Peter, the Club's president for 2017-18, is looking forward to his year as President, and plans to build on recent changes aimed at strengthening the club, ensuring the community understands what modern Rotary stands for and does in our community, and ensuring members enjoy the social and community service activities that Rotarians are known for.
Peter was born in Weymouth, Dorset, in the United Kingdom, on December 8th, 1945. At the age of sixteen Peter went to London to begin his training in the banking industry, and so started a life-long career in banking and finance. He initially worked for Leopold Joseph & Sons, Merchant Bankers, where he rubbed shoulders with famous people such as Lord Brooke, Prince Rupert Lowenstein and Jonathan Guinness. His next job was with Exco, an investment and foreign exchange company based in the City of London, where he was involved in starting the Japanese side of the business. Subsequently he and Janet lived in Tokyo for three years, where he worked for M.W. Marshall & Co in foreign exchange.
Peter married Janet in 1972 in Scotland.
After visiting Janet’s brother in Timaru in 1985 and again in 1987, Peter and Janet decided to move to New Zealand in 1989. Peter started work with Martin Wakefield where he managed their clients’ investments, and in 1992 he and Grant Keeley established Keeley Russell Brokers, where Peter worked until his retirement in 2007.
Peter and Janet are regular overseas travellers, and have visited 74 countries at the last count! They enjoy annual cruises; most recently to the Panama Canal, Alaska, the Caribbean, Singapore to Athens, Sydney to Vancouver and in the Baltic.
Peter has been a volunteer driver for the Cancer society for ten years, and he enjoys golf and conchology (collecting shells).