A-Z list of profiles

Claire Achmad

Manager Advocacy - Barnardos.

Carl Adams

Carl is an international humanitarian and development assistance professional.

Syed Adeel Ali

Co-founder & CEO, APIMatic.

Dr Emily Afoa

Chartered engineer Dr Emily Afoa (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) places mātauranga and tikanga Māori at the centre of her practice as a water professional.

Liz Alder

Founder - Walking on Water Surf School.

Maria Jose Alvarez

Maria Jose Alvarez moved from biotech entrepreneur to venture capitalist in several inspiring steps.

Oshni Arachchi

Head of Responsible Investment (Sweden) / Global Head of Sustainability Data, Screening and Processes - Danske Bank Asset Management.

Ryan Archibald

Business Innovation Manager, Auckland Unlimited.

Jane Arthur

Jane Arthur is one of New Zealand’s upcoming, award-winning poets.

Edward Ashby

Board member, Te Kawerau Iwi Tiaki Trust.

Nawaz Ahmed

Crypto expert and angel investor.

Melissa Ansell-Bridges

At 31, Melissa Ansell-Bridges is the youngest ever National Secretary of the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU), the country’s largest democratic organisation.

Edith Amituanai

Edith Amituanai is a contemporary artist who is acclaimed for photographing her local Samoan and family community in Auckland where she was born.

Vivian Aue

Artistic Director of AUĒ Dance Company NZ & Manukau Institute of Technology Lecturer in Performing Arts.

Jason Bae

Concert pianist, Steinway artist - Steinway & Sons.

Judith Barback

Editor - Education & Health.

Benjamin Bartle

As director of climate finance at the Rocky Mountain Institute, Benjamin Bartle leads a global programme mobilising finance for energy transition investments.

Holly Bennett

Holly Bennett (Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao) is the founder of Awhi, a kaupapa Māori government relations firm.

James Bergin

Executive General Manager - Engineering & Architecture, Xero.

Kunal Bhargava

Engineering Manager, Apple.

Mofei Bian

Investor.

Eloise Blackwell

Black Fern, Teacher - Epsom Girls Grammar.

Matty Blomfield

Co-founder & CEO, Hectre Group Limited.

Emma Blomkamp

Co-design coach.

Rosie Bosworth

Future of Foods Expert and Thought leader.

Shea Bowden

Shea Bowden is deputy principal at Manurewa West School.

Kate Boylan

Kate Boylan was named the 2019 NZ Green Building Council Future Thinker of the Year and has previously served on the board of The Now Crowd, a young professionals network for sustainability “intrapreneurs”

Jared Broad

Jared Broad is the CEO and founder of US-based firm QuantConnect.

Troy Brockbank

Water engineer Troy Brockbank is on a mission to put te ao Māori, or a Māori worldview, at the centre of water engineering in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Luciane Buchanan

Luciane Buchanan is an actor, producer and screenwriter, who stars in The Night Agent thriller series, one of Netflix’s five most popular English-language shows.

Joshua Buckley

Operating executive, Control Air Enterprises.

Mark Campbell

Jasper has since emerged as one of Australasia's fastest-growing fund managers.

Alex Casey

Senior writer, TV host - The Spinoff.

Kristina Cavit

A profile of Kristina Cavitt, Founder and Director of The Kindness Institute.

Elizabeth Chan

Associate - Three Crowns LLP.

Nat Cheshire

Cheshire Architects Ltd.

Anand Rajkumar Chordia

Anand Chordia is the Director - Technology & Innovation - of Suhana Spices, a leading food processing company based in India, offering traditional food products in global markets.

Jenny Chu

Senior Civil Project Engineer - City Rail Link Ltd.

Jericho Clearfield

Founder, Bountie.

Geoff Cooper

International Financial Economic Associate - Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Tan Copsey

Tan Copsey has been working in the climate change arena since university.

James Corbett

James Corbett is co-founder of Auror, a company helping to reduce retail crime.

Gavin Correia

Recording Artist.

Claire Cowan

Composer.

Emmet Cox

Pilot.

David Dallas

Musician - Mean As Music.

Nicholas Dalton

Founding Director, TOA Architects

Emma Dawson

Global Head of Talent Development - Dropbox.

Meg de Ronde

Meg de Ronde (Pākehā) is tatau-uruora (chief executive) of Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission.

Peter Dingle

Head of Innovation, RBWM Digital - HSBC.

Nishika De Rosairo

Founder and CEO - Experiential Insight.

