Communicating Sustainability Masterclass 2025

Andy is Senior Advisor at the Sustainable Business Network. He has almost 20 years’ experience in journalism, fundraising and communications. His focus is on value shifting for global well-being. He holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and a Permaculture Design Certificate. Andy has been a founding writer for Good magazine and Element magazine with the New Zealand Herald. He has also been a lead writer for Idealog. Andy has worked all over the globe for some of the world’s leading environmental NGOs. Clients have included WWF, Greenpeace and Oxfam.

Baz leads Bazzacam as a smartphone video trainer, working with a range of clients throughout New Zealand. He trains organisations to shoot, edit and publish their own videos, on and from their phones.

Between 2017-2023 he was the go-to smartphone video trainer for New Zealand’s media companies, training hundreds of journalists at Stuff, TVNZ and Whakaāta Maori (Maori Television). He's trained numerous amateur video storytellers across Kiwi organisations and companies.

Baz has four children and grandchildren, plays music, writes, cycles and motorbikes, travels, sails, zumbas, is big on localism and growing food. He's involved in helping his local community produce storytelling content. 

Fiona is Head of Communications & Marketing at the Sustainable Business Network. She is one of New Zealand’s most experienced communicators of sustainability, with 25 years’ experience. She was speech writer for the UK government’s chief sustainability advisor for four years and Oxford University’s first PR advisor on the environment. In NZ she has worked on sustainability communications for organisations of all sizes and at different stages of their sustainability journey since 2000. She has Honours and Masters degrees from the University of Cambridge, specialising in Environment and Development.

Jason is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading consumer insights professionals, bringing almost 25 years’ experience across multiple NZ clients, sectors, categories and markets.

As Kantar NZ lead for both their local qualitative research practice and Kantar’s global Sustainability Transformation Practice, Jason is responsible for delivering the annual Better Futures report and thought leadership event alongside consulting with a range of NZ’s leading brands and businesses on their consumer sustainability challenges.

Mat is Strategic Lead at the Merz Institute, Fellow at the Global Evergreening Alliance and co-author on the influential paper “World scientists’ warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot”. He recently worked as APAC Chief Strategy Officer for the media giant Universal McCann. After two decades at the sharp end of advertising, he has made it his mission to bring the speed, clarity and impact of the commercial world to the areas of our society that need it most.

Mike Casey is an entrepreneur and cherry orchardist from Central Otago who has electrified all the machines on his farm. He is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a New Zealand charity dedicated to electrifying millions of fossil fuel machines across the motu as quickly as possible. He is the winner of the Transformational Leadership category of the 2024 Sustainable Business Awards. In 2024 alone, he presented at more than 100 events, welcomed more than 12,000 visitors to his orchard and made close to 100 media appearances.

Professor Albert Bifet is the Director of the Te Ipu o te Mahara A.I. Institute at the University of Waikato and Co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association. His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Science and Machine Learning for Data Streams. He leads the TAIAO Environmental Data Science project and co-leads the open source projects MOA Massive On-line Analysis, StreamDM for Spark Streaming and SAMOA Scalable Advanced Massive Online Analysis.

He is co-author of a book on Machine Learning from Data Streams published at MIT Press. He is one of the winners of the best paper award at the Association for Computing Machinery Conference on Fairness, Accountability and Transparency 2023, and he will be the general co-chair of the European Conference on Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery in Databases 2024.

Arwen is Communications Director at Xero. A communications, strategy, marketing and business leader, she has 20+ years of commercial experience across Xero, PwC, Spark, Datacom and PR consultancy firms in New Zealand and the UK. Arwen has always been fascinated by how technology is applied in business and communities, so the responsible use of technologies like generative AI with the value they can deliver is a particular interest. Her happy place is working at the intersection of people and technology - creating strategy then driving execution, focusing on values, outcomes and impact. 

Cat is Sustainability Manager at Silver Fern Farms and is a dedicated system-shifter. She is currently leading a range of work to support Silver Fern Farms’ ambition to be a trusted nature positive producer. Working across sustainability, policy and communications, Cat has held roles for major private, public and international organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas giving her a unique perspective on common challenges and the power of collaboration.

