Keynote Speakers
Peter Mersi
Commissioner and Chief Executive of Inland Revenue
Peter Mersi was appointed Commissioner and Chief Executive of Inland Revenue in July 2022.
Prior to this, Peter was the Secretary and Chief Executive for Transport (2016-2022), Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand (2012 – 2016) and spent six months as the Acting Secretary and Chief Executive of the Department of Internal Affairs (2011-2012).
Peter has held senior leadership roles in Inland Revenue and the Treasury, where he spent 14 years primarily working on social policy and the public management system. He has also worked for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Labour, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Bank of New Zealand
Peter has an economics degree from Victoria University of Wellington.
Along with Gaye Searancke, the Chief Executive of Land Information New Zealand, Peter is the Co-Chair of Papa Pounamu, an initiative by Public Sector Chief Executives to support and grow diversity and inclusion in the public sector.
Ruth Owen
Taxation Ombudsman
Ruth was appointed to the role of Tax Ombudsman in July 2024. Ruth brings a wealth of experience in tax, public administration and complaints management, having spent more than 30 years in various senior leadership positions across the public sector in Australia and the UK. Her experience includes employment, social services, education and tax (as a Director General and Tax Commissioner of the UK tax office). Ruth received the CBE for her services to reducing unemployment during the GFC.
Chris Cormack
Kaihuawaere Matihiko | Catalyst
Chris (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) is a proponent of Māori data sovereignty. As the original developer of Koha, the world’s first open source library management system, Chris has spent over 25 years advocating for digital solutions that honour Indigenous values and community ownership of data.
Chris has presented internationally on Indigenous data sovereignty, including at the International Indigenous Librarians Forum and various European conferences on digital rights and open source alternatives. Through his work at Catalyst, he has helped organisations across Aotearoa implement data sovereignty principles while maintaining technical excellence, and continues to advise government and private sector organisations on ethical data governance frameworks
Dr Lisa Marriott
Dr Lisa Marriott is Professor of Taxation at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, and Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Lisa is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand.
Lisa's research interests include social justice and inequality. She has a particular interest in the behavioural impacts of taxation.
She has previously worked in industry as a Financial Controller and Accountant in the private sector in the United Kingdom; and in the New Zealand public sector. For the past 15 years, Lisa has worked in academia.
Professor Kerrie Sadiq
Professor Kerrie Sadiq, an internationally recognised tax law scholar and academic, is Professor of Taxation at the QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Kerrie's research focuses on international taxation, tax expenditures, and capital gains tax. Most recently, she has made significant contributions to discussions on base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS), transfer pricing, and the OECD’s international tax initiatives.
In recognition of her expertise, Professor Sadiq was awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (2022–2026) to address tax base erosion caused by profit shifting.
Kerrie was appointed to the Tax Practitioners Board in 2023, the national body responsible for regulating tax practitioners in Australia. She is also a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA), a Chartered Accountant (CA), a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA), and a Graduate of the institute of Company Directors (GAICD).