Meet our Associate and Assistant Deans, Directors and Kaiārahi
Professor Carla Houkamau, Associate Dean Māori
Carla is a Professor in the Department of Management and International Business. She is of Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu and Pākehā/New Zealand European descent.
Carla joined the Business School as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in 2007 after completing her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Auckland. Carla has previously held the Directorship of the Dame Mira Szászy Research Centre for Māori and Pacific Economic Development. Prior, Carla was Associate Dean Māori and Pacific Development for the Business School between 2017 and 2019. She held the role of Academic Director for the Business School Tuākana Programme for over six years between 2011 and 2018. Carla also serves on the University of Auckland Māori Business Leaders Awards Steering Committee.
Carla is an award-winning researcher having been awarded a Business School Early Career Research Excellence Award and University of Auckland Group Excellence Award (as part of the NZAVS). Her collaborative research using the Multidimensional Model of Māori identity and Cultural Engagement (MMM-ICE) has been recognised nationally and internationally for advancing ethnic identity research using psychometric measures and large samples. Carla currently leads the largest longitudinal study of Māori identity, financial attitudes and behaviour (Te Rangahau o Te Tuakiri Māori me Ngā Waiaro ā-Pūtea | The Māori Identity and Financial Attitudes Study) for which she received a full standard Marsden.
Outside of the University, Carla is an Academic Adviser for Behavioural Science Aotearoa, a Department of Corrections initiative that applies evidence from social sciences to ensure justice policies and processes are research informed. She also provides education to a wide range of community groups on the impact of implicit bias on Māori in New Zealand particularly in relation to health and education.
Sione Taufa, Associate Dean Pacific
Sione is a Professional Teaching Fellow in the Department of Accounting and Finance, where his passion for teaching has been recognised with Teaching Excellence Awards. He is also active in programmes designed to help Pacific and Māori students succeed at the University. Outside of the University, Sione has used his accounting skills to help a number of small businesses, church and community groups. He has significant networks amongst the Pacific community in New Zealand and around the Pacific region.
Sione is a former Chairman at the New Zealand Tonga Business Council and remains a board member. He is a frequent commentator and contributor on the Pacific Media Network regarding Pacific economic and political issues. Sione has an unwavering commitment to advancing the interests of Pacific students and professionals.
Susan Laurenson, Associate Dean Academic Programmes and International
Susan is a member of the Business School’s Senior Management Team, and has served on the Faculty Staffing Committee since 1998.
As Associate Dean she advises on academic programmes including curriculum design and development, and quality assurance. She is responsible for the development and implementation of policies relating to undergraduate recruitment, admissions and enrolment, and academic advisory services for domestic and international students. Susan also chairs the Board of Undergraduate Studies.
Associate Professor Barbara Plester, Associate Dean Equity and Diversity
Barbara is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management and International Business. Her research explores workplace humour, fun, organizational culture, technological behaviour, food rituals and organizational life. She is currently researching the impact of hybrid work on fun and well-being.
Within her department Barbara belongs to the Critical Management and Indigenous Studies disciplinary area and she teaches critical management, people management and organizational theory at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Barbara has been involved with the equity portfolio for some years, representing the Business School on the University’s Equity committee and being involved in the Staff Council.
Audrea Warner, Assistant Dean Equity and Diversity
Audrea is a Professional Teaching Fellow in the Department of Management and International Business. She teaches at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across several different subject areas. Audrea’s research focuses on adapting new technologies into the Business Education eco-system.
She is on the Business School Equity Committee, ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered in decision-making processes as well as actively involved in Tuākana, the Māori and Pacific Undergraduate Committee, and the Core Oversight Group.
Dr Douglas Carrie, Associate Dean Teaching and Learning
Doug is a Professional Teaching Fellow in the Department of Marketing. His research interests fall in the areas of business/marketing education, the first year undergraduate experience, and advertising and marketing communications.
Doug's professional background includes varied management and consulting experience in Canada, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. He teaches across a range of business and marketing courses, currently mostly at the undergraduate level although he has also often taught at the postgraduate level over the years.
Associate Professor Lesley Gardner, Assistant Dean Teaching and Learning
Lesley is an Associate Professor in Information Systems, and her research covers the areas of digital citizenry and computer-mediated learning. She is also Assistant Dean Teaching and Learning.
Associate Professor Maureen Benson-Rea, Associate Dean Postgraduate
Maureen is an Associate Professor of Management and International Business in the Business School.
Maureen specialises in international business (particularly in Europe) and strategic management. With teaching and large-scale programme management experience in the UK, Maureen has also held several positions as an international policy adviser, lobbyist and analyst with a major British business organisation. Her current research interests lie in the area of networks in internationalisation strategies and cooperative business strategies in general.
