Nikki Newham

 

Nikki has always enjoyed taking things apart and seeing if she can make them better, preferably with fewer pieces. Her interest in improving our lives has driven her 20-year career in the power industry.  Nikki is a chartered professional engineer, specialising in power system planning and engineering management. Her career spans from technical analysis though to operations and strategic procurement. She is thrilled to see grid enhancements she studied now being delivered through new $3bn long-term contracting partnerships. Nikki’s strength in integrating strategic direction and operational realities made her a natural leader for the internal roll out of Transpower’s Te Mauri Hiko strategic vision.

Nikki also leads the development of Transpower’s drone programme, where she has unlocked step changes in condition assessment productivity and insight, in collaboration with nationwide service provider teams.

As the Chair of the Power Engineering Excellence Trust, Nikki is honoured to be the first scholar of the trust to serve on the Board. She is a strong advocate for developing partnerships between academia and industry with focus on the power industry’s future challenges.

When she’s not admiring transmission assets while driving to trail running locations, she is learning to fly her own drone, working hard to maintain her zero crash status.