Tom Howard

Managing Director, BOP Event + Expo Hire

Tom leads BOP Event + Expo Hire, Celsian's Rotorua-based exhibition and event hire business, as Managing Director. He runs the business day to day — from event delivery and customer relationships to financial planning and reporting to the board — with a focus on protecting the business's reputation while modernising its systems and growing its event calendar.

Read the BOP Event + Expo Hire case study

Entrepreneurial foundation

Tom has a track record of building businesses from the ground up, founding and launching his own hospitality and wine retail ventures, including ONE — Onehunga Neighbourhood Eatery — and Onvine. That journey gave him hands-on experience across every part of a business, from market development to setting up and running robust financial systems, with a sharp focus on process improvement and people leadership.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Media, alongside qualifications in wine.

Consulting and strategic guidance

Tom has also advised a range of established businesses on operations and strategy, including hospitality groups such as Melba Group and the Runo Group, wineries including Palliser Estate, and specialist retailers such as Planet Wine. He excels at building efficient, customer-centric operations and at engaging directly with customers to grow markets and loyalty.

Meet the rest of the team