Next Fest 2025

George Monbiot is an author, Guardian columnist and environmental activist. His best-selling books include Feral, Heat, and Regenesis: Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet, which explores pioneering ways to grow more food with less farming. George was awarded the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2022 and his latest book, The Invisible Doctrine, co-authored with Peter Hutchison, exposes the shadowy history of neoliberalism.

Ken is one of the world’s leading thinkers in the circular economy. For eight years, he led innovation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the world’s leading circular economy network.

He is the author of The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows (2017) and co-author of The Wonderful Circles of Oz: A Circular Economy Story (2022), Sense and Sustainability (2008) and ABC&D Creating a Regenerative Circular Economy for All (2022). He also contributed to the Handbook of the Circular Economy (2023).

Ken was awarded a DSc from the University of Brighton in 2023.

Andy has more than 20 years’ experience in journalism, fundraising and communications. He holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and a Permaculture Design Certificate. Andy has worked all over the globe for some of the world’s leading environmental NGOs. Clients have included WWF, Greenpeace and Oxfam. His work interests include eco-psychology, behaviour change, complexity and activism. 

Barry Coates is founder and CEO of Mindful Money, a social enterprise shifting investment towards ethical investment and sustainability. Barry has been active in sustainability since the Earth Summit in 1992, working in NZ and internationally on fair trade, climate change and poverty. Barry has worked across business, government and charities. Since returning to NZ in 2003, he was head of Oxfam Aotearoa for a decade, initiated a sustainability programme at The University of Auckland and was briefly a Green Party list MP. Barry has a Master’s in Management from Yale University and was awarded Sustainability Champion in the 2016 NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards. Barry has many years of governance experience, including on boards of member organisations. He is an enthusiastic supporter of SBN’s work.

In Charlie’s role as Head of Climate & CleanTech business at BNZ, she leads the portfolio & strategy nationwide - focused on supporting and financing Climate & CleanTech businesses throughout their lifecycle. With 7 years’ experience working with technology industry businesses, she understands the unique business models and growth journeys of these businesses. Charlie is passionate about developing BNZ’s approach to further (and more meaningfully) support Climate & CleanTech business.

Charlie joined BNZ in 2017 after completing her Bachelor of Business majoring in Economics and Finance at University of Auckland. Charlie’s background and expertise is primarily in technology business financing, commercial banking, business performance assessment and customer relationship management. 

Christian Barrington is Chief Actuary for IAG New Zealand. Whilst his core role is the traditional regulatory and capital roles, his passion lies in sustainability and making it meaningful for IAG NZ,  benefiting customers, the community and shareholders. He is currently leading IAG New Zealand’s renewal underwriting strategy.

Christian is currently a member of the New Zealand Society of Actuaries Sustainability Committee and completed the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries Climate Risk and Sustainability Course.

He has over 15 years of experience in non-life insurance and previously worked in the investment and retirement sectors.

Damon Gameau is an Australian film director, speaker and author. He wrote, directed and performed vocals for the 2011 Tropfest-winning short film ‘Animal Beatbox’. In 2015 he turned to activism with his debut feature documentary ‘That Sugar Film’, which sold to 25 territories and received numerous awards, including the 2015 AACTA Award for Best Documentary. His campaign book ‘That Sugar Book’ was a bestseller in Australia. Damon directed the climate solutions feature documentary ‘2040’ and authored an accompanying book ‘2040: a Handbook for the Regeneration’. Both films sit in the top 10 highest grossing Australian documentaries at the domestic box office.

Damon then co-founded Regen Studios with Anna Kaplan. Together they work with philanthropists and partners to build campaigns for their films, raising money for ecological solutions and awareness in classrooms, boardrooms and parliaments around the world.

Debra Hall is an experienced technology company director, with a specific focus on early stage high growth companies. In addition to her early stage board roles, she is a Governing Board Member of the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ), a government organisation providing accreditation systems that support international trade.

