Charlotte Lockhart
Rethinking Our Workday: Why the 9-to-5 is so last century
Co-Founder, 4 Day Week

As co-founder of 4 Day Week Global, Charlotte works promoting internationally the benefits of a productivity-focused and reduced-hour workplace. Through this, she is on the board of the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University. Charlotte’s passion for the reduced-hour work has led 4 Day Week Global to become the world’s leading organisation in promoting the concept of working smarter, not longer.

In her role she is a co-founding partner of the World Wellbeing Movement alongside a number of leading global partners. In addition, Charlotte is working with a number of central and regional governments to help create an equitable method to transition to reducing work hours across an entire economy.

Today, Charlotte is considered the pioneer of the global four-day week movement. Alongside her partner, Andrew Barnes, they are conducting the largest ever trials, currently taking place across the globe, with hundreds of companies and thousands of staff taking part to change their workplaces. This trial is combined with a global research programme involving academics from leading universities including Boston College, Cambridge, Oxford and many more.

Dr Ellen Joan Ford
Rethinking Our Workday: Why the 9-to-5 is so last century
Founder, #WorkSchoolHours

Dr Ellen Joan Ford is terrifyingly ambitious about changing the working world, for the betterment of people and organisational performance.She is passionate, authentic and speaks from the heart with warmth, enthusiasm, fun and humour.

As a leader, researcher, international speaker (incl TEDx), facilitator, consultant and Mum, Ellen draws on her research and practical experiences and has helped multiple corporate and government organisations improve their inclusive leadership capabilities and workplace culture. Ellen’s research and commercially smart ideas to improve the working world have been published globally.

Ellen served ten years in the NZ Army as an Engineer Officer, has led soldiers on operations around the world, led teams in the corporate sector, has completed her MBA and PhD focused on leadership, and is the co-author of a nation-wide leadership project for New Zealand’s largest export sector; Food and Fibre. She was part of a volunteer team that evacuated 563 people from Afghanistan to New Zealand.

Ellen is the Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year - Local Hero, Person of the Year - Manawatu Standard and a Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award recipient

Pam Roa
Rethinking Our Workday: Why the 9-to-5 is so last century
Managing Director, Longveld Ltd

Pam Roa is co-founder and managing director of Longveld, an Amotai-registered manufacturer specialising in stainless steel fabrication and engineering for the dairy, food and water sectors. As a complete contrast Longveld is also well-known for its work in public art fabrication. Longveld has a team of 70 with 80% of the team being trade-based on the tools in a workshop environment. Longveld has been operating from its Hamilton base for over 30 years with a proud commitment to NZ Inc providing services throughout New Zealand and across the globe.

Brett O'Riley
Rethinking Our Workday: Why the 9-to-5 is so last century
CEO, EMA

Brett O’Riley is the Chief Executive of the EMA, having commenced in that role in January 2019. He is a graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, with post graduate qualifications from MIT (Boston) and Singularity University (San Jose).

Brett returned to New Zealand from Australia in 2009 and has spent the last 10 years dedicated to the goal of growing the New Zealand innovation eco-system, as founding CE of NZICT, founding deputy CE of the Ministry of Science + Innovation, and recently as Chief Executive of Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development, Auckland’s economic growth agency until September 2017. Prior to that Brett worked in the telecommunications and IT sectors for 20 years in New Zealand and internationally.

Prior to joining the EMA Brett worked as a Director and Advisor to organisations with a common goal, connecting them with international markets and opportunities. Brett will continue to be involved with some of these including directorships of Dotterel Technologies, Wine Grenade and the New Zealand Film Commission, and he also serves as the independent chair of the Hapi Brewing Success PGP project.

Lisa Mulligan
How Workforce Diversity Can Be Your Superpower​
CEO, The Culture Ministry

Lisa is the CEO of The Culture Ministry, a pragmatic and experienced Diversity & Inclusion consultancy that exists to create inclusive, accessible environments so that people and businesses can thrive. Lisa brings over 20 years’ experience in human resources, organisational change and development, and diversity & inclusion, in global multinational businesses covering retail, distribution, insurance, FMCG, logistics, manufacturing and engineering consulting. Her passion and focus is developing people, and in particular, leaders in organisations to help them create an effective organisational culture. She has undergraduate qualifications in Applied Science and Business, and a Masters in Organisational Coaching from Sydney University.

Nick Walshe
How workforce diversity can be your superpower
Board Trustee, Acorn Neurodiversity

Nick is an entrepreneur with a diverse background consulting in HR and Data Science roles for the public sector. Nick was diagnosed with autism as an adult and identifies as Takiwātanga (te reo Māori word for autistic individuals meaning, in their own time and space). He is pleased to be able to support Acorn to improve outcomes for children, especially those usually underserved by the system.

Nick is the co-founder of Ahu Jobs, a Māori talent community and job board, striving to better connect Māori Talent to opportunity. Ahu jobs merges his technical expertise with a passion for improving outcomes for Māori.

