| The Stretton Foundation, RAW and Kia Puāwai.

Right from the beginning, Annah has been an active supporter and contributor to many of New Zealand’s well-loved charities. Back in 2013, however, Annah took her philanthropy to a whole new level with the establishment of the Stretton Foundation as a vehicle to drive social change. It was time to take advantage of all that the fashion industry had taught her to generate real outcomes for some of New Zealand’s largest challenges.

Her first social venture was RAW (Reclaim Another Woman) which is focused on breaking the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by helping female offenders transition from a life of crime to a life of promise through education, employment and intensive peer support. Her second, Kia Puāwai, is focused on redefining the road to better health and wellbeing in the workplace, and in the community, by introducing simple, seamless and sustainable edits to your lifestyle. Her third, The Good Collective, aims to supercharge the effectiveness, community impact and long-term sustainability of the Waikato charitable sector through the creation of our one-stop-collaboration hub.

| KNZM, MBE, Coach, All Black & World Cup Winner.

Humbled and honoured – they’re two words Sir John Kirwan (known to most as “JK”) often uses to describe how he feels about his contribution to a campaign to raise awareness about depression, but they’re also the same words he uses to describe his knighthood.

The former All Black and 1987 Rugby World Cup winner became a “Sir” in 2012, joining a list that includes other well-known former All Blacks. Kirwan was recognised as much, if not more, for his contribution outside of rugby; for services to Mental Health, having been for several years at the forefront of the campaign to heighten public awareness of depression, an illness he has suffered from himself.

“I’m certainly proud of the rugby stuff I’ve achieved but the work that I’m continuing to do with mental health is a very strong part of my life. I never imagined this, but it’s a great thing for the people who are suffering from mental illness in New Zealand and I think it gives them hope. That’s the big positive for me. If receiving a knighthood helps some other people then I can get over the embarrassment.”

| CNZM, Founder of Tech Futures Lab.

Frances Valintine (CNZM) is a thought-leader in emerging and disruptive technologies with 20 years’ experience across business, technology and education. 

Frances founded The Mind Lab to bring contemporary knowledge and practical skills to students and teachers around New Zealand. In 2016, she launched Tech Futures Lab to navigate the new world of technology enabled businesses, as exponential technologies impact on every role, every sector and every economy.  

Frances has worked with and advised 250+ organisations from every sector in New Zealand, from agriculture to finance, retail to law, and has gained a reputation as an expert in leading change initiatives.

In the 2018 New Year Honours, Frances was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) recognising her lifetime of contribution in education and technology. In 2017 Frances received the NZ Flying Kiwi Award, inducted into the New Zealand Hi-Tech Hall of Fame and also named one of the top 3 NZ Innovators of the Year at the NZer of the Year awards.  In 2016 Frances was named one of the top 50 EdTech Educators in the World by EdTech International, and was also awarded a Sir Peter Blake Leader Award. In 2015 Frances was awarded the Westpac New Zealand Woman of Influence (Innovation) and the Next New Zealand Woman of the Year (Education). 

Frances sits on the boards of Callaghan Innovation and Dilworth School Trust and is a selection advisor for the Edmund Hillary Foundation, committed to supporting a community of impact entrepreneurs, investors and change-makers to build meaningful solutions to global problems. 

She holds a Master of Education Management from the University of Melbourne. 

| Founder/CEO of strategic workforce planning consultancy - Kienco.

In a world of rapid change and increasing complexity, organisations are struggling to stay relevant. Futurist and author Alex Hagan will explore the difference between organisations that suffer from complexity, and those that thrive in it. Hagan will show you how embracing complexity might be the greatest opportunity of our time, and identify some of the tools that will help you gear up for the future.

Alex Hagan helps organisations to face fundamentally unpredictable futures with confidence. Data Science and Applied Foresight are his weapons of choice, and pragmatism underpins his approach to discovering and scaling opportunity in this complex New Normal.

With a background in Econometrics, Software Product Management, and Futures Thinking, Alex defies categorisation (but you can call him a futurist, he won’t mind) and has worked with governments, corporations and communities on every continent except Antarctica to create the future of their industries, organisations, and workforces.

 Alex is a globally sought after speaker, facilitator and advisor, and equips people the tools they need to create a future that takes advantage of the unprecedented complexity in the way we live and work today.  Alex is the founder and CEO of boutique Strategic Workforce Planning consultancy, Kienco, and the author of Thriving in Complexity.