Meet the team

The SILC team has been assisting people to live good lives for more than 25 years. We are passionate advocates for the people we work with, offering flexibility and a personal approach.

Tony Marsden

Chief Executive Officer
Previously a member of the SILC Board, Tony has been the chief executive of SILC for the past five years. His background is in social housing and asset management, including working for Housing New Zealand (now Kāinga Ora). “We have an incredible team of people at SILC who understand the value and importance of good support. When you talk to the people we support and their families, they can’t speak highly enough about the impact that support has had on their lives.”

Pam Smith

General Manager

Pam is a qualified occupational therapist and has worked with people of all ages with developmental disabilities in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom over the past 35 years.

Her work has included managing multi-disciplinary teams providing services to people with disabilities in remote communities, and more recently managing residential services for people with disabilities in the community.

Pam has been with the SILC team for seven years and is responsible for managing our referrals and placements, as well as our contract relationships.

“SILC is a forward-thinking organisation genuinely invested in trying to find the best way to work with people.”

Lisa Knowles

Chief Financial Officer

Lisa, who originally hails from Liverpool, is a chartered accountant and joined SILC as Chief Financial Officer two years ago after relocating to Tauranga from Queenstown.

She is inspired by seeing the teams she works with develop and grow.

When Lisa is not interpreting figures, grappling with spreadsheets and looking at the finances, she loves nature and is always on the hunt for breath-taking mountain vistas.

“We are lucky to have a dedicated, hardworking bunch within the SILC Group. Being part of an organisation that walks alongside people with disabilities in the community is really rewarding.”

Konchita Borigi

Human Resources Manager

Konchita began her career as a People Coordinator in the HR department at Vodafone, before moving to the Bay of Plenty and working as the HR adviser at Pukepine.

Her genuine passion for people made a career in human resources a natural choice, and now, with several years of experience under her belt, Konchita joins the SILC team as the new HR Manager.

Overseeing all HR functions, Konchita loves being part of a team that recognises the importance of giving back.

“The best thing is seeing the passion that SILC employees have for the people they support. They really put others first and go above and beyond to help the community.”

Rob Wallace

Health and Safety Advisor

As a mechanical fitter by trade, Rob spent 10 years in Queensland working in the oil and gas mines, before returning to New Zealand and transitioning into the health and safety industry.

Joining SILC in November 2020, Rob is responsible for overseeing the health and safety functions for both employees and clients, helping to keep people safe and ensure that procedures are followed.

Rob enjoys working for a company that genuinely cares for others and gives back to the community.

“SILC is a great organisation, and everyone has the same mindset which makes it a really nice place to work. I enjoy being part of an organisation that helps others and supports the local community.”

Debbie Davidson

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Irene Harty

Service Manager

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Pete Miller

Service Manager

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Michelle Moir

Service Manager

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Peter Thompson

PT

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Governance

SILC Ltd is governed by The SILC Charitable Trust, an independent Trust that believes self-determination is an individual’s right and people should be empowered to live fulfilled, enriched lives.  

The Trust’s vision is for a strong local community that embraces human difference and diversity, a place where everyone belongs.

Annual Reports

Trustees

Ron Scott

Ron joined The SILC Charitable Trust in early 2013 and has subsequently taken on the role of Chair. His extensive experience on successful boards has been an asset to The SILC Charitable Trust in ensuring the Board is functioning at the optimum level. Ron wears a number of hats:

  • Chief Executive – Stellaris Ltd
  • Director – Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
  • Board Member – Bay of Plenty DHB
  • Board Member – AA Bay of Plenty Council

Ron is local to Tauranga and his involvement in local business and community ventures is testament of his commitment to fostering inclusive, collaborative communities.

Richard Coad

Richard has many years’ experience working alongside people with a range of disabilities, listening to them about what the problems are and assisting them to find their own solutions.

He was employed by SILC in 1994 and has held various support and leadership roles. He is passionate about people living good lives.

Richard is currently working for Careerforce, the industry training organisation for the health and disability sector. He lives locally, is a father of three, and is a keen musician.

Sarah Davey

Sarah has a long connection with the Bay of Plenty, having grown up in Tauranga. 

Her initial career practicing law, in New Zealand and internationally, provided a solid foundation for the next 20-plus years developing health and disability services at senior management and governance levels, locally and nationally. 

She is currently the Innovation and Improvement Manager at the Bay of Plenty District Health Board. With her husband Trevor, she is also a Director of Latitude Surveying Limited, a Tauranga-based land surveying firm. 

Trevor and Sarah have three children.

Keepa Smallman

Keepa is a board member of Te Tawharau o Ngāti Pūkenga, the Post Settlement Governance Entity for the Iwi of Ngāti Pukenga, and is currently performing a training and quality role for ContainerCo – one of New Zealand’s leading shipping container and flatrack servicing and repair organisations.

Keepa aims to add value to the SILC governance board by applying a Māori ethos to decision making.

He was raised in Welcome Bay, Tauranga Moana, with iwi affiliations to Ngāti Pukenga, Ngā Pōtiki, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūrangitukua, and Te Aitanga a Mate.

Keepa enjoys being involved with SILC and its continual efforts to enable and empower disabled people in our community.

Kenneth Brown

Kenneth is a highly experienced chartered accountant. His career has seen him in senior roles including at Deloitte’s and KPMG, before practicing at his own eponymous Rodewald Hart Brown in insolvency, a business that eventually merged with BDO Tauranga where Kenneth was a director.

Kenneth has consistently and tirelessly lent his financial acumen and skills to charitable causes and boards, including the Bay of Plenty Officers Club, the 6th Hauraki Battalion Association, and 8 years on Bay Trust, with 4 as chairman.

This experience means he has a broad understanding of support groups, charities, and the issues, both financial and otherwise, which they often face, and ways to overcome those challenges.

Lorna Sullivan

Lorna has worked with the disabled community both nationally and internationally her whole working life and is currently Chief Advisor Disability to the Royal Commission of Enquiry into Abuse in Care.

Her work in the sector has been primarily as an agent for change, for the advancement of the social value of disabled people.

Lorna’s initial involvement with SILC was at its inception with founder Peter James and the initial deinstitutionalisation of people from Tokanui Hospital. As a trustee now, Lorna is focussed on improving the capacity of the organisation to be a leader in self-determination and the human rights of disabled people, and to maintain SILC’s close connection to the community is seeks to serve.

Her academic qualifications are in psychology and philosophy. Lorna is an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and a Life Member of both Parent to Parent and CCS Disability Action.

"SILC is an organisation that serves a vulnerable, under-serviced and under-resourced population in our community. I joined the SILC Board to support continuing efforts by the team to make a difference in the lives of our community."

Anna Rolleston