Ryman Healthcare’s ex-managing director, Simon Challies, has become a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to people with neurological conditions.
In 2017, Simon Challies left Ryman Healthcare – the country's biggest listed retirement village operator – due to the toll Parkinson's disease was having on his health.
Challies led the company through its 15th record profit before he left the company and spent 11 years in charge of Ryman.
Challies was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2011 at the age of 41 and continued to lead Ryman with the board's backing. He first started with Ryman in 1999 as chief financial officer.
After leaving Ryman, Challies helped set up BrainTree in 2017 – a joint venture between two charities, Multiple Sclerosis/Parkinson’s Canterbury and Dementia Canterbury, which supports people living with neurological conditions.
He was behind the campaign to open the BrainTree Wellness Centre in Christchurch and fundraised $8 million for the centre, which opened in 2022.
Challies was also a director and deputy chair of Kilmarnock Enterprises between 2018 to 2020, and has been a director at Nutrient Rescue NZ since 2017 and Airborne Honey since 2020.
