ZEAL - Our Team

Simon Buxton

Managing Director 

Simon is a Director at ZEAL. He is a strategic outcome-based planner, independent director and governance expert with practical, management and leadership experience. Simon has 20 years’ experience in good governance and delivering transport projects, leading teams, innovating, improving customer satisfaction, raising revenue, operational readiness, applying political savviness, developing policy and inspiring people. 
He has global public and private sector experience; primarily in New Zealand and the United Kingdom with exposure to Asia and Latin America. Simon has significant experience in the operation of an organisation, leading projects, and being part of an ELT. He is a champion of developing people & a good steward of teams, leading them to be highly engaged, execute & deliver.  
Simon has a strong focus on governance, transport, planning, finance, customer experience, event delivery and innovation. He is highly adaptable, with an outcome based planning approach and has an ability to integrate and engage in complex environs. Simon is a believer in the application of Wayfinding Leadership; remaining open to potential and, guiding people to develop and achieve. 

IDRIS Jones

Co-Director

Idris is a Multi-Disciplinary Planner and Co-Director of ZEAL with five years' experience across the public and private sector; developing a career as a city shaping practitioner focused on governance, visualisation, legacy, outcomes and delivery.  
Idris has particular experience in helping to deliver pan-agency workstreams, business cases, transport plans and on-the ground infrastructure deliverables. Idris is a troubleshooter who is strategic and forward thinking with an appetite to challenge business-as-usual practices when appropriate.  He has an ability to translate multiple stakeholder views into cohesive summaries or infographics.  
He is reliable and personable, aspiring to a high-level of performance; complimented by clients.  Idris’ most recent experience includes RLTP advisory,  Waitematā Harbour Connections, Te Tupu Ngātahi, and the New Zealand Upgrade Programme. 

Dan Marsh

Consultant

Dan has spent 17 years in technical and governance leadership roles in the public and private sectors in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. With a strong focus on transport network planning, operations and maintenance, his experience spans the lifecycle of transport infrastructure providing insight into many of the challenges and opportunities facing growing cities.
Aside from his technical capability, Dan has a proven track record of delivery across multi-disciplinary and $multimillion projects and programmes. Having been part of large Alliances across Australia and New Zealand in technical, leadership and PMO roles, he brings strong collaborative and relationship building skills to his work, as well as a focused approached on outcomes and value for money for clients.
Dan has a passion for elevating and developing those under his leadership, creating an environment of support, innovation and possibility. He leads by example and strives to cultivate those around him providing a legacy for the future. Dan’s other strengths are his ownership of commitments, prioritising and focusing on what is important and delivering to outcomes and stretch objectives.

SAMIN HUQ

Consultant

Samin has more than 10 years’ experience as a practitioner in the transport and infrastructure field.  Samin’s breadth spans specialisations such as transport planning, business cases, project management, transport modelling, road safety, public transport, traffic signal design, airport master planning and maintenance monitoring. He has strong experience across all stages of a project lifecycle.

He was most recently Project and Business Case Lead for Supporting Growth Alliance. Some of his recent past key roles include Business Case Lead for Drury Arterials, South Rail upgrades including new stations and rail four tracking, Transport Planner on Additional Waitematā Harbour Connections Business Case, SH2 Papakura to Bombay, City Rail Link, ATAP and Otahuhu Station Concept design.

Samin’s track record of successful approvals, breadth of technical knowledge and his ability to go above and beyond to meet client requirements, compliments his easy to work with nature and capability to deliver significant and challenging projects consistently.

ANDREW MORRIS

Consultant

Andrew has spent 7 years in roles for infrastructure and financial markets industries in New Zealand. Andrew has coordinated and managed large, complex infrastructure projects for New Zealand, such as Waitematā Harbour Connections and the NZUP Programme, as well as provided support to Auckland Transport's Investment Committee. 

His roles have included governance support, programme management, procurement, Alliance establishment and management, risk management, interfacing with Treasury, business case writing and market engagement. His experience spans a variety of roles to public sector clients, including Waka Kotahi, Auckland Transport, as well as private clients. 

Earlier in his career, Andrew also managed the Investor Services arm of an innovative fintech business, as well as developed and implemented financial compliance programs. He has delivered multi-million dollar capital raises to early-stage NZ businesses – from writing business cases, executing capital raises, building relationships with investors, as well as establishing a spinoff software services arm as a Director of Operations.

MITCH ROBINSON

Consultant

Mitch has spent 7 years as an engineering consultant primarily in the energy and water sectors. He has gained experience with both public and private sector clients throughout New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. Key projects include the early-stage concept design and economic analysis for the Malabar Biomethane Injection project (the first of it’s kind in Australia) and detailed design of the St Marys Thermal Hydrolysis Plant (second in Australia).  Mitch has also been involved in Business Case work.

Mitch has worked throughout the engineering project lifetime from early-stage front and concept design studies, economic and commercial analysis, through to detailed design, procurement and commissioning support, and operation. He has experience working in both large scale and small teams, with experience managing large multidiscipline and remote teams. He combines a keen technical understanding with a range of soft skills to ensure his teams perform to their highest level.