/Māori descent. Her father comes from Aitutaki and her mother is Ngā Rauru from Waitōtara in Taranaki. Lucy was born and raised in the heart of Te Urewera. She's been with us since 2018 in an executive assistant role. She now has responsibility for building relationships with Maori organisations and healthcare partners, to enable us to better incorporate cultural needs into our work. Lucy's interests include camping, gardening and spending time with her three daughters and grandchildren.

Board members

William Rainger

Board Chair

William is the Auckland Public Health Service medical officer of health and has a strong background in governance, strategic leadership and operational management for organisations. He has more than 20 years’ experience in health services management.

Steve Napier

Board Member

Steve is a professional director with 40 years’ experience in the funds management and share-broking industries. He sat on the board of directors for the Government Superannuation Fund (GSF) for six years to June 2014, and was a share-broker in his own firm in Whakatane from 1998-2010.

Christine Chambers (QSM)

Board Member

Christine worked in local government from 1989-2013, serving two terms as deputy mayor for the Whakatane district. During that time she was also co-directed a local engineering company with her husband. Christine joined the Hepatitis Foundation in 1997 and chaired the board from 2001-2011. She has a sound knowledge of financial and strategic planning and has recently retired as a resource management commissioner.

Prof Ed Gane

Board Member

Ed Gane is a professor of medicine at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and deputy director of the New Zealand Liver Unit at Auckland City Hospital. He is an investigator for many international clinical trials of new therapies for chronic viral hepatitis and has published about 300 articles. Ed chairs the Ministry of Health HCV implementation committee and in 2017 was awarded the New Zealand Innovator of the Year for his work towards HCV elimination in NZ.

Brian Ritchie

Board Member

Brian is a retired chartered accountant, having finished work in 2018 after 28 years in public practice in Whakatane. He brings a background of commercial accounting and general accounting knowledge to the board, and sits on the finance and audit sub-committees.

Anna Rolleston

Board Member

Dr Anna Rolleston is of Ngati Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Pukenga descent. She is managing director of Manawaora/The Centre for Health, which specialises in a kaupapa Maori primary care approach to long-term condition management. She is a recognised health researcher and co-director of the Healthy Hearts for Aotearoa Centre of Research Excellence. Anna also holds a senior research fellowship role at Auckland University and sits on a range of advisory committees and governance boards.