Tami Harris 
How Workforce Diversity Can Be Your Superpower
CEO, Acorn Neurodiversity

Tami is the CEO of Acorn Neurodiversity, a charitable trust in Auckland providing specialist support to neurodivergent young people and their communities. She has over twenty-five years of experience in the US and New Zealand in a variety of leadership and direct service roles in organisations that support people experiencing challenges related to mental health conditions or neurodivergence.

Having seen how neurodiversity on teams leads to greater innovation and productivity, Tami is passionate about supporting employers to recognise and develop the strengths of every team member. She believes that neurodiversity is a powerful and often overlooked form of diversity which benefits everyone in the workplace.

Trina Tamati
How Workforce Diversity Can Be Your Superpower
Director & CEO, Tōnui Māori Economic Consultancy

Trina is an award-winning and dynamic senior executive with 25+ years of global business experience. She is someone who instinctively looks beyond the status quo, thinking innovatively to improve, simplify and streamline. An experienced people leader with a strategic mindset, Trina has a passion for achieving operational excellence moulded by a strong Te Ao Māori worldview. Possessing a foundation in business, sports and marketing with qualifications in psychology, communications and Māori development, her emphasis now is upon blending her extensive experience with her culture, to bring about prosperous outcomes for tāngata whenua and raise cultural comfortability for tāngata Tiriti.

Ben Tinker 
Standing Out in a Crowded Recruitment Market
Head of Partnerships, HainesAttract

Ben is a creative brand, communication, and engagement specialist, with multi-disciplined expertise built up over 20 years of working with global organisations. He has worked in senior client service positions at a full-service ad agency, as well as comms and brand leadership roles in outsourcing, partnering with CXOs and operational leaders. Over and above technical capability in communications, advertising, brand and messaging, Ben is known for an engaging leadership and coaching style, effective business partnering, and asking the questions that unlock solutions to business problems. His consultative approach helps him build compelling, impactful and measurable comms strategies and sales propositions.

Janna Grant
Standing Out in a Crowded Recruitment Market
General Manager, HainesAttract

Janna is a driven and passionate people and client leader who has spent most of her career in the RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) industry with the last 12 years being spent at Korn Ferry. She has worked across multiple geographies in NZ, Australia, UK and China and with clients from various industries and sizes. Leading diverse teams is something she loves doing and has had the pleasure of doing for the past 10 years. In her current portfolio, Janna has been responsible for setting up the regional Client Success Function and working with internal Product, Implementation and Operations teams to deliver new-to-market technology enabled talent solutions for enterprise-sized clients across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

Cathy Hendry 
Standing Out in a Crowded Recruitment Market
Managing Director, Strategic Pay

Cathy Hendry is the Managing Director of the proudly New Zealand-owned and operated Strategic Pay and a seasoned remuneration professional with over 17 years’ experience in the industry. As a dedicated advocate for pay equity, Cathy’s commitment to this cause has seen her actively engage with organisations such as MindTheGap and promoting research and analysis on pay gaps within New Zealand, contributing significantly to the ongoing discourse on achieving pay equity and promoting fairness and equality within remuneration practices. Cathy is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences, where her thought leadership in the remuneration space, insightful commentary on trends, expertise in addressing pay equity, and data-driven presentations resonate strongly.

David Downs 
Standing Out in a Crowded Recruitment Market
CEO, New Zealand Story

David Downs, CMInstD Genetically Modified Optimist David has had a successful career in the private and public sector and is now CEO of The New Zealand Story, an ambitious government-funded organisation marketing New Zealand to the world. He also acts as a consultant and is a director on several boards, including as Chair of The Icehouse, and the Hi-Tech Trust. David is an ex-comedian, TV and radio actor, semi-finalist for New Zealander of the Year, cancer survivor and a published author of the books No.8 Re-wired, No.8 Recharged, A Mild Touch of the Cancer, and Silver Linings. David founded SOS Business, a hugely successful not-for-profit initiative to help cafes and other small businesses during covid-19.

Zac Parish
Building a Safe, Resilient and Productive Workplace
Founder, Awareness Academy

Zac Parish is the Founder and Director of the Awareness Academy, a training institution specializing in workplace leadership and well-being programs. His passion lies in the intricateness of the mind and emotions, exploring the dynamics of beliefs and behaviors, and addressing the impact of social and environmental conditioning. His ongoing training delves into optimum lifestyle practices emphasizing the crucial 5 Pillars of Wellness. Zac also served as a Buddhist Monk for six years, and for over two decades, has been an influential teacher in mindfulness, resilience and wellness. Zac is committed to the holistic well-being of individuals and the cultivation of mindful, compassionate and happy workplaces.

Paul Jarvie
Building a Safe, Resilient and Productive Workplace
Health and Safety Expert, EMA

Paul has been with the EMA since 1988 and is currently a project leader for older workers and a strong business advocate in the Employment Relations and Human Resources space. He is a key Occupational Health and Safety expert at national policy and guidance level, having spent some 30 years in this field. Paul also served as NZ delegate at International Labour Organisation (ILO) and as expert and Committee Chair (Agriculture and Machine guarding), and is the key author to the EMA’s White Paper “Act Now, Age Later”.