Dr Alan Toy, Assistant Dean Postgraduate Research
Dr Alan Toy is a Senior Lecturer above the bar in the Department of Commercial Law. He completed his PhD in Accounting on the topic of privacy auditing at the University of Auckland in 2016. From 2018 to 2020 he was the Director of Postgraduate Programmes in the Department of Commercial Law (during which time he was the Deputy Chair of the Board of Postgraduate Studies in the Business School) and he was one of the architects of the Master of Information Governance (MInfoGov) which commenced in 2021.
He taught the initial course for the inaugural cohort in this online degree which is delivered through University of Auckland Online. Alan also has interests in Employment Law, which he teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the Business School. Alan has published internationally in both Accounting and Law journals.
Associate Professor Karen Fernandez, Director of Doctoral Studies
Karen is an Associate Professor of Marketing, and her main areas of expertise are in Consumer Research and Social Marketing. She is also Director of Doctoral Studies.
Professor Snejina Michailova, Associate Dean Research
Snejina is Professor of International Business in the Department of Management and International Business. She earned her PhD degree from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, in 1997.
Snejina's main research areas are international business, management and knowledge management, and her academic work has appeared in the prime journals of all three disciplines. She has previously chaired the departmental research committee and PhD committee. She is also a member of the Council of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management, a European research organisation headquartered in Vienna.
Associate Professor Lina El-Jahel, Assistant Dean (Research)
Lina is an Associate Professor of Finance in the Department of Accounting and Finance and Subject Group Lead for Finance. Her academic research focusses on financial markets. Lina has extensive industry experience having worked for leading investment banks and hedge funds in London and consulted for several central banks in Europe.
Andrew Eberhard, Associate Dean Professional Programmes, Associate Dean Technology and Director of the GSM
Andrew is a Professional Teaching Fellow in Information Systems and Operations Management. His teaching focuses on Digital Systems, Information Management and Data Visualisation. Andrew has a track record of innovation and sustained excellence in teaching and leadership. This was recognised at a national level when he received the Prime Minister’s Supreme Award at the National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards in 2019.
Andrew joined the GSM from ISOM in 2018 when he was appointed as the Director of the Business Masters suite of programmes. He subsequently became Director of the GSM where he leads a fantastic team of people who are dedicated to the success of our professional programmes.
Dr Helen Delaney, Associate Dean Faculty
Helen is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management and International Business and Disciplinary Area Lead for Organisation Studies. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students in the critical study of work and organisations and qualitative research methods.
Helen’s research interests span a number of topics at the intersection of organisation studies, sociology of work, and employment relations. She has a particular interest in examining organisational experimentations to create more participatory and democratic workplaces.
Read more about Helen Delaney
Dr Drew Franklin, Associate Dean External Engagement
Drew is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing, researching marketing relationship dynamics (and trust, specifically) and the role of emergent technologies in business and marketing practice. Before completing both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees at AUT, Drew enjoyed a 12-year career in global business and marketing roles, including sales, marketing and business development responsibilities in the North American, Western European, and developed Asia markets.
Drew enjoys actively engaging with industry and external stakeholders and considers such activities as central to identifying and articulating how best we, as an institution, can contribute to informing business policy and practice.
Professor Rod McNaughton, Director Innovation and Professional Development
Rod is professor of entrepreneurship and was formerly the Director of the Graduate School of Management. He has extensive experience developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and helping start-ups launch and grow gained as both an educator and adviser. An internationally recognized thought leader on entrepreneurship issues, Rod’s scholarly research. focused on the rapid internationalization of knowledge-intensive new ventures, is published in more than 100 refereed journal articles and books.
Prior to joining the University of Auckland, Rod was the Eyton Chair in Entrepreneurship and Director of the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo, which is widely recognized as Canada’s most innovative university. He received his PhD in Marketing from Lancaster University, and his PhD in Economic Geography from Western University.
Dr Rachel Wright, Director of Executive and Professional Development
Rachel is the Business School’s Director of Executive and Professional Development.
Dr Kirsty Williamson, Academic Director of Executive and Professional Development
Kirsty Williamson, a Professional Teaching Fellow with over twenty-five years of experience in tertiary education, has held numerous leadership roles in New Zealand and internationally. Since joining Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland in 2014, she has taken on several key positions, including Academic Director for Executive and Professional Development, Assistant Dean Academic (Curriculum), Curriculum Design Manager for the Graduate School of Management, Faculty Subject Lead for Business Skills and Communication, and Team Lead of the Business Communication Team.
Kirsty holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with research focusing on using problem-based methodology and a theory of action approach to enhance pedagogical practices. Her excellence in teaching has been recognised with multiple awards for Innovation in Teaching and Collaboration in Teaching.
Read more about Dr Kirsty Williamson
Hone Thorpe, Kaiārahi
Hone (Te Āti Awa) is the Business School’s Kaiārahi.