Te Aopare Dewes

Hoa Rangapū (partner), Chapman Tripp.

Pippa Dryland

Technical Specialist - LabPlus, ADHB.

Eleshea D’Souza

Founder & director, Art in Bloom Academy; Corporate development manager, LIC.

Alexei Dunayev

Founder, TranscribeMe.

Morgan Edwards

Doctor, Waitematā DHB.

Sara-Jane Elika

Sara-Jane Elika is a media consultant and director of ECG Consulting Group, creating solutions for business sustainability and cultural engagement in both the private and public spheres.

Dr Riley Elliott

Dr Riley Elliott is a shark scientist, adventurer and TV host.

Hamish Elmslie

Hamish Elmslie had been enjoying a successful career at the Bank of New Zealand when a dinner with Richard Branson and a University of Auckland Masters course changed his direction entirely.

Dr Emma Espiner

Dr Emma Espiner is a doctor, podcaster and author motivated to draw attention to the inequity of the health system.

Peter Fa'afiu

Partner - Navigator Ltd.

Alex Fala

CEO, Vend

Lanu Faletau

Solicitor, Auckland Council.

Donovan Farnham

Donovan Farnham (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe) is a teacher, Māori-language translator, consultant and businessman.

Isuru Fernando

Isuru Fernando is the Corporate Leader of Google’s ambition to establish the Cloud and Artificial Intelligence in New Zealand.

Graeme Fielder

Corporate Development, Audentes Therapeutics.

Mark Finch

CTO, Vicon Motion Systems.

Dane Fisher

General Manager of Global Business Transformation & Brand - Infiniti Motor Company Ltd.

Imche Fourie

CEO, Outset Ventures.

Emma Foy

Paralympian cyclist Emma Foy has won 15 World Championship medals across road and track, six world titles, two Paralympic medals and is the world record holder with Hannan van Kampen for the 3,000 metre tandem pursuit.

Rez Gardi

Solicitor - Chapman Tripp.

Rahul Gandhi

Cardiology resident, Capital and Coast DHB.

Michal Garvey

Founder & director, Foodprint.

Mimi Gilmour

Creative Leader & CEO - Burger Burger Ltd.

Freddy Gonzalez

Mechanical engineer Freddy Gonzalez is the co-founder of Vertus Energy, a company that builds reactors for converting waste to energy.

Tessa Gould

Head of Revenue & Growth, SoulCycle.

Stephan Grabowski

COO - KOKO Networks.

Janine Grainger

Janine Grainger is the CEO of Easy Crypto, an online platform that simplifies the process of buying, selling and exchanging crypto so even complete financial novices can engage with digital currencies.

Duncan Greive

Founder - The Spinoff.

Amalia Hall

Lydia Hascott

Lydia Hascott is Head of Intrapreneurship at the London-based Finance Innovation Lab.

Chris Heaslip

Co-founder & CEO - Pushpay.

Elisapeta Heta

Architecture Graduate - Jasmax.

David Higgins

Founder and Owner - Duco Promotions.

Kimberley Hikaka

“University provided me with an environment where I could try out the different elements of filmmaking without being pigeon-holed straight away, which is often the challenge you face if you go straight into employment.”

Mahmood Hikmet

Mahmood Hikmet is Head of Research and Development at Ohmio, a world leader in autonomous vehicle design.

Richard Hobbs

General manager strategy and customer, Transpower.

Marcia Hopa

Radio and television presenter; graphic designer, Niwha Creative Ltd.

Hannah Hong

Last year, Hannah Hong founded her own skincare range, Lemon & Beaker. It was a meaningful point on a journey that began for her as a teenager entranced by skincare products.

Sammy Hughes

Howard Hunt

Howard Hunt is co-founder of HERE®, a social enterprise creating free mental health tools for communities and staff on the front lines of trauma including victims of violence, at risk-youth, refugees and other mental advocacy groups.

Elizabeth Iorns

Founder and CEO - Science Exchange.

Ziena Jalil

Board Director - Manukau Institute of Technology, Unitec, and DNA Design; Trustee - Asia New Zealand Foundation; and Board Member - Cancer Society of New Zealand.

Nurain Janah

Nurain Janah is a social entrepreneur, speaker and facilitator. In 2017 she was a finalist for the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards and also represented New Zealand at the UN Commission on the Status of Women advocating for young women of colour in the workplace.

Phoebe Jasper

Phoebe Jasper is a London-based songwriter, producer and performer.

