Our Board
Meet The CatWalk SCI Research Trust Board of Directors:
David has worked for Jarden Ltd since November 2011, and before that Macquarie Private Wealth and BNZ Private Bank. He is an Authorised Financial Advisor (AFA), has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1999.
In 2010, his three children were involved in a car accident which has left his middle child, Holly, paralysed from the waist down due to the car’s seatbelt almost severing her in half. She was 6 at the time, and her 4-year old brother was killed instantly. Living with and caring for a paralysed child has opened David’s mind to the awfulness of the injury, and he has dedicated much of his time since in gaining a deeper understanding of spinal cord injury and the global search for a cure.
David was introduced to Catriona Williams in 2013, and a close friendship ensued. David joined the CatWalk Board in 2014, and was appointed Chairman in 2018. As of November 2019, David has completed the New York marathon five times on behalf of Team CatWalk, and he managed to round up 67 other runners to join him there over these past 5 years. The collective effort has raised over $825,000 to further the cause of spinal injury cure. David’s greatest desire is to see Holly walk again.
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.
Tom’s history has been built on action balanced with a service ethic. Formerly an army officer, he has been working with charities as a strategic income advisor since 2007. In this time, he has been responsible for organisational transformations and multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Tom’s speciality is harnessing the power of the charitable dollar when it is applied for results. As such, he has a wealth of experience of leading practical change at Board level across the non-profit sector.
Tom was asked to join the board at an exciting time in the Trust’s life and was inspired by the determination and drive of all those involved in CatWalk. He feels privileged to be part of the ‘A team’ built by the founders to make permanent spinal cord injury a thing of the past.
Tom has a BSc and is one of only 21 New Zealanders to be an internationally Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE)”
Fiona Webby (Fee) is the General Manager at The Mind Lab where their vision is to create impactful futures ensuring no one gets left behind as we transition from an analogue world to a digital world.
Fee is responsible for delivering the company’s strategic goals and maintaining strong relationships with partners across private and public sectors.
Now in its 7th year, The Mind Lab has taught over 150,000 children and upskilled over 5000 teachers and principals who are navigating a contemporary world.
Fee is optimist, overflowing with an unbridled energy and drive that rubs off on those she works with. She embodies the company values of trust, openness, integrity and collaboration.
Prior to joining The Mind Lab Fee spent 15 years agency side where she was responsible for helping brands in Europe and New Zealand navigate the ever-changing digital world. A country girl at heart, growing up at Hautotara, 11km outside of Martinborough is just as happy with a fishing rod or golf club in her hands as she is taking on big projects with huge aspirations like transforming education with The Mind Lab.
Fee is married to Matt Webby, who imports organic rock phosphate fertiliser from Peru for the family business, Asura. Matt and Fee have 18-month-old Jemima and chocolate lab Jock!
Fee’s goals for 2019 were to start learning Te Reo (tick) and run the New York Marathon for CatWalk (tick).
Fee is Catriona’s first cousin. If you ever see Fee and Cat together, you may notice they share the family dimple on their chins! Fee has been a longtime supporter of the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust and can’t wait to find a cure for SCI see Cat and Sam dance together again when we find a cure for SCI.
Paul Wilcox has been CEO of Auckland Racing Club (ARC) since 2017. As part of his role in heading up New Zealand’s only world-class thoroughbred racing venue, he is responsible for the Club’s strategic direction and business performance across all business units, including racedays, a 364-day-operational event centre and a large property portfolio.
Prior to his arrival at ARC, Paul was a Director of both New Zealand Bloodstock and Pencarrow Thoroughbreds, having held those positions since 2013 following previous roles at Lion.
Well-known for his contagiously positive energy, Paul is a firm believer in that while you may not be able to change the way the wind blows, you can change the way you set your sails.
Born in Matamata, New Zealand, Paul is married to wife Jo, with whom he shares two daughters. Having a friendship with Catriona Williams has given Paul a real insight into the work of the CatWalk Trust, and he sees his involvement as aligning well to his mantra of giving back to those in need. Helping to raise funds for research into spinal injuries in the hope of finding a cure is the driving force behind Paul’s desire to join the Trust. His ultimate wish is to see “wheelies walking again”.
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.
Kirsty has a nursing career that has spanned 30 yrs specialising in Orthopaedics, trauma and spinal injuries.
Her nursing background at the Burwood Spinal unit gives her an integral understanding of spinal injuries and the life changing effects it has on these people and their families.
Having this lived experience gives her the drive to ensure continued support for The CatWalk Trust
Kirsty has also worked in the NFP sector for a number of years helping to raise profiles, fundraising strategy and sponsorship.
Making a difference is her mantra.
Spinal Cord research is gaining momentum, adding value through this time of growth is something Kirsty wants to be a part of.
Make a donation
Thank you for supporting world-class SCI research.
By donating to CatWalk you are helping the thousands of kiwis who live their lives from a wheelchair.
Let’s get them walking again!