Our Guests
Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM
Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM, ChMInstD, widely recognized as an inspirational role model and business leader.
From being the youngest woman in New Zealand to attend university (age 15), to a CEO of a number of technology companies, Melissa has made a global impact in the world of business, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
She is a serial entrepreneur, a Digital Strategist, and a company director, interested in the Future of Food and Agriculture, disruptive business models, the world's wicked problems, as well as a beekeeper.
Trained with the institute for the future she is a foresight practitioner. She trained as a Foresight Practitioner with The Institute for the Future and brings these combined skills to address the future of agriculture.
Mavis Mullins MNZM
Agri-Women’s Development Trust Patron, Mavis Mullins, relishes the opportunity to support women engaged in self-development and share her skills and experiences.
Mavis Mullins' life has been a fascinating journey from shearing sheds, wool handler, dairy farmer, director of a wool training organization, and a 20-year involvement in governance roles on large Maori sheep and beef incorporations.
As former Chair of Te Huarahi Tika Trust (Māori Spectrum) and former Chair of Hautaki Ltd, the NZ shareholder in 2degrees Mobile, Mavis has been involved in the development and commercial use of spectrum for mobile technologies.
In the 2002 Queen’s Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours, Mullins was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the wool industry. In 2017 Mavis was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. Other acknowledgments include Golden Shears Awards, Māori Businesswoman of the Year (1998), Māori Sports Administrator of the Year for Shearing & Woolhandling (2005, 2012), Safeguard NZ Health & Safety in the Workplace Award (2008), Rural category of the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards (2016).
Vicki Saunders
Vicki Saunders is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor, advisor to the next generation of change makers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world.
She is Founder of SheEO and #radical generosity a global initiative to radically transform how we support finance and celebrate female entrepreneurs.
Vicki has co-founded and run ventures in Europe, Toronto and Silicon Valley and taken a company public on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Vicki was recently named as 1 of 30 “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” by Conscious Company Magazine and one of the 100 most influential leaders of 2015 from “EBW – Empowering A Billion Women”, In 2001, Vicki was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.
Lisa te Heuheu
Lisa has whakapapa to Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Maniapoto. Her recent appointment to the chair of the Te Wai Mori Trustee reflects her significant and broad experience working both in governance and in the natural resources sector having held various roles in resource management, iwi planning, agriculture, policy, research and management.
Directorships include
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Ngā Kaihautu Tikanga Taiao (EPA Maori Statutory Advisory Committee), Chairperson
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DairyNZ Low N Stock Research Programme, Governance Committee Member
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Te Wai Māori Trust, Deputy Chair
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Queens University Canada, International Advisory Committee, Committee Member
For the last 11 years she has run her own Consultancy Practice as well as started a publishing company, producing Indent Journal
Curious and a life -long learner she is currently completing her Master’s thesis for a Masters in Indigenous Studies.
Outside of her career, Lisa is a born adventurer testing herself through various odysseys. Whether this is rafting through the Ganges river, crewing an all-women expedition on a Balsa Log raft to South America, in this adventure mindset she discovered what gives her strength meaning and direction.
Theresa Gattung
Theresa Gattung is a New Zealand business leader, entrepreneur, author, philanthropist and investor. Her best-selling autobiography Bird on a Wire was published in 2010.
Perhaps best known for her role as CEO of Telecom New Zealand, she was the first female CEO of an NZX listed company. Since leaving Telecom, she divides her time between professional governance, entrepreneurial projects, and philanthropic work.
She has held multiple governance positions, Chair of AIA Australia and AIA New Zealand, Chair CoOfWomen and Chair of the Wellington Board of the SPCA. She is a member of the National Advisory Board on the Employment of Women.
As co-founder of My Food Bag, alongside Cecilia Robinson and Nadia Lim, she helped take the start-up to a nationwide company with a turnover of over $130m.
She is also the New Zealand lead of SheEO, an international community that supports, finances, and celebrates female innovators.