Dr Izzy Jayasinghe

Izzy Jayasinghe is an associate professor in optical microscopy and cellular biophysics and head of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of New South Wales.

Todd Karehana

Freelance Writer and Director.

Simran Kaur

Simran Kaur is the founder of Girls That Invest, a podcast that has grown into an online phenomenon, helping millions of women learn how to invest and, unapologetically, make money.

Alex Kendall

Alex Kendall is a research fellow at the University of Cambridge and the co-founder and CEO of tech start-up Wayve, the first company to test self-driving vehicles in central London.

Imogen Kerr

Director, Specialist at Christie’s London.

Shilo Kino

Writer and journalist.

Mal Lakatani

Malcolm Lakatani is a musician and educator who co-founded the Creative Souls Project and the Little Souls Music Academy in Auckland, social enterprises that offer arts and music education to youngsters and teens.

Zac Langdon-Pole

Zac Langdon-Pole is an award-winning artist who has exhibited his photographic and sculptural conceptual works to critical acclaim.

Dave Larsen

Chief Executive - Rayglass Boats.

Manase Latu

Lindemann Young Artist, Metropolitan Opera.

Jaimes Leggett

Group CEO - M&C Saatchi.

Nadine Levitt

Founder and CEO - Wurrly.

Sarah Liu

Founder / Director, The Dream Collective.

Angela Lim

Doctor, CEO, Board Member - Ministry of Youth Development Partnership Fund Board.

William Lockie

For alumnus William Lockie, learning at university was just as much about the things he did around his courses – from his role in the university's Velocity entrepreneurship scheme to the "side hustles" that helped pay the bills.

Karl Loo

Founder and CEO - ServisHero.

Dr Lana Lopesi

Tianyi Lu

Conductor - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Sam Lucas

Social Entrepreneur, Onja.

Jane Ludemann

Jane Ludemann is the founder of Cure Our Ovarian Cancer, a charity on a mission to help women with ovarian cancer live better, longer lives.

Karena Lyons

Vice President and Director of Research, Director (Designate) of the Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Centre.

Charles Ma

Founder and CEO - Made Group Ltd.

Jennifer Ma

Founder / CEO, little oasis group.

Alex Magaraggia

Co-Founder/Director, Ecoware.

Shana Talivaa Malio

Shana Malio-Satele is a Partnered Delivery Manager at ACC, leading work on injury prevention strategies for Child, Youth, Wellbeing.

Ipshita Mandal

Consultant - McKinsey & Company; Co-founder - Global Biotech Revolution C.I.C.

Boopsie Maran

Founder and Director of Urban Strategy, Places for Good.

Jethro Marks

CEO - The Nile.

Emil McAvoy

Emil McAvoy is an artist, art writer, educator and consultant.

Dr Lloyd McCann

CEO, Mercy Radiology and Clinics.

Karina McHardy

Independent consultant.

Hannah McQueen

Founding Director - enableMe.

Courtney Sina Meredith

Writer & Arts Manager.

Kate Meyer

Business director - sustainability, Beca; Executive director, Planetary Accounting Network.

Jessica Miao

Founder & CEO, United Media Solution.

Richard Misilei

Community Library Manager, Auckland Council.

Michael Moka

Michael Moka is the founder of Indigenous Growth Ltd, a consultancy that empowers employees with a programme based on indigenous values.

Sean Molloy

Sean Molloy is one of the three co-founders of Avertana, a business that focuses on circular economy technology producing essential inputs for construction, food production and water treatment from industrial waste.

Melanie Morten

Assistant Professor of Economics - Stanford University.

Jason Myers

Chief Executive - New Zealand AIDS Foundation.

Angus Muir

Designer.

Hala Nasr

PhD Candidate - University of Melbourne.

Alex Ng

Deputy Director of China Program, Head of Health, Innovation & Partnerships - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Red Nicholson

Project Lead, Curative.

Ruban Nielson

Musician.

Kate Newby

Artist.

Pania Newton

Ngapuhi, Te Rarawa, Waikato, Ngati Mahuta.

Sachie Nomura

A profile of chef Sachie Nomura.

Ben O'Brien

CEO - StretchSense Ltd.

Lesieli Oliver

Lesieli Oliver is the founder of Lālanga, an organisation dedicated to empowering Māori and Pacific students through mentoring programmes and by providing low-decile schools with culturally relevant learning content.

Pinaman Owusu-Banahene

Natalia Palamo

For the past four years, Natalia Palamo has been Senior Engineer at the Department of Port Administration in American Samoa, with responsibility for airport and seaport projects.

