Profiles of speakers

Read about some of the speakers who presented at our conference: Inspiring Success - Comms@10, on the 10th of August 2010.

Jeremy Lambert
Iain Rennie
Michael Player
Jason Ryan
Justin Hygate
Angela Sinickas
Jenny Alexander
Kirsty Ryan
Gerard Vaughan
Karen Poutasi
Jude Urlich
Tracey Bridges
Dave Hollander
Karl Ferguson

Speaker: Jeremy Lambert, Director of Communications, MAF

Topic: Welcome from the Master of Ceremonies

Jeremy Lambert is the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Since July 2009, he has been acting in a series of operational roles, including his current position as MAF's Acting Director of Cargo Clearance.

Jeremy's communications background includes time as a public sector communications manager, private sector public relations consultant, not-for-profit marketing manager, and sports broadcaster. His first 'real' job was as parliamentary secretary to Labour MP Tim Barnett.

Jeremy is a past Chair of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation and is currently studying towards an Executive Masters in Public Administration through the Australia New Zealand School of Government. In his spare time he enjoys walking dogs for the SPCA, doing housework, and learning how to play golf.

 

Speaker: Iain Rennie, State Services Commissioner

Topic: Opening remarks - A vision for New Zealand public sector communications

Iain Rennie has been State Services Commissioner since 1 July 2008.

Mr Rennie has been in the Public Service since 1986. Most of his career has been at the Treasury where he was Deputy Secretary to the Treasury for nine years before becoming Deputy State Services Commissioner in 2007.

 

Speaker: Michael Player, General Manager: Public Affairs, New Zealand Police

Topic: Government communications function review

Michael Player was Chair of the Working Group of the SSC-led Review of Government Communications in 2008-09. He presented the results of that work at Comms@09 last year. For much of the year that has followed he was Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police but also served on the Communications Review Steering Group looking at implementation recommendations from working parties that have built on the original report's recommendations. Michael will provide members of the Network with an update on this important work of relevance to all practitioners.

Speaker: Jason Ryan, Manager Communications and Records Management, SSC

Topic: Government communications function review

Jason Ryan is an advocate for the use of social media in the public sector. He has written extensively on Govt 2.0 and the social and cultural impact of Internet technologies on public sector organisations. He has overseen the introduction of social software to the Commission's internal and external communications and continues to provide advice to other government departments about their social media initiatives.

 

Speaker: Jenny Alexander, Senior Account Manager, Immigration New Zealand, Department of Labour

Topic: Evaluating social marketing

Jenny Alexander moved to Wellington to work as a press secretary in the 2002 election and has been a communications and marketing practitioner ever since. She has worked for Child, Youth and Family, Ministry of Health, and Wellington City Council. Jenny came to the Department of Labour (DOL) in September 2007 on a 6-week contract to help launch the Immigration Advisers Authority. Three years later she is still with DOL and works in the Skilled Migrant marketing team.

 

Speaker: Kirsty Ryan, Senior Account Manager, Immigration New Zealand, Department of Labour

Topic: Evaluating social marketing

Kirsty moved to New Zealand from the UK in 2007. Since leaving university in 2000, she has worked in marketing roles in the UK and New Zealand. She has worked for public and private sector organisations; from financial services marketing to Local Government (UK), plus international marketing for a global metrology manufacturer. Kirsty joined the Department of Labour in March 2008.

Speaker: Justin Hygate, Group Manager, Companies Office

Topic: The use and monitoring of social media

Justin Hygate is the Group Manager responsible for business registries within the Ministry of Economic Development. 

Justin joined the Companies Office in 1985 and has held many roles before being appointed to the Group Manager role in 1999.

Justin has been a driving force in developing the New Zealand Companies Office internet-based registry systems. Justin has a strong interest in ensuring the Companies Office provides services that are appropriate to the demands of the business community; particularly around timeliness, quality and price.

Justin is working on transforming www.business.govt.nz and has plans to make it the best thing ever.

The Companies Office has been voted the most helpful government agency each year since 2003.

Justin is active internationally in the world of business registries and is the secretary of the Corporate Registers Forum www.corporateregistersforum.org

Justin holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce and a Masters degree in Public Administration. 

He spends a fair bit of time in the ether and can be found at http://nz.linkedin.com/in/justinhygate  and http://twitter.com/hygate

 

Speaker: Gerard Vaughan, Chief Executive, ALAC

Topic: Panel discussion - What do leaders want from their communications?

Gerard Vaughan (M Soc. Sci Hons) has been the Chief Executive Officer of ALAC since February 2007.

Before that he was employed for six years by the Ministry of Health as the National Project Manager for the campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness (called "Like Minds, Like Mine").  As well as his involvement with social change campaigns, Gerard has also worked in both Government and non-Government organisations in New Zealand, Australia and the UK in areas of communications, employment, health promotion and community development.

 

Speaker: Karen Poutasi, Chief Executive, NZQA

Topic: Panel discussion - What do leaders want from their communications?

Dr Karen Poutasi was appointed Chief Executive of NZQA in May 2006. Previously Karen was Director General of Health, having worked for more than 25 years in senior roles in health services management. She has extensive experience in change management and organisational development. Karen is a medical graduate of Otago University and her area of specialisation is public health medicine. She has Otago and Harvard management qualifications.

 

Speaker: Jude Urlich, Manager Corporate and External Relations, Pharmac

Topic: Juggling resources and outcomes

Jude Urlich was a founding member of the Network.  She has worked in the wider state sector, private sector and in her own business since 1986. Jude currently manages all the corporate functions, including policy and communications for PHARMAC, a Crown entity charged with determining access to funded medicines. Jude has an interest in government relations, internal communications and community consultation, and has a Master of Public Policy and BA from Victoria University, as well as Diploma in Business Studies (PR) from Massey. She was accredited by PRINZ in 1995.

 

Speaker: Tracey Bridges, Partner, Senate Communications Counsel

Tracey Bridges is a partner in Senate Communications, a consultancy specialising in strategic communications advice for the public, private and NGO organisations.  During her communications career she has worked with more than 25 different public sector organisations, from NZ On Air to the Ministry for Social Development, from Statistics New Zealand to CCMAU.  The work has ranged from helping clients manage crises, to planning and implementing social marketing campaigns, to helping teams find meaning from audience research, to planning for and managing risk, and providing training and mentoring for communication teams.  Tracey worked in television news, as a parliamentary press secretary, before moving to communication consulting. 

 

Speaker: Dave Hollander, Powerhouse People

Topic: What a modern communications professional looks like

David Hollander started his professional career with Morgan & Banks and then Momentum Consulting Group and more recently is one of the founding Directors of PowerHouse People Limited, a Wellington-based executive recruitment consultancy. He has worked in the human resources consulting field for the past 14 years, 12 of which he has specialised in the executive search and recruitment of communications and public relations professionals into the permanent and contracting markets. David has worked on roles all around New Zealand and at all levels from communications assistant through to general management and heads of department. He is well networked into the Wellington and Auckland markets.

 

Speaker: Karl Ferguson, NZTA

Topic: What a modern communications professional looks like

Karl Ferguson has over 10 years' experience in communications, with a strong focus on public sector communications, in Wellington and overseas, in a range of areas. He has also spent time working in the not-for-profit sector. Karl is passionate about leading people, and has worked in leadership and management roles for the past six years. He has a strong professional interest in ensuring that public sector agencies are aware of and meet stakeholder needs, and in working to enhance the reputation of the public sector overall. Karl is currently the head of communications and engagement at the New Zealand Transport Agency.