Mentoring for Diversity past mentees

2024 mentees

Amy Cavanaugh

I am thrilled to embark on this journey of personal and professional growth and look forward to gaining invaluable insights and connecting with like-minded people. As a young, female professional who has navigated senior management, executive, and governance roles in the financial services industry, I recognise the value of diverse perspectives in driving organisational success and sustainability. I am excited about the prospect of being challenged, expanding my viewpoint, and advancing my skills in governance, which will enable me to govern larger organisations more effectively in Aotearoa in the future.

Anne Fitisemanu
Having worked across key sectors where Pacific & Māori are too often underrepresented, I welcome the opportunity to participate in the Mentoring for Diversity programme to further develop my governance skills to influence and bring about positive change.

As a Pacific CEO who reports to a board and a trustee across a number of NFPs, I welcome this chance to walk alongside and learn from a mentor who will challenge and support my developing governance journey, along with the opportunity to extend my network.

Erica Benton
I am delighted to have been accepted into the IoD’s 2024 Mentoring for Diversity programme and look forward to having the ability to learn from shared experiences within the mentor-mentee process, gaining insights and knowledge from an experienced director through this unique opportunity.

I am passionate about ensuring organisations have access to good quality governance with an opportunity to learn from the best; to develop my skills and experience as a governance professional, while establishing valuable connections across the wider governance community.

Ferinica Foreman
He uri ahau no Ngā Ruahinerangi, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru.

I am honoured to be a recipient of the ID's Mentoring for Diversity 2024 program.

My current roles are diverse and complex and require me to balance my Māori world view and the contemporary corporate world.

Being a director in a changing environment of political and regulatory uncertainty, it is crucial that value is added at the board table.

As a life-long learner, I am eager to collaborate with diverse and talented mentees on this journey and to be guided — and challenged — by a mentor to expand my knowledge.

Ko te manu a kai ana ī te miro nōnā te ngāhere. Ko te manu e kai ana ī te matauranga nōnā te aō.

The bird that consumes the miro berry owns the forest. The bird that consumes knowledge owns the world.

Georgia Mischefski-Gray
I am super excited to be accepted into the Mentoring for Diversity programme. Becoming a director is a different journey for everyone. For me, it is about taking that next step and upskilling my governance capabilities.

With the pressing need to move towards a sustainable system, diversity has never been so critical around the board table and helps us make better decisions and challenge thought processes. I am excited for this next part of the journey, and to learn from my mentor and mentees.

Kellie McGrath
Selection for IoD's Mentoring for Diversity programme is an honour that will enable me to broaden and develop my governance capabilities so that I can add value across private, public and not-for-profit settings.

Building from my diverse background as a private sector executive and board member in the public sector (currently working in health and disability), I am fascinated by the challenges large and complex organisations face, particularly in the private sector. I also have an interest in system-level change, and research and development-driven organisations.

I look forward to learning from, and being guided and challenged by an experienced mentor, and having an opportunity to be surrounded by diverse thinkers and having crunchy conversations and sharing knowledge and practical wisdom with the 2024 cohort of mentors and directors.

Leanne Illingworth
I am extremely grateful and excited about the opportunity to participate in the Mentoring for Diversity Program in 2024.

Eager to build on my current governance journey, the Mentoring for Diversity programme presents an ideal platform to hone my governance skills and further solidify my role as a professional director.

I have been involved in governance since 2017 in roles across the private and public sectors. Being selected for the programme will allow me to reflect on my current governance practice and to challenge myself to look critically – and purposefully — at my governance development moving forward.

One of the aspects I am most excited about is the opportunity to work with a mentor. I believe their guidance will be instrumental in helping me to define the next steps in my governance journey, and I am eager to learn from their wealth of experience.

As governance can be very isolating, meeting other directors and regular networking opportunities with those who face similar challenges will be a significant benefit.

I am fortunate to work with incredibly supportive and knowledgeable board colleagues, and participation in the programme will undoubtedly support the organisations I currently serve, including those I hope to serve in the future.

Lisa Martin
I am delighted to have been accepted onto the IoD’s 2024 Mentoring for Diversity programme and thank the IoD for this opportunity. I believe that to make sense of the rapidly changing and increasingly complex world, we need a multi-dimensional focus, diversity of experience and representation around the board table. I am excited to be part of a programme that seeks to drive this.

As a values-based and purpose driven experienced executive, business owner and sustainability professional, I bring critical thinking, the courage to challenge the status quo, and commercial acumen to governance, with the goal of making a positive and meaningful difference to create a better world.

As I step into future director roles, I look forward to working first-hand with an experienced director which will be invaluable in extending my current thinking and governance approach. I also see this as a unique opportunity to connect with a cohort of talented upcoming directors to share insights and learn and grow together.

In continuing to develop my governance career, I am eager to share my own unique perspective within the programme. By doing so, I aim to drive value and deliver impact on future boards and organisations.

Margaret van Schaik
I’m excited to be accepted onto the 2024 Mentoring for Diversity programme to further develop my governance skills and competencies. This opportunity will enable me to learn from other experienced directors, focus on further developing my governance skills and reflect on my current governance practice in the governance roles I hold in NGO organisations, as a specialist independent advisor, and as a business owner.

I’m looking forward to networking with other upcoming directors and having the opportunity to share my unique expertise and skills, as I continue developing my governance career.

Matt Silverton
Being relatively new to governance, I am grateful and excited to extend my knowledge in this area.

While the governance roles I have had to-date are varied and include schools, small businesses, and a community owned Energy Trust, the Mentoring for Diversity programme will provide me with a deeper understanding of the governance sector and allow me to provide greater benefit to any board I sit on in the future.