Bowen Pan

Product Manager - Facebook.

Mel Parsons

Musician.

Manoj Patel

A profile of Manoj Patel, Director of Clinical Innovation and Medical Services.

Jessica Pearless

Jessica Pearless is a co-director of Paragon Matter Art Services and of Northart, Auckland’s North Shore public art gallery.

Jimmy Chih-Hsien Peng

Jimmy Chih-Hsien Peng is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore.

Craig Piggott

Founder & CEO, Halter.

William Pike

Director - The Pike Experience Ltd.

Erin Polaczuk

National Secretary - PSA Te Pukenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

Ruby Porter

Ruby signed up for Paula’s Masters of Creative Writing, a degree she admits she hadn’t even known existed previously. It proved to be a game changer.

Allen Qu

Founder and CEO - Netconcepts China.

Michael Quirke

Michael Quirke is the Chief Operating Officer for Mercy Radiology and the Director of Strategic Partnerships for Healthcare Holdings – the parent company of MercyAscot Hospitals. Michael is the current Chair of the Child Poverty Action Group and is a board member of the Auckland District Health Board.

Tāmati Rākena

Co-founder of Tahunakura Charitable Trust and Taiao Clothing.

Caroline Rainsford

Country Director, Google NZ.

Kaushala Ratnayake

Kaushala Ratnayake is head of strategy at Bauer Media, one of Europe's largest publishing companies.

Jeet Raval

Professional Cricketer.

Ivan Ravlich

Ivan Ravlich is CEO of California-based start-up Hypernet Labs, which is pioneering cutting edge cyberinfrastructure for researchers around the globe to run large-scale data analysis and simulation. Ivan is one of US Forbes’ magazine’s 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs for 2020.

Caroline Rawlinson

CFO - Trade Me.

Dipra Ray

Managing Director & CEO - mPort.

Zoë Reece

Zoë Reece is the founder and CEO of Ora Pharm, a Waikato-based company growing sustainably produced medicinal cannabis.

Ben Reynolds

US-based Ben Reynolds is the co-founder and CEO of Spalk, a company that works with sports organisations to enable them to provide live match commentaries in as many languages as their audiences demand.

Jonti Rhodes

General Manager Supply Chain, Facilities & Sustainbility - Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.

Kate Riegle van West

Founder & CEO, SpinPoi.

Anna Robinson

Researcher and Coordinator, All-Party Parliamentary Group on LGBT+ Rights, UK Parliament.

Karl Rock

YouTuber.

Cat Ruka

Executive Director, Basement Theatre.

Dr Valeria Sadovykh

After arriving in Auckland as a solitary teenager from Eastern Europe and spending 11 years studying part-time while working to pay her way, Dr Valeria Sadovykh is now shaping thinking on the use of AI at the world’s biggest software company.

Chandni Sahrawat

Director and Operations Manager Sidart, Cassia and Sid at The French Cafe.

Amber Sainsbury

Trustee - Dramatic Need.

Thomas Sainsbury

Freelance Artist.

Nuwanthie Samarakone

Director, ICE Professionals.

Ben Sanders

Author.

Thomas Scelo

Director - Marshall Day Acoustics.

Wared Seger

CEO - Parrot Analytics.

Dr Manuel Seidel

Dr Manuel Seidel is the founder and CEO of ecoPortal, a Faculty of Engineering spin-out success story that today employs more than 70 staff worldwide, and has a client list that includes industry giants such as BNZ, Foodstuffs, The Warehouse and Briscoes.

Dmitry Yu Selitskiy

Dmitry Selitskiy is the Founder & CEO of Thought-Wired, a non-invasive universal brain-computer interface that provides an assistive tool for people who cannot move and talk.

Avinash Sharma

Surgeon and Public Health Researcher.

Jaime Short

Director, Infrastructure Cook Islands.

Priya Singh

Founder & CEO of Karma Collective, Mentor me Fiji Foundation and Pop the Question.

Robyn Scott

Co-founder and CEO - Apolitical.

Talita Setyadi

Managing Director and Pastry Chef - BEAU Bakery.

Priyanka Shekar

Music Technologist.

Alanna Simpson

Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist - World Bank Group.

Sudhvir Singh

Policy Director - EAT.

Anna Smaill

Poet and novelist.

Dr Shane Smith

Ed-tech innovator Shane Smith is co-founder of Education Perfect, a company that proves it’s not just multibillion-dollar overseas corporations that produce world-changing products.

