Vaughan Samuelu brings a global perspective and a people-first approach to his role as Head of Finance and Commercial at Edison Consulting Group.
Since returning to New Zealand after six years in Europe, Vaughan joined Edison in November 2025 as a member of its Senior leadership team, contributing across finance, commercial performance, environmental reporting, and the Business Services and Technology functions.
At Edison, Vaughan values the balance between a strong underlying business model and a culture that genuinely cares about people and clients.
“What stood out to me is that Edison has built something solid over a long period of time, with people who are invested in doing the right thing. My role is to protect Edison's business while helping it to continue to evolve. That means using better systems and data, improving how we work, and making sure everyone understands how their work connects to the bigger financial picture.”
Vaughan sees a significant opportunity to further strengthen Edison’s commercial capabilities through automation, and thoughtful use of technology, while maintaining a focus on performance and long-term sustainability. As a leader, his approach centres on understanding people’s strengths, building trust, and developing systems that allow people to do their best work autonomously.
Much of Vaughan’s recent career was spent in Berlin, working at fast-growing technology start-ups. He began in finance operations, leading teams responsible for day-to-day financial delivery, before moving into senior commercial roles supporting chief executives across the UK and Germany. The experience gave him exposure to rapid growth environments, complex decision-making, and the creation of scalable operations.
Vaughan trained as a Chartered Accountant at PwC, working in the private business team with small to medium-sized enterprises. He also served as a Business Partner at Summerset Group, partnering closely with operational leaders and gaining experience in a listed company environment.
Outside of work, Vaughan has a long-standing connection to sport. He has played rugby since childhood and, more recently, served as player-coach of the German national touch rugby team, leading them to a fourth-place finish at the Touch World Cup in the UK. Now based in Wellington, he continues to play and coach at a community level. Vaughan and his wife are also actively involved in coaching women’s basketball while raising their young, growing family.
