Emeritus Partners Sheffield New Zealand

We honour and acknowledge the lasting contributions of our Emeritus Partners, whose leadership and dedication have shaped our firm’s legacy.

Norman Godden

Norman joined Malcolm Sheffield as one of the first employees of the firm in June 1965. He became Managing Director around 1970. Over four decades, he transformed Sheffield into a leading New Zealand human resources advisory firm, navigating major economic downturns whilst building a client-centred practice grounded in behavioural science.

His leadership spanned executive search with the establishment of international offices, an organisational development practice, and the creation of sophisticated selection and assessment methodologies. Norman's commitment to employing talented colleagues across all levels established the foundation for Sheffield's enduring success.

Beyond Sheffield, Norman has served as a director of four publicly listed New Zealand companies and contributed to the community as founding chairman of the Fletcher Energy Employee Education Trust and founding trustee of the Starship Foundation. He holds a Master of Arts (Hons) from the University of Auckland, where he is a Distinguished Alumni. He is a Registered Psychologist.

Norman retired in the early 2000s at which time he accepted the title of Founding Partner.

TONY FORSYTH

Tony joined Sheffield in 1976 as a trainee HR consultant in the Auckland office, beginning a career that would see him help shape the firm's evolution over two decades. After gaining international experience at Douglas Llambias Associates in London, specialising in the finance sector, he returned to Sheffield in 1983 where he focused on senior-level search and selection in banking whilst driving internal innovation through candidate database development and expanding the firm's service offerings.

His leadership journey saw him appointed Director in 1988, General Manager in 1992 and Managing Director in 1996, guiding Sheffield through a period of significant growth before his departure in 2000.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in psychology from the University of Canterbury.

Following his time at Sheffield, Tony and his wife Moira established and managed a vineyard and restaurant on Waiheke Island until its sale in 2017. They have since retired to the countryside near Waimauku.

SIMON HART

Before joining Sheffield Simon’s career included a significant period with NZ Forest Products as Group Industrial Engineering Manager and General Manager of a manufacturing and merchandising company. He then spent seven years in the computer services sector, becoming General Manager of Professional Services with a fast growing software exporter.

In over 20 years with Sheffield Simon conducted broad business assignments, involving strategic facilitation, leadership initiatives and significant cultural change. His particular interests were in strategy development, the board/CEO interface, situational leadership and organisational restructuring. Simon was a Partner at Sheffield for 15 years before retiring in 2007.

Simon's qualifications include a Bachelor of Science from Auckland University, a Master of Arts from Oxford and a Certificate in Industrial Engineering from the Central Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Management, past National President of the Institute of Management Services and a past National Councillor of the NZ Institute of Management.

Since retiring, Simon has spent 11 years as a volunteer and board member of the Citizens Advice Bureau.

JOHN MARTINS

John joined Sheffield in 1976. His recruitment work, initially for technical, manufacturing and engineering concerns, steadily broadened to encompass a wide variety of positions in all types of organisations. In addition, as part of the organisational development team, he managed a diverse range of interventions, including the use of climate surveys to engage the workforce and achieve positive change.

Following Sheffield, John served as President of the Alliance Francaise, Auckland, and as Chairman of the AF French Film Festival.

John has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London, and a Master of Scicence from the London Graduate School of Business Studies.

John worked in manufacturing and distribution with Ford Motor Company and General Motors in the UK prior to coming to New Zealand.

JOHN SINTON

John joined Sheffield in 1976, bringing extensive leadership experience from the insurance sector. He was awarded the MBE (Military Division) in 1984.

Instrumental in establishing Sheffield's profile and relationships in the public sector, John appointed Chief Executives to key government agencies whilst working with the State Services Commission. He maintained an active private sector practice alongside this work.

John identified and developed Sheffield's first international search alliance relationship, with the firm joining the InterSearch network in the early 1990s. This laid the foundation for the firm's global reach through strategically selected partner networks.

John retired from his full-time role in 2001 and continued working with Sheffield on contract for a further four years.

CHRISTIEN WINTER

Christien joined Sheffield in 1986 and became a partner in 1995. She has been instrumental in advancing our human resource advisory and leadership development practices working with a range of organisations in the private, public and NFP sectors. Her expertise spans organisational development, succession planning, executive coaching and board services.

Beyond Sheffield, Christien contributed to the wider leadership community as a Trustee on the Board of Leadership New Zealand (2013–2020). She holds an MBA from Aston University and a Diploma in Business Studies and Languages from Birmingham City University. Christien is also an accredited DDI Master Trainer and an active mentor through Business Mentors NZ.

MIKE STENHOUSE

Mike’s journey with Sheffield began in 1986, where he led the South Island office and became a trusted advisor to boards and senior leaders nationwide. His work in executive search, governance appointments and leadership assessment has shaped the careers of countless CEOs and directors across private, public and local government sectors.

Mike’s commitment extends beyond business into community leadership, with governance roles at the Christchurch Art Gallery Foundation, The Christchurch Cancer Foundation, Canterbury Medical Research Foundation and The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. He was made a Fellow of the NZ Institute of Management and a Chartered Member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

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