Angela is Founder & CEO of Consult Recruitment and LEAD Executive Search. With over 20 years in recruitment, Angela has received numerous awards for recruitment leadership and business expertise. After building Consult Recruitment into one of New Zealand’s most awarded specialist recruitment firms, Angela launched LEAD Executive Search to connect transformative and impactful leaders with opportunities across New Zealand and beyond. Angela is a proud supporter of Best Places to Work, celebrating organisations that prioritise people and culture. She’s passionate about shining a light on what great workplaces and leadership look like, and inspiring others to build work environments where people feel valued and proud of the work they do.

Bridget is an experienced global leader who has built and led businesses in both the United States and New Zealand in recent years. She has held Chairperson, Director and CEO roles across a range of public and private sector entities.

Bridget is committed to innovation in our businesses and financial markets, and to responding as a nation to the challenges of climate change. She has worked with kiwi businesses, small and large, to deliver on these goals over a number of years. She is committed to the belief that, when we are at our best, our businesses are creative and bold and exciting, and can confidently aspire to be global leaders in their fields.

Unleashing the creativity and energy and enthusiasm of every member of the team is without doubt the primary route to business success. Those enterprises which can create a great employee experience will win in the marketplace, as well as creating a place where everyone can grow and learn and achieve their business and personal goals.

Carolyn is CEO of NZ Businesswomen and is also on the board of the EMA. In her roles she leverages her skills and business acumen to represent and support a network of over 30,000 companies. Carolyn’s roles are all focused on supporting the growth and development of businesses in NZ, helping business owners navigate business challenges and opportunities.

With a focus on strategic development and customer relationship management, business growth and development. Carolyn's main goal is to create a business environment where leadership and innovation can thrive, ensuring a bright future for the diverse fabric of our business community.

Because business is about people, and it’s the people that make country great. Carolyn is passionate about ensuring business owners believe in themselves, plan for success and support one another – a rising tide lifts all boats after all!

David Downs BSc, CMInstD is a consultant and board director, with a portfolio of interests keeping him busy, across some key theme areas of technology for public good, healthcare and education. David is currently CEO of the New Zealand Story, an ambitious organisation marketing New Zealand to the world.

The organisations David is involved with are all about making Aotearoa New Zealand a better place – more productive, more innovative, more equitable and ultimately an even more special place to live. He is involved in business growth, marketing NZ and improving our access to innovation – David said BPTW ticks a lot of those boxes!

BPTW not only celebrates great initiatives and ideas, but helps share best-practices. With the world of work now radically different than it was even 5 years ago, there has never been a better time to learn how better to value your team, and get the best out of them. BPTW will help give us all new ideas on engagement and performance, and perhaps help NZ’s overall productivity.

James Hurman is a New Zealand-based entrepreneur, investor and advertising effectiveness expert. He is the founding partner of Previously Unavailable, a creative company that partners with, creates and invests into high-growth startup companies. James works with early-stage ventures to build ambitious brands and businesses through strategy and great storytelling. He said yes to being a BPTW™ judge because he believes how we treat our people defines what we can achieve. This programme shines a light on those lifting the standard of work and leadership in Aotearoa, NZ- and James is proud to be part of it. James believes deeply in the power of storytelling to shape culture - and workplaces are no exception. When we highlight the organisations where people thrive, we create a ripple effect across our business ecosystem. The best workplaces attract the best talent, drive innovation, and inspire others to lift their game. For James, it’s a privilege to put a spotlight on those who are leading the way and showing the world, what New Zealand businesses can be.

John Fraser-Mackenzie is the CEO of the EMA, one of New Zealand’s longest-standing business support organisations. With a career spanning executive finance roles across HJ Heinz in Zimbabwe, Germany, and the UK, and leadership positions at Goodman Fielder and Metro Performance Glass, John brings deep commercial and operational expertise. He also previously owned Pacific Harvest, a sustainable seaweed company acquired by Ceres Organics in 2024. John is passionate about workplace culture as a driver of business success. He believes the Best Places to Work™ programme plays a critical role in recognising and inspiring people-first leadership across Aotearoa, and is proud to support its mission.

Kalyn approaches every day with a singular purpose; to show the world that thriving humans at work and commercial success, go hand-in-hand. Kalyn's career has exposed her to all kinds of high-performance workplaces, most notably when I was a Director at North American retail leader, Aritzia LP, and on the SLT leading up to its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

We partner with organisations to adapt and perform in the new world of work.

When we as leaders are constantly aiming to create better and more innovative workplace practices, this ultimately results in greater outcomes for all stakeholders, including NZ Inc! Hearing directly from our people, celebrating stories, and creating a community provides the platform to do this. Beyond what's on the tin, I love that BPTW connects employee experience to customer experience and financial performance, and provides employers an opportunity to provide proof of what it's like to work in their organisation. Getting awesome people into our awesome orgs is one the most important thing we can all do!

