Board
Dan Buckingham is Chief Executive of Able, Aotearoa’s leading provider of captioning and audio description services, supporting access to media. He brings extensive experience across the disability sector, governance, and screen industry.
Dan sustained a cervical spinal cord injury as a teenager and has lived experience of the challenges, realities and possibilities that accompany living with a disability.
Alongside his executive role, Dan has and continues to hold a number of governance positions.
Dan represented NZ with the Wheel Blacks for 16 years, including being part of the team that won gold at the Athens 2004 Paralympics
As Chair of the CatWalk Trust, Dan is committed to ensuring people who live with disability are valued and expected to live full lives, while supporting the Trust’s mission to accelerate spinal cord injury research and bring the prospect of cure closer for people and whānau affected by spinal cord injury.
In 1977 at the age of 15, Grant Sharman suffered a broken neck as the result of a rugby injury. He wanted to be a pilot in the airforce flying Hercules but his injury ended that dream. In 1980 Grant was introduced to painting using a brush in his mouth and after being accepted as a student artist in 1981, by 1988 Grant was made a ‘full member’ of the Association of Mouth & Foot Painting Artists.
Despite breaking his neck playing rugby, Grant took up wheelchair rugby and captained the national team, the Wheel Blacks, at two Paralympic Games – Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and the 1998 World Championships in Toronto. Grant coached the Wheel Blacks to a Gold medal at the Athens Paralympics in 2004. He was High Perfomance Director for Paralympics NZ from 2006-2011 and was a presenter and Associate Producer with Attitude TV for a number of years.
Grant is the Chairperson of Parafed Auckland and a proud Trustee of the CatWalk Trust.
Renowned neuroscientist Professor Martyn Goulding, Ph.D, joins CatWalk in his position at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the USA, where he is the Professor and Departmental Chair of the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory and the Frederick W. and Joanna J. Mitchell Endowed Chair.
With a distinguished career in unraveling the complexities of neural circuits in the spinal cord, Professor Goulding brings unparalleled expertise to this crucial intersection of science and advocacy. His groundbreaking work, marked by a keen understanding of the intricacies of the nervous system, has earned him international acclaim, including the prestigious Brain Prize in 2022 for his pioneering work. lundbeckfonden.com
As a board member, his commitment to advancing spinal cord injury research aligns seamlessly with the Trust’s mission to fund innovative projects that offer hope to those affected. His strategic vision and scientific acumen will be invaluable to the Trust as we head towards a future marked by transformative breakthroughs in spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation.
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Tara is currently Director of Engagement for the Royal Society Te Apārangi following on from her previous role as Head of Research for Cure Kids, investing in medical research with the potential to transform the health of children across Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
After studying both Arts and Science, Tara completed a Masters (Hons) in Molecular Biology and Genetics, and began her career in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and at the Health Research Council of NZ. Moving to London, Tara spent 3 years writing and editing for medical journals at the World Health Organization and The Lancet. She then joined GlaxoSmithKline as a Science Advisor on Pandemic Influenza, and spent the next 10 years focused on controlling infectious diseases across Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
Tara brings a curious and creative approach, with a broad range of experience across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. She’s keen to apply her experience in biotechnology R&D to help the CatWalk Trust target its investments towards research which has the greatest potential to generate breakthroughs for people living with spinal cord injuries.
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After graduating from University of Auckland Medical School in 2005, Simon successfully completed the New Zealand Orthopaedics Association’s training program and was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2014.
Along with his family, he then spent two years overseas sub-specialising in adult spinal pathologies; firstly at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne and then at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Canada.
Simon has a public appointment as an Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at Counties Manakau DHB, where he has been working since returning to New Zealand in 2017.
Simon is part of the Northern Supra-regional Spinal Cord Service based at Middlemore Hospital, where the acute care for patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries from the Upper North Island are referred.
He is passionate about finding a cure for spinal cord injuries and is excited to be a part of The CatWalk Trust, linking ground-breaking research with clinical medicine.
Lee (Waikato Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) is a dynamic force in community engagement and inclusivity. With a rich background in fostering diverse collaborations and advocating for accessibility, Lee brings a unique perspective to the intersection of community impact and medical research.
Lee is the CEO of Care Upfront, a dedicated homecare service provider to support those with complex or long-term care in the home. The needs of those requiring care are deeply understood by Lee who suffered a spinal cord injury at aged 13 when diving into a pool.
Lee’s appointment underscores the Trust’s dedication to a holistic approach in spinal cord injury research. With a proven track record in driving positive change, Lee’s passion for inclusivity aligns seamlessly with the Trust’s mission to improve the lives of individuals affected by spinal cord injuries.
John Fraser is a Professor at the University of Auckland and former Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. John is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington (BSc Hons ’80) and University of Auckland (PhD ’83). He conducted fundamental immunological research at Harvard through the 1980s before returning to Aotearoa/New Zealand as the inaugural Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Medical Science.
After stepping down as Dean, John continues to lead an active research programme focused on immunity, infectious disease and vaccines. He serves on many national and international scientific bodies, boards and programmes and is a foundation principal scientist of the national Maurice Wilkins Centre of Research Excellence.
John served as President of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Immunology (2018-20) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He brings over 40 years of academic and research experience to the CatWalk Trust.
Nicky possesses over 20 years of experience in the real estate sector, specialising in high-end lifestyle properties. She has also worked with a variety of sporting and recreational businesses.
An enthusiastic equestrian, Nicky grew up in a rural farming environment with a strong sense of community. Her proactive attitude and commitment to achievement show in both her thoroughbred and real estate success.
Nicky adheres to principles of honesty, integrity, and trust, values she applies consistently in her professional and personal interactions. She brings to CatWalk extensive networks, with relationships extending across Australia and New Zealand in sports, business, and real estate. Nicky believes relationships are the key to success in everything we do.
Lucy is Senior Legal Counsel at Humm Group and was previously Senior Legal Counsel at Entain. She graduated from Otago University in 2012 and has worked in a range of litigation roles in Auckland and London, including insurance, construction and as part of the United Kingdom’s Government Legal Department. Prior to her current role, she led the Disability and Mental Health investigation for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State Care, which included two public hearings on disability rights matters. Lucy has always been motivated to use her legal skills to contribute in meaningful ways and has worked in the charity sector as well as in human and animal rights.
In her role at Entain, Lucy admired and recognised the importance of CatWalk and its significant history with the international thoroughbred community. She brings a sharp, strategic mind and a wealth of legal expertise to support the continued growth and governance of the CatWalk board.
Justin was born in Hong Kong, schooled in London and tutored at Oxford. Having married a Wairarapa farm girl, he now lives in New Zealand which has been home since 2015. The bulk of his career was spent in Hong Kong in Institutional Equity Trading for a variety of banks including HSBC, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.
On moving to Queenstown, Asian capital markets gave way to full time parenting and annual expeditions into the world of amateur dramatics. However with an empty nest looming, he has been looking for an opportunity to help an enterprise with some Markets oversight and is therefore delighted to join the CatWalk Board of Trustees in February 2026; not least because his wife, Caroline, has been good friends with Catriona since they were young and the Abbiss’ have been closely entwined with CatWalk fund raisers since 2014.