Morrison has appointed James Shaw as an Operating Partner to its growing team, following his distinguished political career in New Zealand. His Morrison role will be focused on driving the next generation of investment opportunities that support global decarbonisation.
Prior to joining Morrison, James served in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2014 to 2024 and as Climate Change Minister in Jacinda Ardern’s government from 2017 to 2023. The architect of New Zealand’s net-zero framework, he brokered bi-partisan support for the Zero Carbon Act, reforms of the NZ Emission Trading Scheme, and the world’s first Climate Related Financial Disclosures regime, and established New Zealand Green Investment Finance Ltd.
James was also Minister of Statistics and Associate Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2020 and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity) 2020 to 2023. Previously, James had a 15-year career as a consultant based in London, working with clients all over the world.
Paul Newfield, Partner and CEO of Morrison said, “We’re delighted to welcome James into our team. His focus on making the world better for future generations lines up perfectly with Morrison’s purpose of investing wisely in ideas that matter. I’ve been particularly impressed by his ability to build bipartisan consensus and position New Zealand as a global leader. I look forward to the value he’ll deliver to our investor clients through his global networks and geopolitical insight.”
James added, “I’m excited to be joining Morrison to accelerate investment in the infrastructure of the net-zero economy. I am committed to delivering 150m tonnes of carbon reduction by 2030. Working with Morrison is an incredible opportunity to achieve that and more. I am very impressed with the team at Morrison and its three-decade, proven track record, its entrepreneurial culture and its commitment to sustainability.”
James’s role as a Morrison Operating Partner has been designed to give him capacity to be involved in several other initiatives that support his personal environmental goals.
Morrison has been managing investments in renewable energy markets since 1994 and has built an enviable track record of developing and operating renewable energy platforms around the world. Infratil Ltd, which is managed by Morrison, was an early backer of wind-powered generation through investments in Trustpower and Tilt Renewables. At the time of its sale, Tilt Renewables delivered a 40% per annum return for shareholders following its demerger from Trustpower in 2016. Infratil and other Morrison clients currently have a renewable energy portfolio of over 4 GW and a development pipeline of 50 GW with platforms located in Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia.
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About James Shaw
James served in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2014-2024 and as Climate Change Minister in Jacinda Ardern’s government from 2017-2023.
The architect of New Zealand’s net-zero framework, he has a track record of conceiving and implementing large-scale climate policies and programmes. He brokered bi-partisan support for the Zero Carbon Act, the reform of the NZ Emission Trading Scheme, and the world’s first Climate Related Financial Disclosures regime. He established New Zealand Green Investment Finance Ltd., to scale up climate solutions businesses through growth capital.
James was also Minister of Statistics and Associate Minister of Finance from 2017-2020 and Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity) 2020-2023. He was Co-leader of the Green Party from 2015-2024 and in 2017 led the Greens into government for the first time ever.
Previously, James had a 15-year career as a consultant based in London, working with clients all over the world. He has diverse experience working for large multinational organisations through to local start-ups, social enterprises and community organisations, across Europe, in New Zealand and around the world.
James has an MSc in sustainability and business leadership from the University of Bath School of Management.