Daniel Street is the Sustainability and ESG Lead for DLA Piper in New Zealand and co-leads DLA Piper International’s sustainability disclosure, reporting and marketing initiatives. He contributes to the firm’s global expertise on ESG litigation, climate reporting and green claims. Recognised for his thought leadership on sustainability legal issues, Daniel frequently speaks at national and international events and shares insights through LinkedIn and news media. He advises on climate-related disclosures, sustainability reporting, greenwashing risks, stakeholder activism and climate litigation. Recently, he has guided New Zealand’s largest listed companies, banks and insurers on climate reporting, emissions target setting and green claims compliance. Additionally, he supports organisations in preparing ESG frameworks, amending supplier terms and addressing regulatory risks.

Gabrielle is a seasoned marketing strategist who enjoys bringing brands to life and solving curly business problems with clients. With 25+ years’ experience working across a range of industries and marketing disciplines, she enjoys bringing her skills and customer-centric approach to help ethical businesses flourish alongside the rest of the GoodSense team. GoodSense has been at the forefront of sustainability marketing since 2010 and became a certified B Corporation in 2022.

Gabrielle’s experience spans brand strategy, performance marketing, sustainability, communications strategy, customer experience design, martech, research and insights, sponsorship and strategic partnerships.

She’s enjoyed developing strategic partnerships, building brands and creating exceptional customer experiences for some of New Zealand and Australia’s biggest brands including: Xero, Bank of New Zealand, Optus, Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas and Vodafone New Zealand. But she is equally at home helping new or challenger brands take on their respective industry goliaths from Bell Direct (online share trading) to Figured (Agtech Saas).

Jessica is Executive Director of Lawyers for Climate Action. She is a lawyer and was a member of Lawyers for Climate Action for a number of years before starting as Executive Director in late 2023 on her return to New Zealand from overseas. She has a Masters of Law from New York University specialising in international climate litigation. Before working at Lawyers for Climate Action, Jessica worked at the High Court as a judges’ clerk, at Shortland Chambers as a junior barrister, and as an International Human Rights Law Fellow at the United Nations in New York.

John is Co-founder and Resident Wayfinder at Pathfinder Asset Management. He co-founded Pathfinder in 2009 and has since pioneered the mission to generate both individual wealth and collective wellbeing. 

John has long been an advocate in the ethical investing space. He believes that no one should have to choose between an ethical investment and a profitable one. For over a decade, this belief has been embedded in Pathfinder's series of award-winning, innovative ethical funds, including their KiwiSaver Plan.

John has received multiple accolades including ‘Best Ethical KiwiSaver Fund’ four years running by Mindful Money, ‘Transforming Aotearoa NZ’ by the Sustainable Business Network, ‘Responsible Investment Manager of the Year’ by ResearchIP and ‘Favourite Ethical KiwiSaver Scheme’ by MoneyHub. In 2023 John was personally recognised by the Sustainable Business Network with the ‘Sustainability Superstar Award’.

Kyoko Locussol is a Senior Experience Designer at the digital agency AKQA in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Her work straddles strategy and design across sectors such as government, e-commerce, and non-profits, where she helps builds meaningful digital experiences. She is an advocate for sustainable web design, and is steadily influencing her network and clients towards more conscious practices. She is determined to create awareness around the topic, and set new design standards that place people and the planet at the heart of the solution.

Laura Cibilich is CEO and Design Director of RUN Aotearoa, a design and advertising agency she founded in 2008 and now runs with her husband, Raymond Otene McKay.

Laura’s work has been recognised globally with accolades from D&AD, Cannes Lions, Best, AGDA and more. She has also served as a jury member on numerous industry awards, including One Club Young Guns, Spikes Asia and the Best Design Awards. She also sits on the NZ Marketing Association board.

With a commitment to uplifting indigenous voices, women's rights, and sustainability, Laura strives to create a more just and equitable world through her mahi.

Impact entrepreneur, advisor, environmentalist and innovation enthusiast, Mark is co-founder of Cleanery and the Sustainable Care Company.

