The North New South Wales Conference (NNSW) Nominating Committee has appointed Shaun Lorentz as the new NNSW Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He replaces Russell Halliday, who announced his retirement after 40 years of denominational service.

Mr Lorentz brings extensive experience in business and finance, holding an Honours Degree in Accounting Science from the University of South Africa and membership with the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants in Australia. He began his career in South Africa, working in accounting before advancing to roles as finance controller and finance manager in the corporate sector. In 2008, he transitioned to denominational service as an audit senior at the General Conference Auditing Services (GCAS) in Australia.

Mr Lorentz has also served at Adventist Technology, supporting accounting and business systems across the South Pacific Division and overseeing the rollout of eGiving. He moved to the role of senior business analyst at Adventist Schools Australia in 2018.

Most recently, he has been serving as commercial manager for Adventist Media in Wahroonga (NSW), a position he has held since 2020, focusing on sustainability and collaboration initiatives.

“I’m humbled to accept the call to this role and look forward to continuing to serve the church in North New South Wales,” said Mr Lorentz. “My family and I feel incredibly blessed by this opportunity and are eager to contribute to the mission and vision of the Conference.”

Mr Lorentz is married to Adele and they have two sons.

NNSW president Cristian Copaceanu thanked Mr Halliday for his contributions and welcomed Mr Lorentz. “We are grateful for Russell’s significant service and contribution to the church in Australia, particularly his 20+ years in NNSW. We welcome Shaun and his family to the NNSW team and look forward to working together to advance the Gospel Commission. Shaun brings a broad set of skills and experiences to this role, and we are confident his service will be a blessing to our work.”

Australian Union Conference president Pastor Terry Johnson also extended his support. “We welcome Shaun Lorentz, who has ably served our Adventist Schools Australia IT department and, most recently, as CFO at Adventist Media. His innovative strategies have strengthened the church’s digital evangelism efforts across the Pacific. We are pleased to see him step into the role of conference CFO and wish him every success.”

Mr Lorentz will officially begin his role as NNSW CFO in January, with plans for a smooth transition alongside Mr Halliday over the coming months.