Michelle Leadsom

Michelle has been with BNZ for four years, most recently leading its Brand and Communications team overseeing all aspects of BNZ's brand strategy, marketing communications, its Sustainable Development strategy and employee communications. Taking up the Trustee role coincides with a year’s parental leave, which also began in January.

Michelle moved from the United Kingdom (UK) to join BNZ in 2006. Before that, her career was primarily in marketing, across different industries and teams, including at global financial services firm, UBS, in its London-based Global Advertising team, and with THUS plc, a cable and wireless company providing internet and data services to UK business customers.

Michelle is passionate about conservation and looks forward to playing an active role in BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust. While still in the UK, she volunteered at London Zoo, supporting fundraising via trusts and statutory bodies, and has a keen interest in helping bring endangered animal populations back to health. “The health of animal species are very much the lead indicators for our environment,” she says, “and it’s vital we take our role seriously to prevent further damage to existing populations globally.”

Michelle has already enjoyed a close encounter with kiwi – getting a behind the scenes peek of a BNZ Operation Nest EggTM chick hatching at Auckland Zoo. “We watched the chick pushing against cracks in the shell via a monitor, while the egg was safely tucked away in an incubator, and none of us could take our eyes off the screen.”

Because it takes several days for a kiwi chick to hatch, Michelle missed the big moment, but she is convinced that bringing New Zealanders closer to these amazing birds and their secret lifes, such as through the Zoo’s outreach programme, will galvanise everyone behind their cause.

“The Trust does such amazing work and it is vital that we continue to connect New Zealanders to this bird, and secure Kiwi's future for generations,” Michelle says. “I hope that my marketing background will help the Trust achieve just that.”