Michael is a passionate advocate for the Kiwi tech sector, with a keen ability for spotting people’s super powers – their personalities, experience and skills – and unleashing their potential. With a career spanning 15 years at IBM across eight roles, working as a fractional CMO, and now as Co-Founder of Flux B2B, he offers deep experience and insight in growth strategy and leadership.  Michael's belief in people's innate drive to do great work underpins everything he does. As the Convenor of Judges for the NZ Marketing Awards, he's no stranger to recognising excellence and brings that same eye for impact and potential to the BPTW™ judging panel.

Mike is an internationally experienced chief executive and director with skills and capabilities primarily developed within the global energy sector. Mike has worked in business contexts covering both turnaround and growth in the corporate sector, and since 2016 has been involved as a director in NZ’s venture capital ecosystem.

Mike's purpose is to realise individual and organisational potential. He deliver's on that through a portfolio of gigs as an author, speaker, consultant and executive coach.

Mike know's from personal experience that human workplaces deliver much better economic, social and environmental outcomes. Best places to work is a forum where our best practices and lessons from real-life experiences can be curated and shared so we can all accelerate human workplaces at a scale that makes a difference beyond the individual organisation.

Rob is Board chair of Simplicity NZ and Revolut NZ. From 2022 to 2025, Rob was CEO of NZ's sovereign venture capital fund NZ Growth Capital Partners. Prior to that, he was CEO of the Financial Markets Authority for nearly 8 years and before moving to NZ was in a variety of roles and locations with Merrill Lynch. Rob's an enthusiastic investor and participant in NZ's VC and start-up sector and a member of AngelHQ in Wellington.

For the employer, I want to see support for and development of their people. A caring environment that nonetheless expects and gets full effort and consistently excellent performance.

I am fascinated by people and what makes them who they are. In the workplace, I want to provide a setting in which people are motivated to do their best work and where they feel supported and valued.

Sam is Director of the University of Canterbury’s Kōawa Studios - home to 450 young digital production wizards, and an Executive Producer with a background in international screen production, digital production innovation, and creative leadership. She works at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and technology; championing emerging screen and production technologies to ensure Aotearoa stays globally connected and locally distinctive. Sam is passionate about empowering the next generation of talent through storytelling, tech, and purposeful partnerships that shape a more inclusive and sustainable screen ecosystem. Sam brings her passion for inclusive, values-driven leadership and cultures to the BPTW™ judging panel, seeing the best work environments as powerful enablers of excellence, creativity, and wellbeing. For Sam, floating all boats higher is about showcasing the richness of New Zealand’s work culture to the world, and amplifying the stories that make us proud to live and work here.

Vanessa Sorenson is a respected New Zealand technology leader with more than three decades of experience driving business growth and digital transformation. She most recently served as Managing Director of Microsoft New Zealand and Chief Partner Officer for Australia and New Zealand, where she led partner strategy and helped organisations harness cloud and emerging technologies to achieve impact at scale. Prior to Microsoft, Vanessa built a successful career at Spark New Zealand, progressing through senior leadership roles over more than 20 years. She is widely recognised for her commitment to diversity and inclusion in the technology sector, actively championing initiatives that support Māori, Pasifika and women in STEM. A passionate advocate for innovation and leadership development, Vanessa brings a practical, values-driven perspective, with a strong focus on impact, inclusivity, and real-world outcomes.

Exceptional workplaces are defined by trust, strong leadership, and a genuine commitment to people’s growth and wellbeing. They create environments where individuals feel valued, included, and empowered to do their best work. Vanessa is particularly looking forward to seeing how organisations are innovating to build inclusive cultures and deliver meaningful impact for both their people and their communities.

Vanessa is passionate about the role workplaces play in shaping people’s lives and unlocking potential. The opportunity to support and recognise organisations that are committed to building inclusive, high-performing cultures strongly aligns with her values. She was inspired to contribute her perspective and help highlight what great workplace experiences look like in practice.

Wendy is an executive coach, leadership adviser, and innovation consultant who has held senior roles at Apple, FT.com, and Pearson, and coached more than 300 leaders across four continents. Returning to New Zealand, she led the University of Auckland's Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, became Global COO of a high-growth fintech, and today she helps founders and executive teams achieve what they once thought was beyond reach through her consulting business, Accelerate Impact, alongside serving as Chief Customer Officer of medtech startup Cannulight.

The best workplaces do not just talk about culture, they build the conditions where everyone can think bigger, contribute fully, and do their most creative work. Wendy looks forward to seeing organisations that can demonstrate the real-world difference that makes, for their people and their results.

New Zealand has a productivity problem, and great workplace culture is a significant part of the solution. When people feel trusted, valued, and creatively free, they innovate, and that ripple effect across our business ecosystem is exactly what Aotearoa needs right now.