The Consulting team
Karen Smith
Director, KEA 3
Karen is a director of KEA 3, an M-co consulting associate firm. Karen has worked on key electricity industry issues including demand-side bidding and forecasting, availability of reserves, transmission pricing methodology development, distribution pricing methodology development, and other market design issues. She also provides advice to the Commerce Commission on issues relating to the Electricity Industry Reform Act 1998.
Karen is an experienced project manager, has excellent organisational and writing skills, strong analytical and conceptual thinking skills, and a sound understanding of modelling and optimisation programming concepts. Karen is proficient in conveying complex technical issues to a wide range of audiences including both internal and external customers, managers, project managers and software developers. Karen worked at M-co for five years. Prior to joining M-co in early 2004, Karen worked for four years at Transpower NZ Ltd as a Pricing Analyst.
DDI: +64 4 498 2257
E: karen.smith@m-co.co.nz
Alistair Dixon
Director, KEA 3
Alistair is a director of KEA 3, an M-co consulting associate firm. Alistair has considerable experience in climate change and emissions trading. Alistair has worked on many of New Zealand’s key economic reforms of the last decade including the 1998 electricity industry reforms, the price control threshold for electricity line businesses, amendments to the Commerce Act, the 2002 climate change policy package, and the Telecommunications Amendment Act 2006.
Alistair offers clients proven expertise in applying his extensive skills in economic and strategic analysis to formulating practical solutions to complex policy problems.
Alistair worked for M-co for three years and prior to joining worked on telecommunications reform, wholesale and interconnection price reviews, radio spectrum policy, internet policy, and assessment of the cost to providing services to rural customers as a regulatory advisor for TelstraClear.
Prior to this Alistair worked at the New Zealand Treasury for 10 years. At Treasury Alistair worked on electricity reform, energy efficiency, environmental policy, competition policy, minerals policy, health, accident compensation, and producer board reform.
DDI: +64 4 498 0018
E: alistair.dixon@m-co.co.nz
Erich Livengood
Director, KEA 3
Erich is a director of KEA 3, an M-co consulting associate firm. Erich brings more than a decade of consulting and international energy sector experience to his projects. Erich provides both data-driven strategic advice in support of executive decision making and proven implementation leadership. Erich's primary areas of focus have included electric and natural gas utilities, international oil majors, and the petroleum services sector.
Erich left M-co is early 2009. Prior to joining M-co Erich consulted in the United States as an Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton. Earlier, Erich established and managed a Brazilian subsidiary for Varco International (now National Oilwell Varco).
Prior to entering the energy field, Erich worked in government service. At various points during his career, Erich has lived and worked in Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
DDI: +64 4 498 0026
E: erich.livengood@m-co.co.nz
Rachel Holden
Senior Consultant, KEA 3
Rachel has an in-depth understanding of regulatory economics and has a proven ability to effectively plan and organise complex projects. Prior to joining KEA 3, Rachel worked at M-co as a Senior Consultant. Prior to this she was a Senior Analyst at the Commerce Commission, providing regulatory advice on the telecommunications industry and project managed telecommunications projects.
Rachel has also worked at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, where she provided economic advice on a range of issues including the impact of increasing freight costs on inflation, and the effects of increasing demand for food in Asia. Rachel also forecast and monitored CPI inflation, and the residential investment, business investment, and consumption sectors of the economy.
DDI: +64 4 498 0046
E: rachel.holden@m-co.co.nz
