Dame Silvia Cartwright - Head Judge
Dame Silvia was born in Dunedin and she graduated with a LLB from Otago University in 1967.
After several years in private practice, she embarked on a judicial career that culminated in her appointment to the High Court - the first woman in New Zealand to achieve this.
In 1987 and 1988, Dame Silvia chaired the Commission of Inquiry into the Treatment of Cervical Cancer and Other Related Matters at National Women's Hospital (the Cartwright Inquiry).
She was a member of the United Nations committee monitoring compliance with the United Nations Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1989 and Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2001 and received the Queen's Service Order in 2006.
After completing her tenure as Governor-General in August 2006, she took up a position as a trial judge on the United Nations Tribunal investigating war crimes in Cambodia.
Vanisa Dhiru
Manawatū-born Indian Vanisa Dhiru is an equality champion with a strong sense of social responsibility.
She holds commissioner roles with the NZ National Commission of UNESCO and the Library & Information Advisory Commission, alongside other advisory and panel roles for NGOs and government departments.
During her career Vanisa has held various leadership roles including CEO of Volunteering New Zealand, Executive Director of 20/20 Trust, and President of the National Council of Women NZ. Based in Wellington, she is a member of the global BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network, Global Women NZ, and the Manawatū regional Te Aho Tāmaka leadership programme.
Vanisa was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit as part of the 2021 New Year’s Honours for services to the community and gender rights.
Francene Wineti
Francene is a senior executive and leader who is driven and passionate about research, science and innovation. She has a wealth of experience in iwi/Māori development and strong relationships in the government, science and innovation sectors with well established iwi/Māori networks, across all faces of Māori business.
Francene is a Director for Palmerston North City Council and Manawatū District Council’s Central Economic Development Agency, Director of Ngāti Tuwharetoa Fisheries Limited, Hautaki Trust and Trustee of Te Huarahi Tika Trust the Māori spectrum Trust, and independent director for Bioprocessing Resource Alliance. She is Director and owner of Awariki Limited, a niche consultancy company, delivering specialised services on Māori research and development and Māori cultural capability. She has also been an associate director for Ātihau-Whanganui Inc, a Māori-owned farming company in beef, sheep, dairy, wool, honey and woodland.
Her areas of expertise include fisheries, aquaculture, agribusiness, agritech, food and beverage, science and innovation, and iwi/Māori economic development.
Abbie Reynolds
Abbie is one of New Zealand’s most respected figures in sustainable business. She is Chair of Westpac's Sustainability External Advisory Panel, a Director of Auckland Transport and Trustee for Sustainable Coastlines.
Most recently CEO of Predator Free 2050 Ltd, the company established to help deliver the New Zealand government's ambitious goal of eradicating possums, stoats and rats by 2050. From 2016 to 2019 she was the Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council, and was the key architect in the establishment and launch of the Climate Leaders Coalition in 2018.
Before joining the Sustainable Business Council, Abbie was the head of sustainability at Vodafone NZ and has led sustainability and regulatory work across a number of different industries. Her tireless work earned her a 2019 Women of Influence award in the Board & Maintenance category.
Sinead Boucher
Sinead Boucher is Chief Executive Officer of Stuff. In 2020 Sinead completed a management buyout of the company, returning the business to local ownership. She has since charted a bold new era for Stuff, with a focus on making Aotearoa a better place and becoming the country’s most trusted organisation.
Prior to becoming CEO, Sinead held the position of Group Executive Editor for four years. In this role she was responsible for NZ’s largest newsroom, a significant stable of newspapers and magazines, and number one domestic website Stuff. Her journey in management is complemented by many years as a frontline journalist, both in NZ and the UK at the Financial Times and Reuters.
Sinead is a leader with a passion for equitable, inclusive and diverse workplaces. Under her watch, Stuff has grown to record audience numbers driven by the organisation’s reputation for award-winning, local journalism. As the media landscape has changed over time, Sinead has driven significant organisational transformation to create a sustainable future for the business and defined new ways to fund its journalism through partnerships, products and data-led innovations that leverage Stuff’s scale and create value for its loyal audience and customers.
Sinead is proud to be on the executive and supervisory board of the World Association of News Publishers
Gina Dellabarca
Gina Dellabarca was appointed Westpac NZ’s General Manager of Consumer Banking & Wealth in January 2020. Her role means she’s responsible for leading Westpac’s Consumer banking network, including its Contact Centres and Operations teams, and the Private Wealth Management division.
Gina has been with Westpac since 1998, holding a number of senior leadership roles over that time. Prior to her appointment as GM of CB&W, she was GM of Human Resources & Corporate Affairs, where she had a strong focus on employee advocacy, and building capability. Gina is committed to improving the experience of Westpac’s customers and helping its employees to develop their skills and careers.
Gina holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Otago University and is an accredited Organisational Coach recognised through the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership. She is also a member of the New Zealand Global Women network.