Goodbye to banking - hello Mangere's tarmac

Robert Sinclair

Auckland Airport's new chief financial officer, Robert Sinclair, is excited about his move from the downtown world of investment banking to being beside the tarmac at Mangere.

"It's one of the outstanding New Zealand companies. It's not just a great business, it's part of our tourism infrastructure," the 38-year-old said yesterday.

"The existing management team and board out there are first rate ... They've got a lot on, It's an exciting place to be."

Sinclair is executive director at UBS New Zealand, where he is joint head of investment banking. He has previously worked as a lawyer with Russell McVeagh and in New York, Hong Kong and London.

Airport chief executive Don Huse said Sinclair had worked with the company during the past four years, advising the board and management team on "a range of strategic, funding and capital structure issues".

One of Sinclair's first jobs will be working on the company's second big return of money to shareholders - a capital return of between $100 million and $300 million.

Sinclair said he did not think it was such a big move from the world of investment banking, securities law and corporate finances to the management role of chief financial officer.

"The role of the chief financial officer in the modern corporate is evolving somewhat. It is changing from being a more traditional, accounting-based role to one that obviously includes that highly important part of it.

"But it also has scope for involvement in the strategy, business and operations and part of the senior management."

Sinclair's first day on the job will be April 4.