I am looking forward to connecting with my mentor, but also with my fellow mentees, who I am sure to learn a lot from.

Thank you to the Institute of Directors for this opportunity.

Ngila Bevan
Ngāpuhi

I am thrilled to be part of the Mentoring for Diversity programme 2024, and immensely grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow from seasoned governance professionals and mentee peers alike. With a background in the for-purpose and public sectors, I am motivated to enhance the performance of organisations driven by positive social justice outcomes, including building the Māori economy and realising sustainability. This programme will support me to refine my unique value proposition, challenge my thinking, and develop the skills I need to make a greater impact in community, business, and the public sector.

Nuwanthie Samarakone
I am delighted and humbled to have been accepted into the 2024 Institute of Directors’ Mentoring for Diversity programme. This is an incredible opportunity to deepen my governance experience and capability while challenging myself. I look forward to learning from my mentor and the talented 2024 cohort.

My hope is to gain further insights and learnings – to build on my strengths and better appreciate my gaps – and to become a more effective governor and leader, leveraging on my skills as a founder/entrepreneur and as director in the not-for-profit sector by identifying opportunities to add value to more commercial and complex boards.

Rachel Hillyer
I am delighted to be accepted onto the 2024 Mentoring for Diversity IOD Program and I will be embracing this opportunity to learn and further develop my governance skills. I am looking forward to connecting and growing with experienced directors who value diversity of thought and look forward to how we can collectively add value to each other through the programme.

I am hoping to learn more about other sectors and industries and widen my perspective in order to enhance my governance skills that will enrich the broader business landscape by promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Raymond Tan
I am very grateful to be included in the 2024 Mentoring for Diversity programme and believe this opportunity will enable me to better serve the not-for-profit boards I am currently involved with. Moreover, this opportunity will better prepare me for directorship opportunities in the private sector. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to connect with other highly experienced and talented directors who will undoubtedly provide the coaching I need to be a value-adding board member for any organisation. I am excited to contribute towards ensuring that organisations maintain their competitive advantage through increased productivity and effective corporate social responsibility for long-term business viability and profitability.

Sanit Kumar
I am thrilled and appreciative to have been chosen for the IoD Mentoring for Diversity programme. Thank you, IoD! This opportunity will allow me to enhance my understanding of governance principles and best practices, refining my leadership and governance skills to better serve on boards.

My background includes serving on not-for-profit boards, and I believe this programme will open doors for me to pursue further governance opportunities, and ultimately lead to my goal to serve on commercial boards. I feel privileged to receive guidance from experienced mentors and eager to begin this journey.

Sarah Bell
Ngati Rangi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi

I feel very fortunate to have been accepted into the IoD Mentoring for Diversity programme. For a diverse perspective to be of value, it needs to be articulated in a measured way that lands appropriately and is heard. I am excited for the opportunity to grow and learn from an experienced director mentor and learn how to share my kōrero in a more intentional way, so that I can provide true value to the organisations I currently serve, and those that I aspire to serve in the future.

I am also looking forward to connecting with and learning from our 2024 cohort of capable directors.

Sarah Murray
I have always been interested and passionate about governance. Acceptance into the 2024 Mentoring for Diversity programme is an exciting opportunity that will give me the ability to work with, and learn from, an experienced mentor to fast track my development journey and broaden my perspectives.

Through a long career in banking and finance, and more recently local government, I have seen the benefits of having diversity around the boardroom table. Being part of this cohort will support me in gaining knowledge and furthering my capability to add value as a director across both the corporate and NFP sector.

I’m also looking forward to meeting and learning from my fellow participants. Thanks IoD for facilitating this programme!

Stuart Knight
I am delighted and grateful to be part of the IoD’s Mentoring for Diversity programme for 2024. Having just returned ‘home’ after 10 years overseas, I’m keen to actively support New Zealand organisations to achieve their goals. I see this programme as an opportunity to help me make a positive contribution to the healthcare sector—an area I’ve worked in for nearly 40 years. I am also looking forward to meeting, working with and learning collaboratively with the programme participants and my mentor. See you all soon!

Tanya Black
It is a privilege to have been selected for IoD’s Mentoring for Diversity programme – an opportunity to learn from an experienced director while forming connections with a diverse group of mentees in the 2024 programme.

I have spent more than a decade on not-for-profit boards, mostly working with organisations that support disabled people to have better lives through more choice and control – ensuring the voice of our community is represented.

Since becoming disabled after an accident more than 15 years ago, I have seen the many unnecessary societal and physical barriers caused by a lack of knowledge or expectations of what disabled people need, or can achieve. I’ve found my presence, and have persevered to have a voice at the table, providing value for my community to help shift perceptions. By navigating a world not built for us, disabled people are often consummate problem-solvers with unique perspectives. I hope a mentor will help me to build my skills as I step into less familiar corporate spaces and continue to advocate for a more accessible world for all underrepresented and underserved communities.

Vailoa Milo-Harris

Talofa lava. Malo le soifua manuia. I feel exceptionally honoured to be accepted in the Mentoring for Diversity programme and see it as an opportunity to extend my learning and enhance my governance skills, through the guidance of an experienced director.

I anticipate this experience will challenge my own thinking, provide insights, and promote greater governance awareness. I value the opportunity to be part of a cohort who will bring diversity of thought, experience, and knowledge that we can all benefit from. I look forward to connecting and building a new network of governors. Fa’afetai tele lava.

2023 mentees

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2020 mentees

2019 mentees

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2015 mentees

2014 mentees

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2012 mentees