About Us
Executive Leadership Team
Nigel Philpott
Nigel joined Primary ITO in October 2019 from the Ministry of Education, where he was National Programme Director for a strategic review of the education workforce.
He has an extensive background in leadership and the strategic development of people capability.
Nigel’s vision is to proactively shape the new vocational education system that will come out of the RoVE reforms and ensure that the pathways for ALL learners are seamless whether in full time education, employment or anything in between. He is keen to ensure all stakeholders in the sector work in partnership and not competition and ensure that the voice of employers is loud and clear in the development of skills and learning needed for the critical food and fibre sector.
He has a passion for creating opportunity for all people to flourish and be the best they can be. He has been a mentor for the Prince’s Trust - a youth charity that helps young people aged 11-30 get into jobs, education and training. He is Board Chair of Birthright Wellington, an organisation supporting and advocating for families led by one person.
Nigel was previously the Chief of Staff and Chief People Officer for the New Zealand Defence Force, leading the functions that enable the NZDF to develop its people as a key strategic resource across the Navy, Army and Air Force.
Outside of work he has a private pilot’s licence and flies paragliders and paramotors.
Leigh-Anne Buxton
At Primary ITO, Leigh-Anne is responsible for overseeing the staff engagement survey action plan, remuneration framework/process and helping to implement an HR framework to support the achievement of specific people outcomes.
Leigh-Anne joined Primary ITO in December 2019, bringing a wealth of HR experience.
After starting her career as a lawyer specialising in employment law, Leigh-Anne switched her focus to working more closely with staff by moving into human resources. She initially worked in HR consultancy and then in management roles at Transpower and the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
While at the Regional Council, Leigh-Anne took on an executive management role and led a number of functions across the organisation including HR, health and safety, governance, emergency management, communications and marketing, property and IT.
More recently Leigh-Anne has worked at GNS Science and the New Zealand Law Society helping to steer both organisations through periods of significant change and to develop their organisational capability.
At Primary ITO, Leigh-Anne leads and manages the People Capability team, including health and safety. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Leigh-Anne is passionate about helping Primary ITO and its people to build resilience and adaptability, as the landscape of industry training evolves in the years ahead.
Mike Crossan
Mike is responsible for the development, implementation and review of our product suite, including programmes and qualifications and the corresponding learning resources, in line with learner, industry and NZQA requirements.
Mike is passionate about achieving quality outcomes for learners and the industries they serve.
Mike’s career in the tertiary education sector started at Wintec, as a tutor in the automotive electrical field. He then moved into management, professional and organisational development, change management and senior leadership with the NZ School of Tourism, and most recently LearningWorks. One of his roles at LearningWorks included responsibility for the design and implementation of the company's e-learning strategy.
Mike originally spent 18 years as a mechanic, working on a diverse range of machinery from tractors to Porsche racing cars.
Andrea Leslie
Andrea is responsible for leading Primary ITO’s business development and customer management across seafood, dairy, meat and fibre, horticulture, and primary services industries.
She also oversees the Māori business, government partnerships and schools teams.
Andrea brings a wealth of experience and insight to her role, including from her previous position as National Group Manager - Meat, Fibre & Seafood.
Andrea has been with Primary ITO for two and a half years, joining from CPIT Aoraki Polytechnic. She has thirty years’ experience within vocational education and over 20 years' experience in the sheep and beef sectors. She and her husband Warren have a sheep and beef farm in the central South Island.
Now based part-time in Wellington, Andrea recently completed a term as a Timaru District Councillor and has had board roles for YMCA (both national and local), and has sat as chair on school boards of trustees and the economic development agency, Aoraki Development.