The Dame Malvina Major Foundation Trustees

David Jackson

David Jackson (Chairman) FCA, DistFInstD

A former partner and Chairman of the accounting firm Ernst & Young, David is an experienced company director having previously been a director of Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, Nuplex Industries Limited and The New Zealand Refining Company Limited. He is currently a Director of Mitre 10 New Zealand Limited. David is based in Auckland.

Dame Malvina Major

Dame Malvina Major ONZ GNZM DBE

Dame Malvina was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. After winning the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest and the Melbourne Sun Aria, Dame Malvina went to London to study at the London Opera Centre. She won the Kathleen Ferrier competition while studying at the London Opera Centre. In New Zealand her singing teacher was Dame Sister Mary Leo, and in London she was taught by Ruth Packer from the Royal College of Music. Read more

Robin Brockie QSM

Robin is a retired chartered accountant and a former director of Staples Rodway Taranaki. Robin was founding Chair of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation in 1991 before going on to lead the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Taranaki committee, which he still chairs. He is a Director of Tui Ora Limited, Trustee of the Toi Foundation, Director of the Toi Foundation Holdings Limited . He is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki, and a Lay Canon of the Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary’s.

Alan Judge

Alan Judge

Alan Judge is a former Partner and Chair of consulting firm EY New Zealand. He is Chair of Habit Health New Zealand’s largest integrated rehabilitation provider. Alan is a Council member and Chairs the Finance Committee of Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. He is also a trustee of Victoria University Foundation and sits on the investment committee.

Lorraine MacDonald

Lorraine Macdonald

Dame Malvina’s youngest daughter, Lorraine is a business and relationship manager and qualified financial advisor with a wealth of experience across property, lending, strategic planning, sales, operations and training. Lorraine has a passion for helping people achieve their dreams and has watched from the sidelines as her mum developed her aspirations of supporting young up-and-coming New Zealand artists and encouraging their international careers. She feels privileged to now be a part of the Foundation and looks forward to contributing to its future.

Anna Pierard

Anna completed a Master of Music at the Guildhall School of Music in London before enjoying an opera career in Europe, singing in houses such as La Monnaie, Opera du Rhin and the Palau de la Musica. After returning to New Zealand following the birth of her first child, in 2013 she co-founded Festival Opera and the Project Prima Volta programme, which shines a light on opera as an educative tool, accessible to all young people, regardless of their circumstances.

Susan Taylor

Susan Taylor

Susan is a lawyer and the Financial Ombudsman and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Services Complaints Ltd, an approved financial ombudsman and dispute resolution scheme. In 2017 Susan was awarded a Women in Law Corporate Lawyer of the Year award from the Lawyer Month publication, recognising achievement and success amongst women in the legal profession. Susan is also a public member of the Advertising Standards Complaints Appeal Board. Susan has had a love of opera and been a great admirer of Dame Malvina Major for many years and has regularly supported both the Foundation and NZ Opera. She is passionate about helping young opera singers to realise their potential.

Jenny Wollerman

Dr Jenny Wollerman

Jenny is Senior Lecturer in Classical Voice at Te Kōki – New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington. After completing her Master of Music in Opera at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and advanced courses at the Banff Centre of the Arts in Canada and the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh she returned to pursue her career in Australasia. She has appeared as soprano soloist with key arts organisations throughout New Zealand and Australia and has released several CD recordings of music by New Zealand composers. She completed her PhD in Musicology in 2019, and has acted as examiner for postgraduate examinations at universities throughout New Zealand, as well as being adjudicator for national singing competitions, scholarships and awards including the New Zealand Aria and Mobil (Lexus) Song Quest.

Jesse Watt

A Grandson of Dame Malvina, Jesse was born and raised in rural Taranaki, riding motorbikes, milking cows and making the most of farm life.
Now a Director of a Taranaki accountancy firm by day, Jesse is a talented pianist and brass musician, and a keen runner, with a number of marathon events under his belt. Jesse and his wife Mallory have a busy home life, with young children. He says that he is “looking forward to working with the foundation & co-trustees to continue their long history of supporting NZ artists in their goals and careers, while continuing to grow the foundation, working on its core values.”

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