In 2019 she became Chair of Tend, a primary healthcare provider with a mission to put digital healthcare in the hands of all Kiwis. Tend launches mid-2020.
Her philanthropic interests include being co-founder of the World Women Charitable Trust and Patron of the Cambodia Charitable Trust.
In the 2015 New Year’s Honours List, Theresa was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and philanthropy.
She lives in New Zealand.
Joyce Campbell
Joyce farms in Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. She describes herself as rearing sheep, cattle and a few chooks with a holiday cottage on the side. Others would see her very differently - changing the way farming is viewed throughout the world and influencing widely.
Through the lens of her camera and her team of dogs, Joyce shares the story of farming through the seasons with a huge online audience. She is a regular contributor to BBC radio, and various newspapers and just recently has finished a film series “This Farm Life” with BBC2.
Like so many women, she is involved and active in her community and Industry. Her passion for 'better outcomes for women' saw her co-chair the women in ag taskforce. This governance body oversaw the research supporting more involvement and development pathways for farming women
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Rachel Taulelei
Rachel Taulelei (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Rārua) is CEO of whānau-owned, Māori food and beverage producer Kono. A māmā, founder of sustainable seafood company Yellow Brick Road, director, and former Trade Commissioner, she is an advocate for Māori business, our primary industry, and international trade.
Lynda McDonald
Lynda McDonald has nearly 20 years of experience throughout the dairy industry. Her work, which has taken her to five continents, has allowed her to collaborate with others in industry at all levels, from farmers to Ministries of Agriculture. She has practical experience in developing dairy knowledge and capability and creating value for both customer and commercial operations, and has been working across some of the largest dairy farms in the world to the smallest farms in the world.
Lynda was bought up on a sheep and beef farm in New Zealand, she has lived in China and worked throughout Asia for several years, and is now based in Stockholm, Sweden. The work she has done with Delaval International, has taken her throughout Europe, the Middle East and Russia. She now works for Tetra Laval as a Project Manager in Dairy Development. Tune in to listen to curiosity, community, integrity and collaboration.
Susan Goodfellow
Susan Goodfellow is Co-founder of Leftfield Innovation Ltd, a purpose led enterprise creating a better New Zealand through sustainable food production that delivers higher nutrition and value.
Susan’s 25-year career includes development and delivery of a range of complex rural and urban projects in New Zealand and Asia.
Susan is a passionate contributor to the NZ primary sector and is committed to both capturing the value of and adding value to NZ agriculture through bringing fresh eyes and design thinking across governance, business and innovation.
Karen Williams
Karen Williams is the National Vice President for Federated Farmers NZ, sits on the He Waka Eke Noa Steering Group charged with helping farmers and growers to reduce their agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and is a board member of Safer Farms.
She Farms mixed cropping, beef and lamb finishing property in the Wairarapa NZ in partnership with Husband Mick.
They are past Supreme Winners for the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. She is driven to help farmers and the agricultural sector to better engage with government to ensure rural communities remain strong, vibrant, economically viable and environmentally sustainable. She is also a busy Mum to three school-age children and is actively involved in coaching hockey
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Gaye Williams
Gaye Williams was 21 years old when she was crowned Miss New Zealand. She was brought up on a farm in the Wairarapa, before moving to Auckland to study. She began an arts degree before switiching to teachers' training college. She had just finished her second year when she won the Miss New Zealand contest. Gay wore a red gown and cape for the final event of the contest. The New Zealand Wool Board was one of the contest's biggest sponsors so all of the contestants had to have a wool evening gown. One of Gay's tasks during her year as Miss New Zealand was to introduce and promote the Woolmark. Her wardrobe for the year was made from wool.
Helen Blom van Echtelt
In a world where we are being asked to increasingly pivot and change how we produce food we can draw inspiration from a woman who has mastered this art.
From arriving in New Zealand as a pack backer, to milking cows, having their own farm, to muscles and tourism Helen and her husband Art are a finely tuned team. With a shared love of adventure, a dose of courage and optimism they have forged a non- traditional pathway. Helen knows how to grow great teams including her family.