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Tara Lorigan MNZM | Founder 

OUR BOARD & PATRONS

TARA LORIGAN MNZM
FOUNDER/CEO
Tara is the drive and passion behind the scenes dedicated to crafting this organisation into a hugely practical and useful resource dedicated to female success. She is responsible for eradicating the word 'inspiration' in favour of the less sexy 'perspiration' for the very same reason. It is her determination that has ensured Co.OfWomen has developed into not only a world-class offering but a globally unique one also.

"I have absolutely been where so many other women have found themselves on their success journey, fully able and wildly unaware of the vast resources we have to draw on, our very own handbrake. What we know from the extensive work we do, and which I have also been the beneficiary of, is that we each have what it takes to deliver the success we can so clearly see and that Co.OfWomen, through understanding that dilemma and its solution, exists to ensure that."

 

RACHEL SKUDDER
BOARD CHAIR 
Committed to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of Pacific peoples Rachel built one of Aotearoa's largest public/private Pacifica education institutions. She has dedicated her career to empowering pacific people and uplifting businesses. Leader, lawyer and teacher, Rachel brings a unique perspective to Co.Of Women and an unending well of passion, empathy and knowledge. Rachel is of Tongan/Greek ethnicity. She has been a member of Co.OfWomen since 2012.
DR LEE MATHIAS ONZM
FOUNDING CHAIR - PATRON
Lee was integral to the development and launch of Co.OfWomen as key mentor to its founder Tara Lorigan and became the founding Chair, a role she held for four years. Together with Tara Lee developed the first board of the organisation with members that included Sharon Hunter, Sarah Paykel MNZM and Wynnis Armour QSM and Rhonda Kite ONZM.
Lee is a serial entrepreneur, investor and highly experienced director. Her significant experience, largely dedicated to the health sector, has seen her receive many accolades including being honoured as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health and business. She was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs in 2016, the selection committee of which she now Chair's annually.
 
KAZ STAPLES MNZM
BOARD MEMBER
Founder of Pure Delish, Kaz grew the business from a seed of an idea to a strong business before selling in May 2019. She is most recently co-owner of gut tonic business Wildly. Kaz is hugely passionate about the FMCG sector and mentoring growing businesses in this space to achieve their potential. Kaz was honoured as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2018 for her contributions to business. Kaz has been a member of Co.OfWomen since 2016. 
KENINA COURT
BOARD MEMBER
Kenina is a highly experienced entrepreneur, director and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant. She's worked in both commercial at CFO level and public practice where she built two (and sold one) accounting firms. She has extensive experience in property investment and uses this knowledge to help her clients today build long term sustainable wealth. She's on the boards Eke Panuki, the Oceania Career Academy, which works with Pasifika youth to provide them with learning pathways into careers in the construction industry, and the Banking Ombudsman Scheme. Kenina is a New Zealand-born Samoan. She has been a member of Co.OfWomen since 2015.

 

LOUISE BENTLEY
Louise is a 40+ year award-winning veteran of the marketing communications industry. She's worked both in large organisations including TV3 and leading agencies, Mojo and FCB. She made the leap from employment to entrepreneurship and created her award winning agency Energi. Louise built up and eventually sold Energi in 2023 to Attain where she remains part of the senior leadership as Director of Integration. Louise has been an active member of Co.OfWomen since 2016 and is widely respected and highly regarded for her skill and generosity. 
RANJNA PATEL ONZM - PATRON
Ranjna is a founder and director of the The Nirvana Healthcare Group of Companies, a significant network of general medical clinics across Auckland, working with over 185,000 patients. Ranjna holds a range of leadership, advisory and governance roles and is heavily involved in community health promotions with the Ministry of Health and Counties Manukau DHB to enhance and promote health awareness among the local communities in South Auckland. Ranjna was awarded Best Businesswoman of the Year in the Indian Business Awards’ and a finalist in the Business Entrepreneur category of the Women of Influence Awards 2013. Ranjna was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs in 2014 and served on Co.OfWomen's board for five years. 
THERESA GATTUNG CNZM - PATRON 
Theresa is renowned for her strong business acumen having headed up Telecom (now Spark) at the age of 37. Her most recent business ventures include co-founding the multimillion-dollar My Food Bag business and Tend. She is a prolific philanthropist and investor and experienced director.

“I’ve always been a strong advocate for women in business so Co.OfWomen is a natural fit. I see some of the biggest barriers for female entrepreneurs as getting the right support team around them and actually asking for help. Co.OfWomen does just that by surrounding them with relevant, trustworthy champions and programmes that build commercial confidence, minimise business risk and ensure momentum. I’m excited about my new role as Chair and I’m looking forward to helping strengthen our female entrepreneurs.” 
WYNNIS ARMOUR - PATRON

After forays to secondary school teaching and Adult Education provision, Wynnis held senior management positions in both the public and private sectors. She was appointed by the then Dept. of Internal Affairs and the Dept. of Women’s Affairs to the three-person Video Labelling Body (a government body set up to provide guidance to consumers of the age group appropriateness of video content in a previously unregulated market). In 1990, Wynnis received a Commemorative medal for her work by the Minister of Women’s Affairs. And In 1994, worked for one of the largest recruitment conglomerates and quickly rose to become the company’s highest biller and a member of the Executive Leadership team. Wynnis then co-founded The Madison Group - one of New Zealand’s largest nationwide, staffing solutions companies and the recipient of many industry awards for innovation and excellence. To date, she sits on the Board of the publicly listed staffing company, making her one of the (all too few) women presently serving on an NZ listed company’s board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERI DRYSDALE - PATRON

Peri Drysdale founded Snowy Peak Ltd in 1981, designing and producing high-quality, innovative luxury fibre blend knitwear which she subsequently exported globally. After pioneering the development of possum fibre and wool, knitwear brand Merinomink™ (fine merino and possum) was launched in 1996. Concerned with the long-term sustainability of the planet, Peri decided to found the lifestyle fashion brand Untouched World™ in 1998. In 2000 the Untouched World Charitable Trust was set up, funded by profits from sales from Untouched World clothing, products and services. Under Peri’s leadership, the company has won many awards in design, business excellence, exporting, retail, sustainability and ethical governance. In 1992 Peri was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to New Zealand (Manufacturing and Export). She has received the South Island Business Woman of the Year award 2002, and she was North and South Magazine's New Zealander of the Year for 2006. In May 2007 Peri was invited to present alongside 11 other companies from across the world at a UNESCO workshop in Bonn, Germany, on Corporate Education for Sustainable Development. Subsequently, Untouched World became the only fashion company in the world to carry the United Nations certification (UN DESD logo) on its garments for its ground-breaking programmes offered to young adults in leadership for a sustainable future. Untouched World continues to assist UNESCO on Education for Sustainable Development Strategy; and is listed one of three global exemplars in youth ESD on the UN GAP website. In 2018 the UWCT is partnering with the Mahatma Ghandi Institute to broaden the reach of these programmes beyond New Zealand.

 

 

 

 

 

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