What attracted you to this role?
Firstly, I’m excited about the chance to lead a membership organisation. I’m a strategic thinker who enjoys working with people, learning about the issues facing the industry, and helping to find practical solutions. Secondly, I love a good challenge, and advocacy is my passion! The industry is navigating various challenges from natural hazards impacting property, through to increasing insurance costs and regulation. This means insurance brokers need to be more agile than ever before. I'm eager to deepen my understanding of these issues and explore how the industry can be proactive and take a leadership role in this space.
Share a bit about your career path to date. What experiences and influences have brought you to this point?
I’ve spent the majority of my career in membership organisations that are focused on supporting businesses and property. My first experience with a membership organisation was the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, where I split my time between employment law and advocacy. After a couple of months, I was faced with choosing between the two. The idea of helping many businesses through advocating for wholesale legislative and policy reform really resonated, and that’s what’s kept me doing advocacy work ever since. The Property Council New Zealand is also a membership organisation. As Head of Advocacy there, I championed the interests of the residential, commercial, industrial and retail property sectors across the country. As a member of the Leadership Team, I’ve been a part of the organisation’s transformative journey, focused on establishing clear advocacy strategies that align with our members. I’m ready to take the helm of IBANZ, build on the good work to date, and, through the input from our members, develop a strategy that can elevate the organisation to the next level.
Do you see a lot of common ground between the topics/ issues you dealt with at the Property Council and insurance? How do you think that will help you?
Absolutely. Membership body organisations are unique. One of the big challenges is getting everyone on the same page. You’ve got a wide range of members, all with different views, so the challenge is to make sure everyone feels heard and included in the decision-making process. From an advocacy perspective, there is crossover on topics I have worked on. For example, resource management reform, natural hazards and Fire and Emergency New Zealand funding all impact both property ownership and insurance.
What’s a great day at work for you – what do you love to do?
I love working strategically and exploring future opportunities for an organisation. To do that well, it’s essential to spend time listening and learning from others, both inside and outside the organisation. It’s through those insights that the best ideas take shape, and I love nothing more than a great plan.
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Extrovert – and the proof’s been in every school report since I was five!
What’s your coffee order or favourite snack?
I don’t drink coffee (or tea). My favourite snack is potato chips. Savoury over sweet snacks any day.
What do you do to switch off from work?
I like to spend time with my family – kids' sports, board games, beach walks, etc. In the past few years, I have started social running and studio Pilates. I’ve completed one marathon and several half-marathon races. I have
the inaugural Muriwai Half Marathon next in my sights.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and from whom?
I’ve had the fortune of receiving a lot of great advice throughout my life, from exceptional family support through to incredible business mentors. One piece of advice that’s always resonated with me came from my dad when I was 14. I was in the semi-final debating championship in Wellington and desperately wanted to make the final. Speeches were eight minutes long, but at the conclusion of the debate, the adjudicator spoke for 45 minutes. My 14-year-old brain was wishing she didn’t use such long words because I couldn’t work out which way this was going. In the end, we lost. But I distinctly remember dad breaking the silence on the car ride home, saying, “Beware of the adjudicator that talks more than the debater.” It was a lesson in humility I’ve never forgotten.
What are you reading at the moment?
Nothing – that usually surprises my friends, colleagues, and family, but I don’t tend to read books unless I’m on holiday. I spend a lot of time reading for work, so the last thing I feel like doing in my downtime is picking up more reading. It’s always been that way, even as a kid and through university. I’ll read when I have to - like in law school - or when something really grabs my interest. But when I’m not working, I’d much rather be out enjoying the outdoors than curled up with a novel.