Kingi Snelgar

Kingi Snelgar is a trailblazing barrister, Harvard law graduate, Fulbright scholar and advocate for indigenous rights.

Bridget Snelling

Bridget Snelling is the head of Business Marketing at ANZ Bank. During New Zealand’s Covid-19 Lockdown, Bridget co-founded a charitable initiative called Friends in Need to support elderly and vulnerable people in our communities.

Tupe Solomon-Tanoa'i

Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i is the Chief Philanthropic Officer at Michael & Suzanne Borrin Foundation.

Rosalie Stephens

Rosalie Stephens has led clinical trials and become a trustee of Melanoma NZ in her efforts to attain better access to new drug therapies for melanoma patients.

Lucy von Sturmer

Founder - CEO, The Humblebrag.

Julia Suh

Julia Suh is the founder and CEO of Paper Plain, a start-up that works to involve communities in the development of public spaces and built environments.

Chlöe Swarbrick

Politician.

Elinor Swery

Product Manager, Nexar.

Simon Talbot

Plastic Surgeon, Hand Surgery and Microsurgery - Partners HealthCare.

Leilani Tamu

Relationship Manager Pacific Settlement - Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment.

Shaun Tan

Head of Technology, Lanaco.

Lupe Taumoepeau

Vascular Surgeon, Capital and Coast District Health Board.

Arash Tayebi

After winning the 2017 Velocity $100k social category prize, Arash Tayebi set up Kara Technologies, a start-up that is focused on translating content into New Zealand Sign Language using a digital avatar.

Shannon Te Ao

Artist, Lecturer - Whiti o Rehua School of Art, Massey University.

Kiri Toki

Indigenous Fellow - World Intellectual Property Organisation.

Ane Tonga

Ane Tonga is the first Curator of Pacific Art at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki.

Nina Tonga

Curator Contemporary Art, Te Papa.

William Trubridge

Freediver.

Talapo Uivaa

Talapo Uiva’a is an analyst working for External Investment and Partnerships with the New Zealand Super Fund.

Reina Vaai

Lawyer and reporter.

Tyla Vaeau

Tyla Vaeau was named the winner of the Creative New Zealand Emerging Pacific Artist award in 2019.

Sjoerd van Ballegooy

Technical Director, Tonkin + Taylor Limited.

Carl van Roon

Director, Van Roon Martial Arts Ltd.

Jenson Varghese

Jenson Varghese is managing director at one of Australasia's leading sustainable transport consultancies, MRCagney.

Luke Versalko

Luke Versalko is a filmmaker based in New York. He has produced hundreds of videos, commercials and documentaries for media outlets such as The New York Times, Google, Huffington Post and NBC.

Shruthi Vijayakumar

Shruthi Vijayakumar is a co-founder of the Emerge Institute, a new venture aiming to create a community of changemakers committed to reshaping the world.

Amar Virk

Group Lead of Special Projects - UberEverything at Uber.

Jody Visser

Partner & Managing Director - The Boston Consulting Group.

Dan Walker

Māori Business Leader.

Jess Weller

Founder - The WELLer Network.

Valentino Wichman

Director of Central Policy and Planning, Office of the Prime Minister Cook Islands.

Hadley Wickham

Chief Scientist - RStudio.

Qiujing Wong

Co-founder & CE - Borderless.

Jack Woon

Jack Woon is a filmmaker who has worked all over the world for clients such as National Geographic and Discovery.

Alex Worker

Food entrepreneur Alex Worker is the country manager for Impossible Foods Aotearoa New Zealand, co-founder of NewFish and LILO Desserts, and the chair of Future Food Aotearoa.

Dr Anne Wyllie

Dr Anne Wyllie is a medical microbiology researcher at the Yale School of Public Health.

Daniel Xu

CEO, Spark 64.

Sam Yin

Founder & Managing Director, Hougarden.

Ben Young

CEO - Nudge.

Esther Young

Founding Partner - Young Shipping Company.

Hayley Yu

Agency Account Strategist, Google.

Kanaway Yusingco

Kanaway Yusingco is the Founder of Uniquely Wired, a consultancy business that works with clients to identify what makes them unique and how they can stand out from their competitors.

Dr Ju Zhang

Dr Ju Zhang, who accumulated numerous awards along the way to doing a PhD in biomedical engineering, is co-founder and chief executive of Auckland-based Formus Labs, a joint venture in the most literal sense.

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