Anne Marek

Senior Commercial Manager

Anne joined Port Otago in February 2025, in the newly created role of Senior Commercial Manager — a role built to sharpen commercial thinking across the business.

What did you do before you came to Port Otago?

I'm originally from the United States and graduated from Arizona State University in 2007 with a Bachelor's degree in Finance. Before settling into a career I wanted an overseas experience, so I took an 18-month internship with the order fulfilment team at Fonterra's head office in Auckland. The plan to spend eighteen months living in New Zealand turned into eighteen years.

In that time I have gained a wealth of experience in commercial roles across three primary industry companies, including Sealord and Silver Fern Farms, and become a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Why Port Otago?

A couple of friends had highlighted the role to me, as they thought I would make a great fit. The stars aligned, really. I read the job listing and thought ‘wow, that has me written all over it’. I had spent my whole career on the customer side of the supply chain, so the chance to look at the same problems from the port's perspective piqued my interest.

What does your role involve?

The role was created to strengthen commercial acumen across the business, as part of our data-led strategy. In practice it comes down to three things:

1. Cost visibility. What our activities actually cost us, and what drives those costs up or down. You cannot manage a cost you cannot see.
2. Modelling. Building the scenarios that sit behind a contract negotiation, so we go in knowing our levers, our sensitivities and our downside case — not just the number we hope for.
3. Insight. Turning all of that into something people can act on, in language that makes sense to them.

The third one matters most. Data and reporting that nobody understands changes nothing.

What skills do you need for your job?

Data modelling and analytics. Turning data into a clear insight takes as much understanding of how people think as it does modelling. The visual has to carry the message rather than confuse the reader, so know your audience. It is really translation. I love working with people, especially the ones who don’t like numbers. Everyone is different in how they interpret data, and I am able to flex to those needs. The aim is to make decision makers’ lives easier by serving up clear, useful insight — not a wall of figures.

Relationship building with the wider business and our customers, and building commercial acumen. Commercial acumen is not built in a training course. It is built one conversation at a time, usually when somebody has a real decision in front of them. The measure of whether it is working is simple: people come to me before they make the decision, rather than afterwards to explain it. That takes trust, and it takes being willing to say when the numbers do not support the story. The same is true with customers — the most useful commercial conversations come out of relationships built well before you need them, which means taking the time to understand their business as well as our own.

What do you most enjoy about your job?

The “aha’ moments I get to share with my stakeholders — that point where somebody sees their own part of the business differently, and the decision in front of them changes.
Beyond that, it is the port itself. The industry is genuinely complex, and understanding how the pieces connect is incredibly interesting work. I enjoy getting to know our customers and what they need, and using data and insight to lift the level of service we provide them.

What would you say to someone thinking about working at a port?

Come with curiosity. It is fulfilling work, and Port Otago puts real weight behind looking after its people — their safety, their wellbeing, and the things that make a job worth staying in.

There is also something in knowing that a port in good shape is good for the whole of Otago, not just for the company. What happens on the wharf reaches a lot further than most people realise, and it is a good thing to be part of.