As part of Global Women’s strategic focus on strengthening member connection across the motu, we’re thrilled to officially launch our Regional Chapters pilot.
This initiative is designed to unlock deeper local engagement beyond Tāmaki Makaurau and offer our members more opportunities to connect, contribute and lead – regionally and nationally.
💥 Meet Our Inaugural Regional Leads
We’re proud to introduce the incredible wāhine stepping up as the first Regional Leads. They are already gathering insights, connecting with members, and preparing their first events. Here’s a chance to get to know them:
🔸 Anna Johnstone – Ōtautahi Christchurch
Anna is the founder of The Female Career, launched in 2019 to help improve gender balance in Aotearoa’s workplaces. With a passion for coaching and supporting women at all stages of their careers, Anna has worked with hundreds of wāhine to build clarity and confidence.
Her background includes senior HR and marketing roles in both blue chip companies and start-ups across Europe, and she holds an MSc in Applied Psychology and an MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland. She’s also a keynote speaker on gender equity and leadership.
🔸 Gerri Ward – Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington
Gerri is a seasoned sustainability leader with nearly two decades of experience. She recently joined Oxygen Consulting as a Principal Consultant and has held key roles such as Head of Sustainability at Z Energy and Director at EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability team.
Gerri also brings governance experience through past roles with the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and the Sustainable Business Network (SBN). Now based in Wellington, she’s excited to bring her passion for sustainable systems change to her work with Global Women.
🔸 Fiona McTavish – Te Moana a Toi Bay of Plenty
Fiona is Chief Executive of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and brings extensive leadership experience from both local and central government. Prior to joining the Council, Fiona worked in education, health and the private sector, including as a General Manager at the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
She also serves as a director of Quayside Group and Priority One, and remains deeply committed to improving education outcomes through her work as a school board trustee.
🔸 Donna Cooper – Taranaki
Donna is a Professional Director and Advisor with a global track record as a CEO and executive leader. She’s passionate about building sustainable, successful organisations who make a difference to their customers and communities.
She currently sits on the boards of BSP Bank and SkyCity Entertainment Group, Chairs YPO NZ and is a fintech advisor. She has held key leadership roles in NZ, the UK, India and Australia, most recently serving as CEO of TSB Bank and The Warehouse Group Financial Services group of companies.
💬 What’s Next?
Each of these wāhine will begin hosting events and kōrero in their regions, bringing the Global Women kaupapa to life locally. Over the next few months, we’ll test what works, learn from members, and evolve the model as we go.
If you’re based in one of these regions and want to get involved – keep an eye out for an invitation, or reach out to Merran – merran.brockie-david@globalwomen.org.nz. We can’t wait to see what unfolds.
Ngā mihi nui to our new Regional Leads for bringing their mana, insight and energy to this pilot.