Elite Waikato women to speak at event

Following the sell-out success of the first League of Extraordinary Women event last year, the Waikato Chamber of Commerce will again host the event that sees a panel of inspirational Waikato businesswomen speak about their journeys.

The first of this year’s three events will be held on April 9 at Wintec.

The speakers are bespoke jewellery designer Nichola Te Kiri, Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society chief executive Shelley Campbell, and PR consultancy Dynamic Media director Dani Simpson.

Te Kiri designs contemporary Maori jewellery, homewares and clothing under her label Nichola. Each of her taonga springs from Te Kiri’s Māori (Tuhoe) and Pākehā ancestry and weaves Māori mythology and the natural environment to anchor it in the now. 

Before taking up her role as the Waikato/BoP Cancer Society chief executive, Campbell was the chair of the Sir Peter Blake Trust and prior to that a background in the healthcare sector. She holds the NZ Order of Merit for her contributions to health and people with disabilities.

Simpson spent almost 20 years working in media as a journalist, editor and mentor. She founded Dynamic Media in 2015 as a one-woman band and has grown the company to a team of five, specialising in PR, social media, media training and crisis communications.

The event MC will be professional business writer and trainer Shelly Davies, who is also proud to sponsor the event.

“We’ve got such amazing businesswomen in the Waikato,” Shelly said.

“Our last event proved that all we need to do is get them into a space together and the magic happens.  Women, lifting each other up, learning and celebrating.  Now, that’s extraordinary!”

The panel will speak about their peaks and troughs, lessons learnt and their roads to success – warts and all. There will be time at the end for the audience to ask the panel questions.

Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive William Durning said the Chamber is pleased to recognise and celebrate “the powerhouse of women in the Waikato who have broken the mould in business and in life, fought through struggles and emerged as champions”. 

The first League event, held last September, saw approximately 150 people pack out Wintec’s Atrium. 

This time the event will again be held at Wintec, but in the Bill Gallagher Events Room 1. Doors open at 5.30pm and the event starts at 6pm.

Tickets are $15 for members or $30 for non-members. To purchase tickets or to find out more information visit business.waikatochamber.co.nz/events/details/a-league-of-extraordinary-women-1255 

Photo (left to right): Last year's event speakers Sacha Coburn (director of Coffee Culture), Taaniko Nordstrom (co-founder of Soldiers Rd Portraits), Ariana Paul (entrepreneur and founder of Tri Maori) and the event MC Shelly Davies (professional business writer, and trainer).