Alongside her governance roles, she is a long-time angel investor in early stage New Zealand technology companies, and a member of Flying Kiwi Angels. Her services to the NZ innovation ecosystem were recognised in 2017, with the AANZ Archangel Award, recognising her contribution to developing governance skills amongst early stage investors, and supporting entrepreneurs through their growth to take Kiwi innovation global.

Fiona is one of NZ’s most experienced communicators of sustainability, with 25 years’ experience. She was speech writer for the UK’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.

Gareth Hughes is the Director of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa, a "think and do tank" dedicated to redesigning the economic system to prioritise the wellbeing of people and the planet. He brings over a decade of parliamentary experience as a former Member of Parliament, along with a strong background in climate campaigning with Greenpeace. 

Georgina is the Managing Director for LegalVision New Zealand. She specialises in corporate and commercial law. She has significant experience, having previously worked in the specialist corporate teams at a number of top-tier firms in New Zealand, and acting for clients in a variety of industries.

Georgina’s specific expertise includes capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, business structuring and shareholding arrangements. Georgina also regularly advises on Companies Act, NZX and securities law compliance, as well as having experience advising on foreign investment into New Zealand and broader commercial law matters.

Irina is a business consultant turned deep-tech entrepreneur and is the co-founder of Daisy Lab. She first got excited about the possibilities of precision fermentation technology for creating food ingredients when she was working in the dairy industry. She paired with a distinguished molecular biologist, Dr Nikki Freed, and a Master’s student, Emily McIsaac, and they started creating dairy-identical ingredients using microbes, not cows. Irina hopes that in the future New Zealand will continue to lead in the field of protein production, but will shift towards plant-based, algal and fermentation-derived proteins as the world decreases its reliance on animal agriculture.

Isuru works for Microsoft as the NZ Digital Innovation Lead for Microsoft Azure. Prior to this Isuru was at Google, bringing the best of Google Cloud & AI to New Zealand sitting on the Google Leadership team. Before Google, he was at IBM, as the Chief Design and Technology Officer for NZ and was previously the Head of Artificial Intelligence, where he established and grew the IBM Watson business. 

Isuru is also a co-founding Board Member of the NZ AI Forum and is an Advisor to the World Economic Forum on AI Ethics and Human Design. He is a published author in international journals and a resident lecturer. He was a co-founder of a Robotics venture with a successful exit to a leading global organisation.

James leads SBN’s work to accelerate the circular economy in New Zealand. He has extensive commercial experience, having worked in large corporates and owned his own business. His business sustainability journey started many years ago via the coffee industry where he was involved in Fair Trade. 

As CEO of Latitude 45 Lewis leads an expert team making strategic investment in platforms and technologies that help brands rapidly advance their social and environmental goals. Sustainable Brands is one of the critical platforms Latitude supports and this was launched in New Zealand in 2024. With stints in New Zealand, London and South America, Lewis has spent almost half his working life based in Korea (over 14 years) and is fluent in English and Korean.

Lizzie is a strategist, designer and facilitator. She's been joining dots between people and ideas to create positive change for over 20 years. Working across sectors with stakeholders ranging from CEOs of multinational listed companies to care-experienced young people, Lizzie's passionate about helping people to work in new ways and achieve things they never thought possible. Her clients include Arts Council England, the Greater London Authority, the NHS, Bang & Olufsen, Universal Music and most recently in Aotearoa, Northland Regional Council. Lizzie is a Mentor at Abbey Road Red, Universal Music's startup incubator, a Fellow of Included VC, and co-founder of The STEPS Collective, a global community of regenerative practitioners. She's won two Health Service Journal award for her healthcare design work, Campaign Magazine's Women of Tomorrow award for strategic work, and is currently studying for an MA in Regenerative Design at UAL: Central Saint Martins, where she's exploring ways we can relate better to one another and the natural world around us.

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.

