Global leaders championing climate action

Becky Cashman is recreating who she is each day, but with a thread of commonality with her life being devoted to the divine and a strong sense of belief that we are all connected in a 5D way. After living a life of adventure as a river and mountain guide, Becky landed in New Zealand only to meet the beloved sand fly and endeavoured to create a product and a range of products from essential oils that repelled these wonderful creatures. Covid was a birthing ground for Goodbye as Becky opened herself to community to ask and learn, learn and ask and ask and learn again. Through allowing, listening and regenerating, Becky has allowed the space to listen and to see the business as its own garden ecology, evolving, growing and regenerating.

Dianna Somerville left her home town of Wagga Wagga, Australia to drive war ships in the Navy thinking she would never return to regional Australia.  But after meeting her husband she returned 15 years ago and now advocates entrepreneurship, innovation and regionalisation that enables people to think openly about living and working in the regions of Australia.  Through her work at Bridge Hub in the agri-tech space and Regional Pitch Fest she is shining a light on the possibilities now with an awakened audience.

As a former organisational psychologist, Helen is a leader of diverse functions within the frame of MYOB.  Knowing that MYOB is a very different organisation than when she first joined 3 1/2 years ago, she feels it has grown, transformed and reshaped in a rapidly evolving tech world.  Helen looks at leadership as 3 key components. Head, Heart and Hands ensuring a strategic alignment of purpose, with the depth of authenticity and care and enabled by the execution to deliver.  Knowing that small businesses are the life blood of the Australian and New Zealand economy, MYOB wants businesses to Start, Survive and Succeed.  With waste being the enemy of productivity, the team at MYOB are constantly considering new ways of operating for the prosperity of the future, through digitally enabled businesses.

Dr. Michele Dickinson spent a long time as one of the only female engineers in a male dominated world and often felt quite lonely, had to work three times as hard, and was often dismissed as the lead engineer on a project. Michelle launched Nano Girl Labs as a social enterprise bringing profit and purpose together to create a dynamic and evolving organisation measuring the business both financially and the impact being created. The magic happens outside the comfort zone, so while inventing solutions for the world, in 2020 when her global tour had been wiped clean, Michelle and the Nano Girl Labs team launched a global digital science solution for schools in 135 countries. Knowing that children make up their minds about science by the age of 12 she knew that her impact would create life long learnings.

To enable Elle to get over her fear of rejection through connecting with people, she joined an Improv Theatre group, after realising that part of being an entrepreneur and business woman would involve sales and cold calling to get herself out into new spaces.  But it was the need for spaces to solve her own problem that she launched the New Zealand arm of Space to Co. - the Air b&b of community spaces.  They now book thousands of gatherings for Bonsai, Mahjong, Language and Zumba lessons to name a few.  Elle calls for action from our community to go after finding solutions to things you think are fixable.

The notion of nurturing the seed and it will blossom is something that Candice attributes to her Maori heritage and that has been engrained in her throughout her life.  Growing up with 7 siblings and a single mother, Candice recalls the struggle, which has helped shape her resilience and strength.  Although she didn’t thrive in the education system, through hard work and persistence Candice was accepted into University to go on to complete her Masters where she nurtured her vision for a meaningful future.  Many people along the way were highly critical of her business model but she felt the imbalance for the workers being unhappy and exploited and wanted to create more equilibrium.  As a ride share model with high transparency she now has a flourishing business which has recently been further enabled by radically generous women in the SheEO network and encourages all women to empower all other women on their journey’s.

Rosie defines herself as someone that is passionate about empowering women and supporting them to optimise on under-utilised assets.  Rosie has lead a series of different lives, across different industries and in different countries, but could never get comfortable with the negative impact of the affects on our beloved planet.  After moving solo to London, Rosie launched "Our Closet" - a dress rental business off the back of connecting a few friends to her wardrobe and finally curating a system to build a business from. Now back in New Zealand, Rosie is empowering women to curate an income with the things they own. Rosie is a great lover of listening to podcasts particularly when she is out walking in her thinking and dreaming time and believes that that you can have a "mentor in your own hands" with every new podcast you listen to... which we couldn't agree more on.

Nikki Douglas has always held a strong constitution to the planet, knowing that we are all part of the earth and the wondrous ecosystem that it is.  With service being in her core, Nicki has held roles in the Department of Conservation and now at Te Awara Lakes Trust in leadership roles, often as the only indigenous woman in a male dominated environment.  Through empathy and the ability to connect, a sense of flexibility in thinking and often taking the hard road, Nicki has recognised that you often need to step back and be the observer before then leaning in. And knowing that the harmonious culmination of the two of being an observer and leaning in is truly where we see the magic happen. With a strong focus now on securing clean water quality of New Zealand's Lakes and mobilising the activities with alignment to climate change alongside the Governments commitment Nicki is a true ambassador for living and breathing on purpose.

Hilary Walton is a strong advocate to the next generation that you don’t just grow up to be one thing and that you can never pick the way you go as often these paths find you.  As a trained psychologist, Hilary worked for the London Olympics in her first people management role and felt completely out of her depth. She felt she failed to apply some of the fundamentals of being human in a complex world. But as we all know through perceived failures are valuable life lessons.  As a mother of three and returning to work she often felt a deep sense of Guilt to make both of her life roles work, and shares some valuable tools to shed the guilt and unravel yourself from getting into a state of overwhelm in the eternal art of balance. Hilary describes herself as an extravert who is always taking on new things, setting up new initiatives and has her sights set on a role as a CEO, to become a true digital leader with empathy and empowering leadership.

Kaarin is taking the lead this year on the UN Women Aotearoa New Zealand and global campaign -16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.  #OrangeNZ #16days Gender based violence comes in many forms including emotional violence, physical violence, control and financial and in many parts of the world even more extreme.  Through empowering initiatives that enable women’s equality, giving a voice to women and enabling more female champions of change armed with the messages and awareness, we can move the needle for future generations.  In the 16 days of activism from 25th November- 10th December 2020, we will walk alongside UN Women Aotearoa New Zealand to support change for women in New Zealand and the Pacific.