New Ākina Chair Announcement: Te Pūoho Katene

Ākina is delighted to introduce Te Pūoho Katene (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Tama) as the new Chair of The Ākina Foundation.

Te Pūoho has served on the Ākina board for 5 years, and succeeds former Chair, Ben Kepes, who stepped away from the Board at the end of 2023 after five years. A graduate of Stanford Business School and Fulbright Scholar, Te Pūoho’s comprehensive background includes governance, commercial and investment strategy, relationship management across iwi and government, impact investment and social enterprise.

His role as an Obama Foundation Leader: Asia-Pacific has given him a global outlook on leveraging global best practice within an indigenous, values-based lens. An established governor, Te Pūoho also serves Ngāti Toa as a Board Trustee and is an Independent Director for Armillary Private Capital. He has previously held roles with Wakatū Inc’s Manaaki board, and Waikato-Tainui’s Distributions Committee.

We also take this opportunity to thank our former Chair, Ben Kepes, for his notable service to The Ākina Foundation and the wider impact ecosystem, and to acknowledge former trustees, Simon Hay and Wayne Vargis, and thank them both for their insight and valuable contributions during their tenure.

Read more about the Ākina Board.