Michal Garvey is on a mission to empower Aotearoa to take action against food waste. She is the founder and CEO of Foodprint, an award-winning app connecting consumers to discounted, surplus and imperfect food from local eateries, preventing it from going to waste. Foodprint was started in 2019 and now has a presence in most major centres around the country. They partner with everyone from local cafes and bakeries to national brands like Sal's Pizza, Muffin Break, Four Square and New World, all rescuing thousands of food items and reducing emissions every week. Michal’s background spans start-ups in both Aotearoa and London. Her work at Foodprint has earned recognition from Best Design Awards, the University of Auckland’s 40 Under 40, being named one of the Top 50 Women in Food and Drink, and she is an Eat New Zealand Kaitaki.

Mike is a technologist, musician and AI researcher. He has been in several startups in various technical roles, most recently as CTO of kiwi health technology startup, The Clinician, as they grew from a handful of pilot projects through to state and nation-wide enterprise roll outs including in Australia and Singapore, covering a 14M patient catchment. He is an active AI researcher and publisher, focused on explainability for use in sensitive use cases. He is now CTO and co-founder of sustainability startup, Planetary Insights, helping businesses measure and understand the impacts of their organisations and products in the context of a sustainable planet.

Nada Piatek is the co-founder and chief executive of Again Again, an innovation company powering reusable packaging at scale. Again Again’s technology-based solutions help B2C businesses loan out containers in a manner that meets circular requirements and is commercially viable. Launched in 2018, initially only with coffee cups, Again Again has forged a path for the sharing economy to challenge the wasteful practices involving single-use packaging in the hospitality and food service industries.

Nada Piatek is a seasoned entrepreneur who brings business savvy to impact- and values-led enterprises. With over 30 years’ leadership experience and social entrepreneurship, Nada focuses on sustainability and achieving results on a triple bottom line. 

Nate Wilbourne is a 2025 Young New Zealander of the Year semi finalist, and Founder and Co-Director at Gen-Z Aotearoa. He is a passionate youth leader, conservation advocate and changemaker dedicated to amplifying young voices in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

At Gen-Z Aotearoa, Nate connects youth-led organisations across the country, helping them access resources, share knowledge and build collective power. His leadership and advocacy have earned him both national and international recognition for his work with young people and the environment. He has collaborated with leading global organisations, spoken at several international conferences at 17 years old, and worked with communities to restore the environment and build platforms where young people are not just heard but actively shaping the future.

The founder of SBN, Rachel has played a critical role in advancing sustainable business for almost 20 years. She is a regular presenter, collaborator and driver of action within NZ business. She provides strategic sustainability advice to countless government agencies and businesses, ranging from large corporates to small enterprises. In 2018 she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for years of service to sustainable business.

Ko Putahi te maunga
Ko Omapere te awa
Ko Ngatokimatawharoa te waka
Ko Nga Puhi te iwi
Ko Rata Taiwhanga toku ingoa

Rata Taiwhanga founded Etu Rākau after the 2022 Auckland floods. Etu Rākau is an organisation dedicated to working alongside communities on their journey to reconnect with Papatūānuku. What began with a custom-built trolley — “playing beats while picking up rubbish off the streets” — and livestreaming clean-ups on TikTok grew into a movement with a following of 35,000. From these beginnings, Etu Rākau went on to collaborate with Auckland Council, Kāinga Ora, iwi and the South Auckland community to build the Māngere Enviro Hub, Te Whare Tipu.

Today, the organisation diverts 85% of waste from landfill at the events it manages, maintains three thriving community gardens, and grows over 4,000 vegetable seedlings for 10 Auckland schools as part of its kai resilience model. Etu Rākau also develops its own environmental technology, now used by more than 2,600 students at Manurewa High School to support hands-on learning and community action.

Auckland-based management consultant Rohan MacMahon is a director of the Climate Venture Capital Fund, which has investments in climate technologies in NZ and Australia.

Rosie is part of our nature team. Her focus lies on empowering young professionals with the skills and knowledge to help their careers in nature regeneration. She also manages project partnerships, including the Puhinui Regeneration Project.