Jackie Lai
Developing a Kickass Workforce
Leadership and Ownership Programme Lead,

Foodstuffs

Foodstuffs is New Zealand’s largest grocery retailer, employing over 24,000 people. Jackie Lai (Ownership Programme Lead, Foodstuffs North Island) will share the evolution of their development offerings, key learnings and future challenges to meet the diverse needs of their store teams.

Nick Sheppard
Developing a Kickass Workforce
Head of Learning, EMA

Nick is a highly successful, driven and innovative senior leader, with a proven track record driving strategy, change and process improvement across a range of sectors. He has an impressive history leading change that improves organisational structure and culture, generates revenue, and enhances programme frameworks and financial outcomes. With a people and performance-focused approach to create engaged, highly productive and motivated workforces, Nick has led transformation during periods of change and instability. He has a consistent track record of successfully building and leading teams to exceed organisational goals and targets, and recognised skill in establishing highly effective, mutually-beneficial relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. His proven results and strong commitment to customer experience and engagement has led him to his current role as the EMA’s Head of Learning.

Sarah Selwood
The Right Approach to Performance Management
Consultant, EMA

Sarah is a qualified and experienced workplace investigator and mediator, specialising in conflict resolution. With sixteen years of multi-discipline business leadership experience and an ER/R consultancy established in 2018, she is skilled in multiple aspects of Employment Relations and general HR. Sarah is a Workplace Investigations certificate holder from the Association of Workplace Investigators, a licenced private workplace investigator, and an AMINZ Mediation Skills Intensive Certificate holder. She drills into every situation using her training and experience and by being independent and impartial. Behavioural and conduct-related issues as well as conflict and workplace disputes are where she shines, but as a skilled mediator, Sarah also provides early intervention to resolve issues that arise before they develop into unresolvable conflict.

Ruthi Bommoju
The Right Approach to Performance Management
Senior Solicitor, EMA

Ruthi was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Social Sciences degree (majoring in Political science and minoring in Sociology). Having been with the EMA’s Legal Team for close to seven years, Ruthi has distinct and far-reaching insights into the employment challenges of Member businesses. Ruthi helps them on all aspects of employment law, including restructures, managing personal grievances, Holidays Act compliance, disciplinary issues, to negotiated exits, medical incapacity, fair pay agreements, performance management and mediations. She is an integral part of the team responsible for presenting at EMA Member briefings and regularly shares her insights on EMA webinars. Her employment law knowledge and commercial acumen assists in achieving sound and pragmatic resolutions for EMA Members.

Paul O'Neil
The Right Approach to Performance Management
Head of Legal, EMA

A former commercial litigator with a strong background in commercial litigation, financial crime and counter fraud, Paul leads the EMA’s expert Legal team, which gives EMA Members advice and support with employment law and representation. Paul also heads up the EMA’s Consulting team which provides solutions to Employment Relations, Human Resources and Health Safety issues. Paul brings his wide-ranging experience from overseeing civil and criminal proceedings at the Financial Markets Authority, and as Deputy Chief Executive Operations and General Counsel at the Serious Fraud office, to advise businesses on how to deal with tricky issues - or avoid them altogether. While Paul directs the team, he is also passionate about being hands-on with businesses on the large and small issues that can reduce risk, saving them time, energy and money.

Aaron Creighton
Harnessing Technology to Unlock Your Productivity
Senior Data Strategist, MPI

Aaron is the Senior Data Scientist at Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) with a focus on data science and application development, as well as data governance, data classification, privacy and InfoSec. His team delivers analytics solutions and data tools to Customs, MPI and Immigration, enhancing border security and helping to identify biosecurity risks and support strategic border priorities. His team also provides data science support across agencies. He works with Large Language Models to create in-house chatbots, and collect and summarise text, and is a committee member for the Analytics Community of Practice for all of MPI. Aaron also has a Master’s degree in Analytics (Data Science) from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Justin Flitter
Harnessing Technology to Unlock Your Productivity
Founder, NewZealand.ai

Justin Flitter is an AI for business leader with more than 20 years of experience in helping businesses grow with technology, people, and partnerships. He founded NewZealand.AI in 2017, providing practical workshops and events that showcase how Kiwi businesses can scale their superpowers with AI, and Unrivaled.co.nz, a virtual B2B marketing agency that accelerates marketing capability and performance for professional services businesses. Justin has previously represented New Zealand on the Global Partnership for AI, an international initiative lead by the Canadian and French Governments. He is passionate about producing, hosting and speaking at events that inspire and educate business leaders on the potential and impact of AI and emerging technologies. He is also the emcee of TEDxAuckland, the chair of the NZ Tech Marketers Group, a director of Business Mentors New Zealand, and the founder and host of AI-Day, New Zealand's premier AI conference.

Simon Howard
Harnessing Technology to Unlock Your Productivity
Founder, ZX Security Lts

Simon Howard is a founding member and CTO of Bastion Security, a NZ cyber security consultancy. He has over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, starting life as a C programmer and then moving into security engineering, architecture, management and strategy. Simon also co-founded and assists with the running of Australasia's largest hacker conference, Kawaiicon (previously known as Kiwicon)