The Public Sector, including the Central Agencies – The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and the Treasury
I have extensive experience in the public sector.  I am currently Strategic Advisor and a member of the Communications & Engagement Leadership team at ACC leading the design and roll out of an engagement strategy designed to increase awareness and understanding of ACC. The design of the strategy has included building an innovative external engagement team to promote a proactive, responsive and transparent organisation with demonstrated results, and the development of tools and processes to lift the capability and performance of a large communications and engagement team.

While contracted to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, I was responsible for communications and engagement on the CabNet project sponsored by the Cabinet Office – an all-of-government initiative to move the Cabinet and Cabinet Committee paper process on to a world-first, secure, online environment, and involving extensive stakeholder engagement with 28 Ministers’ offices and 46 agencies – over 2000 users across the State sector at start up.

Subsequent to the launch of CabNet, I provided strategic communications advice to the Director of the Office of the Chief Executive in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, initially focused on the transition of CERA functions to the department and latterly as Principal Advisor – internal communications, providing strategic advice and communication delivery across a diverse department through a period of growth and change.

At the Treasury I was involved in two projects in Fiscal and State Sector management  and provided strategic communications advice to CASS (Central Agencies Shared Services).

Insurance, finance and banking
My work with the Treasury and the Medical Assurance Society built on my previous financial experience with Melbourne-based financial public relations company, Hinton & Associates, and Merchant Bankers, Fay Richwhite. I regularly wrote features and personal finance articles for On MAS, the Medical Assurance Member magazine.

In the late 1990s and 2000, as an associate of Hinton & Associates, I was involved in a number of high-profile mergers, acquisitions and takeovers, including as part of the team communicating National Australia Bank’s $2.4 billion acquisition of MLC Limited.

While an associate of public relations firm, Symmans, Saker Elliott & Hickman, I worked with ANZ and NZ Post on strategic change, including the production of audio-visual resources in New Zealand and Australia.

Following an extended period travelling and working in London after graduating from University, at Fay Richwhite I oversaw elements of its extensive sponsorship programme and became involved in the marketing and promotion of a new investment banking issue. 

Energy sector
I have been extensively involved with New Zealand’s electricity regulator, the Electricity Authority, formerly the Electricity Commission, providing strategic communications advice and support, including special projects, and writing regular publications, fact sheets and for the web. In other roles in the energy sector I have been responsible for marketing communications for the launch of Contact Energy in New Zealand’s retail electricity marketplace and worked in TransAlta’s external relations team. A particular forté is making complex topics accessible through the use of plain language.

 Industry training
Over 10 years ago, I was introduced to the Agriculture industry-training organisation (Agriculture ITO) through some work I was doing in the industry training area for TEC. I provided Agriculture ITO (now Primary ITO) with a full range of strategic communications support over a number of years. Other agriculture sector clients have included Agriculture Services Limited and FarmSafe. I enjoy promoting learning and development and have also worked with the Aviation, Travel and Tourism, Equine and Retail ITOs, and the Primary sector organisation.

Me
I have a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature and Political Science from Victoria University and a New Zealand Certificate of Direct Marketing. I also hold a City and Guilds photography qualification from London.

Children’s books are my passion.  I am the author of six children’s readers used in schools. A particular highlight was photographing the mountain gorillas in Zaire (now Congo) and publishing Mountain Gorillas, a reader used in classrooms in New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

I live in beautiful Breaker Bay, Wellington, with my husband Ross and our dog Chip. Our daughter, Victoria, is studying at Otago University.

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