Sanit Kumar, Head of Cloud & Infrastructure Platforms at One New Zealand and Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, spoke with Corinium’s Parveen Sekhon about why governance is no longer a career move to save for later, but a discipline technology leaders should build now.
A trusted mentor gave Sanit Kumar advice that reshaped his career: don't wait until you're ready for governance; start preparing for it now. A couple of nudges later, the idea stuck.
Today, Sanit is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, sits on the board of Sport Auckland as trustee and chair of its Audit & Risk Subcommittee, while leading one of New Zealand’s most complex cloud and supporting platforms.
Instead of waiting to feel "ready," Sanit began building governance capability alongside his executive career where he was already involved in steering committees, investment decisions and strategic planning. Formal governance offered an owner’s lens, not just that of an operator.
As executives, we’re accountable for execution," he explains. "Directors have to think about long-term strategy, sustainability, risk and organisational responsibility." As he puts it, "governance wasn’t a next chapter for me — it was another dimension of leadership."
A key lesson from the Institute of Directors’ Company Directors’ Course: governance is fundamentally different from operational leadership.
Technology executives solve problems quickly; boards take a longer view, challenging assumptions and weighing multiple angles. For Sanit, that's an asset, as different conclusions from the same information serve to strengthen decision-making.
This matters even more with fast-evolving technologies like AI. Sanit points to COVID as an earlier test of the same instinct, with boards working out how to stay resilient through an unplanned crisis.
"Governance isn’t about having the right answer — it’s about asking the better questions," Sanit says.
Cybersecurity, AI, digital resilience and data governance are now core business issues shaping strategy and long-term competitiveness.
For Sanit, boards don’t need directors who understand every technical detail. Instead, they need leaders who can translate technology into business opportunity and risk. "Technology is no longer a support function," he says. "It’s a boardroom conversation."
Board service has also taught him leadership lessons — funding models, constitutions, health and safety, CEO reporting, and even a building warrant of fitness. As he puts it: "The best technology leaders understand finance, people, governance and strategy just as well as they understand technology."
Sanit believes diversity is often misinterpreted. It is not just about different people in the boardroom, but an environment where different perspectives are genuinely welcomed.
He recalls being the least experienced board member on financial matters — listening until the chair noticed, redirected the conversation to governance level, and invited him in.
The lesson: diversity only creates value when people feel empowered to speak. This was reinforced later through the Institute of Directors’ Mentoring for Diversity programme, where different groups reached equally valid but different solutions to the same scenario.
Rather than chasing consensus, Sanit believes the strongest boards create space for constructive disagreement — avoiding groupthink and encouraging innovation. "The best boards don’t look for consensus," he says. "They create a space for different perspectives."
Many technology leaders assume they must wait to be invited onto a corporate board. Sanit advises the opposite: "Don’t wait for the perfect board opportunity. That’s never going to happen."
His first board opportunity came from an unlikely source: a Facebook post seeking a new member. Unsure of his value given his limited financial background, he asked his mentor, who reframed the question: what could he, as a technology leader, bring?
Community organisations, charities, schools and sporting clubs all offer valuable governance experience. Sanit later introduced a board skills matrix to identify gaps before recruiting two new members, not simply filling seats.
Mentorship has mattered too. His Mentoring for Diversity mentor — a director on multiple NZX-listed boards — opened doors, including events that initially left him feeling out of place, but were an important starting block. "You need to be uncomfortable to be comfortable," he reflects.
His advice: start where you can contribute meaningfully, seek mentors, and keep learning.
Balancing executive leadership, governance, community commitments and family life isn’t about saying yes to everything, Sanit says.
Instead, sustainable ambition means saying yes to the right opportunities, with discipline and strong support. He’s been open about his governance ambitions since joining One NZ, New Zealand’s largest telco, flagging early that board commitments would take him out of work hours — support his leaders have consistently given.
Equally important has been the support of his wife, who has backed his ambitions while they raise their two young sons together.
Leadership, he believes, is a marathon, not a sprint. It is built on continuous learning, a strong support network, and the courage to step outside your comfort zone.
For technology executives considering governance, Sanit’s journey shows the boardroom isn’t a destination to save for later. A governance mindset built today makes a stronger executive tomorrow, and a stronger director when the moment comes. "Don’t wait for permission to build your governance journey," he says. "Start where you can start contributing."
Join us at Cloud & Infrastructure New Zealand on 17 November 2026 to hear from Sanit Kumar and many more technology leaders on the governance, leadership and infrastructure strategies shaping enterprise technology’s future.