As an outdoor enthusiast, Rosie spends her free time tramping, mountaineering, surfing, rock climbing and trail running. Rosie's appreciation for these natural environments has fueled her dedication to sustainability. Despite earning a Master’s of Marketing, she questioned the industry's purpose and now aims to use her skills for positive impact. Descending from Rāngitane o Wairau, Rosie is passionate about fostering meaningful connections within the Māori community.

Sarah is the General Manager, Customer at Lodestone Energy, New Zealand’s leading utility-scale solar energy company. With over two decades of experience in the energy sector, Sarah has held senior roles at Genesis Energy and Vector Metering, where she developed strengths in business development, relationship management, marketing and commercial strategy. Since joining Lodestone in July 2023, Sarah has overseen its growing customer base, collaborating with retail partners. Her leadership has been pivotal in Lodestone's innovative initiatives, such as the Virtual Rooftop Solar solution, which offers businesses long-term price certainty in an increasingly volatile energy market. 

Scott heads up Global Operations & Finance at Orba Shoes. Orba addresses the global synthetic waste crisis, starting with the 9+ science-based innovations in their first product - the Orba Ghost - the plant-based shoe that “leaves no trace”.  
 
A certified B Corporation, Orba promotes the elimination of waste from industry, alongside social and environmental benefits, without compromising the style, comfort, quality and cost of the end products.

Scott Maud is a strategic CFO with deep experience scaling global businesses, driving growth and leading major capital events. He is currently CFO at Halter, and has previously held CFO roles at Trade Me and Xplor Technologies, as well as serving as an Operating Advisor to AirTree and supporting finance leaders across the Icehouse portfolio. His career spans high-growth scale-ups, 20+ acquisitions and capital raising from early rounds through to multi-billion-dollar equity transactions and US IPO readiness.

Shaun is Founder & CEO at Mushroom Material. Mushroom Material is replacing expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) with a high-performance, home-compostable alternative made from mycelium (mushrooms). The material matches expanded polystyrene in impact resistance, thermal protection, and acoustic insulation. The end product is fully circular, microplastic-free, and safe for home composting.

Shelley is a visionary New Zealand entrepreneur transforming the way the world sees waste. From her early days creating designs in Trash-to-Fashion competitions, she has always turned creativity into purpose. Today, she leads KiwiLeather Innovations, a pioneering cleantech company converting kiwifruit by-products into next-generation, plant-based materials for global fashion, automotive, and interiors industries.

Partnering with Bioeconomy Science Institute, Callaghan Innovation, and the BioResource Processing Alliance, Shelley’s mission is to repurpose over half of New Zealand’s kiwifruit waste into sustainable, high-value products, proving that sustainability and luxury can thrive together.

Te Radar is one of the most recognised entertainers and personalities in New Zealand. Whether as a stand up comedian, documentary maker or the fusion of both, he is as gregarious as he is accomplished. Having won just about every New Zealand comedy award from the Fred Award to the Billy T Award for excellence in comedy, he also has a myriad of accolades in documentary making from the Qantas Awards in Film and Television to the NZ Television Awards. In 2018 he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Wintec for his contribution to Media and Entertainment. 

Verity Craft is a speaker, book coach and facilitator – but what she’s really obsessed with is helping people make their ideas so valuable that they can actually change lives.

Together with her team at Intelligent Ink, she works with experts who are struggling to extend their impact beyond their current clients to help them write their very best book. And as a speaker, she helps people tap into the power of their ideas so that they can be genuinely transformative for you, your business, and the world.

Vincent has decades of experience in communication, specialising in tech, science and sustainability. He is a venture advisor at the Punakaiki Fund, host of ‘This Climate Business’, was co-founder of Idealog and Good, and founding chair of the Science Media Centre. He’s won more than 30 awards for his journalism, has degrees in biochemistry and history and a certificate from the Institute of Sustainability Leadership at Cambridge (UK).