Board members

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees—a group of graduates and friends of the University who bring a wide range of expertise and experience.

Trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure all donated funds are correctly managed, invested, and disbursed.

John McCay, Chair

John completed a BCA, LLBHON in 1989 at Victoria University of Wellington.

John is a commercial and public sector lawyer who works as a consultant at MinterEllisonRuddWatts. He has experience in the technology, gaming, sports, film, entertainment, and arts and culture sectors. He advises New Zealand Government agencies, local government, and private sector entities.

John has been consistently recognised by publications such as Asialaw, Chambers Global, Australian Legal Business Guide, The Best Lawyers in New Zealand and Expert Guide to the World's Leading Technology, Media and Telecommunications Lawyers.

John currently serves as a board member for Wellington Arts Foundation and the Limbs4All Trust supporting the disabled, particularly in Nepal and Cambodia. He previously served on the boards of New Zealand on Air and the New Zealand Film Commission.

Souella Cumming FCA, ONZM

Souella is an independent director and works with a number of boards in the non-profit and government sectors. She was awarded an ONZM in 2022 for her services to governance.

Souella retired from KPMG New Zealand in 2023 where she held a number of leadership roles in KPMG’s Consulting and Government sector practices and specialised in governance, financial and risk management, and assurance services.

Souella is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), a member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand, and of Global Women.

Souella is on the board of Zonta International and the Zonta Foundation for Women. In addition to her role on Zonta’s board, Souella’s board portfolio includes the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons; Hohepa Wellington, an intellectual disability provider, Special Olympics New Zealand Foundation, St John New Zealand Audit and Risk Committee; and the audit committee for the Financial Statements of Government, Land Information New Zealand, and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Souella is a strong champion of diversity and good governance and is passionate about making a positive contribution and improving outcomes for the organisations she works with.

Souella graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a BCA in Accountancy in 1981.

Alan Judge (ex-officio as Chancellor)

Alan Judge has been a member of the University Council since January 2018 and chaired the Finance Committee until he assumed the Chancellorship from 11 February 2025 following election by members of the Council.  He currently chairs the People and Culture Committee and the Victoria Honours Committee.  He is a Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and a member of the Institute of Directors.

Alan was previously a trustee and chair of the City Gallery Wellington Foundation, and a trustee of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation. He recently stepped down as chair of Pacific Health Group.

Mr Judge was a partner in EY for 29 years and left the practice in 2017. During his professional career, he spent three years as an international tax partner in the London office. Alan was the chair of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants tax committee and was heavily involved in tax policy development with the Bolger and Clark governments. He led the Government and Public Sector and Financial Services practices of EY, was the chair of the New Zealand firm, and a member of the EY Asia Pacific Advisory Board.

Alan lives in and is passionate about Wellington.

Professor Bryony James (ex-officio as Vice-Chancellor)

Professor Bryony James became the Vice-Chancellor in June 2026. Prior to that she was the Provost at Te Herenga Waka, starting in October 2023.

She has previously held various leadership roles in the New Zealand university sector, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Waikato, and Deputy Dean (Research) and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Auckland.

Professor James gained her PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Auckland, and her Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. Over the decades of her academic career her research interests evolved from traditional areas of materials engineering to the intersection of materials, food and nutrition.

Professor James has been recognised for her teaching with an Auckland University Engineering Alumni Teaching Excellence Award, an Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award, and a University of Auckland award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching.

Megan Evans

Megan is a Litigation Partner at MinterEllisonRuddWatts with global experience in employment and public law, and is recognised by international legal directories in those areas. She is a graduate of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Laws (1990).

Megan was a member of the Legislation Advisory Committee and the Legislation Design and Advisory Committee for four years. She was the Honorary Solicitor for Riding for the Disabled for many years and was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Wellesley College for five years.

Raphael Hilbron

Raphael is a founding partner of Agite Consulting Limited where he advises a range of private and public sector clients to successfully manage reputation risk. Before joining Agite, Raphael was Managing Partner for a leading communications firm where he worked for 15 years.

Prior to that, he was head of corporate responsibility at Vodafone NZ and was seconded to Vodafone Group in the UK for two years. In the early 90s, Raphael worked as a reporter for The Dominion newspaper and as a press secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Raphael holds Law and Arts degrees from Victoria University of Wellington and a New Zealand Certificate in Journalism.

Aidan Donoghue—VUWSA Student Representative

Aidan is the president of Te Aka Tauira—VUWSA for 2026.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Te Herenga Waka with majors in Taxation and Political Science, and is currently in the midst of completing a Master's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

He has a strong background in advocacy and advisory, serving as an advisor to the Ministry of Youth since 2022, and has a myriad of experiences within public and NGO spaces, including parliament, the New Zealand Educational Institute and the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions.

Aidan is deeply passionate about students' welfare and their experiences while they study at Victoria University of Wellington and aims to ensure that students are uplifted and empowered in all aspects of their lives.