John Erkkila
Chairman
In 1996 he joined forces with Murray Fergusson to establish New Zealand Home Loans. The first franchise opened in Wellington and within a year there were also branches on the North Shore, South Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. Today there are 58 franchises from Whangarei to Invercargill; the business employs more than 200 staff and has $3.8 billion of loans and $22 million of insurance premiums under management.
In 2006, New Zealand Home Loans sold a 51 percent share to Kiwibank, but Mr Erkkila remained as CEO until April this year and is now an Executive Director.