OUR PEOPLE CHRIS FRENCH
Principal Advisor
Kia ora Tātou
Ko Kāpuka-Taumāhaka te Maunga
Ko Waitara te Awa
Nō Taranaki Ahau
Ko French Tōku Whānau
Ko Chris Tōku Ingoa
PROFESSIONAL OVERVIEW
Chris is an experienced and recognised leader with over 20 years’ experience, focusing in recent years on delivering advisory services to establish complex projects as a leader of high performing teams. This includes the development of project management frameworks, commercial and financing arrangements, procurement strategies, business cases and guiding complex resource management processes.
Chris prides himself in his ability to work with client partners, community representatives and mana whenua as partners to deliver broader outcomes to his clients. He has a particular knack as a story teller, breaking down complex technical problems into concepts and language that serves a wide audience.
Chris’s project roles include substantial project directorship, project management and technical leadership roles in complex, multi-disciplinary projects in the 3 waters sector. Chris has also held several roles in construction contract management, as Engineer to the Contract or Engineer’s Representative. While Chris has gained his experience across multiple parts of the infrastructure sector, his technical specialisation is resource and energy recovery, which has been driven by decarbonisation, waste minimisation and energy efficiency policy and initiatives.
At Rationale, Chris leads our market and growth strategy, drawing on his experience in market development, commercial and business management in his capacity as a Regional Manager and a Market Director in two of New Zealand’s largest consultancies.
PERSONAL OVERVIEW
Born in the UK, Chris moved to New Zealand at an early age, growing up in Port Chalmers (Dunedin). After 10 years of travel to broaden his professional horizons in New Zealand and overseas, Chris settled in Taranaki where he resides to this day. Together with his wife (Holly), his two children (Abby and Austen) and dachshunds (Oscar and Kronis) keep him highly occupied.
When he does get free time, Chris enjoys all things outdoors including tramping, fly fishing, boating, camping and mountain biking. He has recently taken up mountain bike racing events as an ongoing incentive to keep fit.
Chris is also passionate about the preservation of New Zealand’s taonga species, and has put his skills to good use chairing one of New Zealand’s largest private conservation projects in Taranaki. He was also previously a Board member of the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia.
