Lindsay Faithfull

Every generation of McKay’s leadership has had to prepare the business for a different era in New Zealand’s infrastructure journey. Lindsay Faithfull’s has been the transition to electrification. When he joined the family business more than three decades ago, he recognised that long-term success would depend on anticipating where the country’s energy and infrastructure needs were heading, then investing before demand arrived.

As Managing Director and majority owner, Lindsay has guided McKay from traditional electrical services into renewable energy, marine electrification and major infrastructure. That evolution has required sustained investment in engineering expertise, manufacturing capability and specialist skills, positioning the company to take on increasingly complex projects. McKay is now a key delivery partner for many of New Zealand’s largest utility-scale solar developments, while also helping pioneer electric marine transport through projects including Wellington’s Ika Rere and Samoa’s first solar-electric passenger catamarans.

The company now employs around 900 people across 11 branches and remains one of New Zealand’s largest privately owned electrotechnology businesses. Alongside its work in renewable energy, McKay continues to deliver major industrial, commercial and infrastructure projects, supported by long-standing partnerships across manufacturing, utilities and heavy industry. Lindsay has also maintained a strong commitment to apprenticeships, regional employment and working alongside iwi and local communities as the business grows.

The next phase of McKay is being shaped by the same discipline that has carried it through nearly nine decades: read the market early, build the capability, and keep investing in the people who can deliver the work. That approach now sits behind McKay’s role in helping power a more electrified New Zealand.