Ashburton coffee catch-up 

Networking

Speaker(s): Graham Kennedy, Anna Bolland
Date: 10:00am — 11:00am, 9 October 2025
Venue: Noble 600
Location: 231 Burnett Street, Ashburton 7700
Price members: $0.00 incl GST
Price non-members: $0.00 incl GST

Overview

Whether you’re a new member looking to build connections, a current member keen to reconnect, or simply curious about the Institute of Directors, this is a great opportunity to network and engage in thought-provoking discussions.

Join IoD Distinguished Fellow, Graham Kennedy, and Canterbury branch committee member Anna Bolland MInstD, for coffee and conversation. Both members and non-members are warmly invited to attend.

Graham Kennedy

DistFInstD

MNZM BCom (Otago),  FCA, ACIS, ACIM, Fellow of NZ Trustees Association 

Graham moved from Dunedin to Ashburton in 1973 and joined the team at the accountancy firm Brophy Knight.  He has been an independent director/chairman or trustee for a number of private and public entities, including a long association with the banking industry, having been a director of CBS Canterbury for 24 years. During this period, Graham was actively involved in the significant changes occurring over that time, including demutualisation and NZAX listing. He was also Chairman from 2002 – 2008, a period that included mergers with both SMC Building Society and Loan and Building Society.   

Graham was a founding director of Heartland New Zealand Limited, an NZX 50 listed entity, and Heartland Bank Limited. Although he resigned as a director in 2019, he remains as a trustee of the Heartland Charitable Trust. 

As well as his diverse range of directorships, Graham has been a trustee/chairman of numerous charitable organisations, was a council member of the Ashburton JP Association, and served for five years as a member of the Institute of Directors Canterbury branch committee. 

Anna Bolland

MInstD

Anna is a leadership and culture strategist who positively influences and challenges boards, leaders, teams, and individuals. With extensive experience across most industries in both public and private sectors, she works on building the foundation within organisations in both systems and people for growth and impact.

Passionate about human behaviour and the power of neuroscience, Anna brings a fresh perspective to leadership development, team dynamics, culture, wellbeing, strategic direction, and brand. She specialises in unlocking potential in people and businesses alike.

Anna currently holds three governance roles in the not-for-profit and education sectors in South Canterbury and is deeply committed to ongoing development in this space. Giving back to the community is a core value: she is a motivational speaker, mentors young adults, and co-founded a foundation in Papua New Guinea focused on early childhood education in rural areas. Together with her husband, she has owned three businesses.

Additional information

Should you have any dietary, mobility, cultural or other requirements, you can let us know on the registration form.

By registering for this event you are confirming that you agree to adhere to our event terms and conditions.

Branch event cancellation policy

Regrettably, registration fees cannot be refunded when cancellations are received within two working days prior to any branch event. See our standard terms and conditions for more information.