Cleanery is reinventing cleaning and personal care with incredibly effective household cleaners and beautiful hand soaps, delivered as a powder refill that dissolves in water at home. With 99% less waste and 99% less emissions, Cleanery is an easy change, allowing consumers to reduce impact with more effective products, that are affordable and safer for people, while being fundamentally better for the planet.

Based in New Zealand, with an MBA and engineering qualifications, Mark has a unique perspective based on over 20 years’ experience leading high impact projects around the globe.

Rebecca is the team leader of the investigations team at Consumer NZ. She writes on a wide variety of topics from greenwashing to insurance and supermarkets. Prior to working at Consumer NZ, Rebecca worked at the Parliamentary Library and has a PhD in Creative Writing.

Rui Peng is CEO and founder of Critical., a clean technology company that transforms plastic waste into beautiful and durable materials for building fit-outs and products. His leadership has resulted in more than 450 tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastics being diverted from landfills. He leads with a transformative vision and personality to redefine waste in the construction industry. Rui was named on the Next 95, an annual list of innovators, entrepreneurs, projects and organisations as part of the Sustainable Business Awards. 

Vincent is an award-winning communications expert with 30 years experience in media and advertising. A creative thinker and business leader, he’s launched multiple brands, including Idealog, Good and Stoppress, and helped establish the Science Media Centre. He is the host of the podcast ‘This Climate Business’, is an advisor to the Climate VC fund and works with numerous brands to tell their sustainability story. He is Network Lead at the Sustainable Business Network and a Director of Better Aotearoa, an impact agency specialising in communications.

Andy is Senior Advisor at the Sustainable Business Network. He has almost 20 years’ experience in journalism, fundraising and communications. His focus is on value shifting for global well-being. He holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and a Permaculture Design Certificate. Andy has been a founding writer for Good magazine and Element magazine with the New Zealand Herald. He has also been a lead writer for Idealog. Andy has worked all over the globe for some of the world’s leading environmental NGOs. Clients have included WWF, Greenpeace and Oxfam.

Fiona is Head of Communications & Marketing at the Sustainable Business Network. She is one of New Zealand’s most experienced communicators of sustainability, with 25 years’ experience. She was speech writer for the UK government’s chief sustainability advisor for four years and Oxford University’s first PR advisor on the environment. In NZ she has worked on sustainability communications for organisations of all sizes and at different stages of their sustainability journey since 2000. She has Honours and Masters degrees from the University of Cambridge, specialising in Environment and Development.

Maeghan is Digital Project Manager at the Sustainable Business Network. She works in SBN's Communications and Marketing team, overseeing our website and digital marketing. She is also part of our climate and procurement work. While completing a Bachelor of Management Studies majoring in Marketing and Digital Business from the University of Waikato, Maeghan found a passion for sustainability in business that aligns with SBN's work in creating systems change. She is currently working on her Masters in Sustainable Development Goals at Massey University. In her spare time, you will find her hiking, camping or at the beach.

Phil is Communications Advisor at the Sustainable Business Network. His career in media and communications has involved him as a writer, photographer and video producer. Over the past decade he has been raising awareness of environmental issues and promoting their solutions at both local and global levels. Phil credits a rural upbringing for his connection to the land and ongoing dedication to sustainability.

Tori is Head of Advisory at the Sustainable Business Network. She is focused on promoting a culture where people are supported, celebrated and innovative ideas are allowed to flourish.  After over a decade working in travel and tourism, where she was Area Manager of Expedia Group, she transitioned to a focus on sustainability. She had become increasingly concerned about global and local challenges and the slow pace to adopt better systems. In her role at SBN she oversees advisory work, network engagement and maximising impact. She is focused on helping businesses move from extractive to regenerative practices, prioritising positive social and environmental impact alongside profitability.

Vincent is an award-winning communications expert with 30 years experience in media and advertising. A creative thinker and business leader, he’s launched multiple brands, including Idealog, Good and Stoppress, and helped establish the Science Media Centre. He is the host of the podcast ‘This Climate Business’, is an advisor to the Climate VC fund and works with numerous brands to tell their sustainability story. He is Network Lead at the Sustainable Business Network and a Director of Better Aotearoa, an impact agency specialising in communications.