With over 20 years in recruitment, Angela founded Consult Recruitment and, more recently, LEAD Executive Search | Impact Leadership, to connect transformative leaders with opportunities that truly matter. Having experienced executive search from both sides of the table, she set out to build a more personal and purposeful approach—one where leadership, culture, and impact are central to every placement. Through LEAD, Angela partners with organisations across New Zealand and beyond, building deep talent networks to support succession planning, growth, and meaningful change. She is also a proud supporter of Best Places to Work, helping shine a light on organisations that prioritise people and culture, and inspiring others to lift the bar through better leadership and more human workplaces.

Brett O’Riley is a respected leader in technology, innovation, and economic development, with governance and advisory roles across New Zealand, Australia, and China. He is Managing Director of OCGL, serves on several boards including the Environmental Protection Authority, and is World President of international sports federation World Bowls. A founding supporter of Best Places to Work, Brett is passionate about lifting business performance and productivity in New Zealand. He brings deep insight into how recognition programmes can drive innovation and foster best practice across sectors.

Bridget is an experienced global leader who has built and led businesses in both the United States and New Zealand in recent years. She has held Chairperson, Director and CEO roles across a range of public and private sector entities.

Bridget is committed to innovation in our businesses and financial markets, and to responding as a nation to the challenges of climate change. She has worked with kiwi businesses, small and large, to deliver on these goals over a number of years. She is committed to the belief that, when we are at our best, our businesses are creative and bold and exciting, and can confidently aspire to be global leaders in their fields.

Unleashing the creativity and energy and enthusiasm of every member of the team is without doubt the primary route to business success. Those enterprises which can create a great employee experience will win in the marketplace, as well as creating a place where everyone can grow and learn and achieve their business and personal goals.

Carolyn is on the board of the EMA and is CEO of Venus Businesswomen and NZ Businesswomen. In her roles she leverages her skills and business acumen to represent and support a network of over 30,000 companies. Carolyn’s roles are all focused on supporting the growth and development of businesses in NZ, helping business owners navigate business challenges and opportunities.

With a focus on strategic development and customer relationship management, business growth and development. Carolyn's main goal is to create a business environment where leadership and innovation can thrive, ensuring a bright future for the diverse fabric of our business community.

Because business is about people, and it’s the people that make country great. Carolyn is passionate about ensuring business owners believe in themselves, plan for success and support one another – a rising tide lifts all boats after all!

David Downs BSc, CMInstD is a consultant and board director, with a portfolio of interests keeping him busy, across some key theme areas of technology for public good, healthcare and education. David is currently CEO of the New Zealand Story, an ambitious organisation marketing New Zealand to the world.

The organisations David is involved with are all about making Aotearoa New Zealand a better place – more productive, more innovative, more equitable and ultimately an even more special place to live. He is involved in business growth, marketing NZ and improving our access to innovation – David said BPTW ticks a lot of those boxes!

BPTW not only celebrates great initiatives and ideas, but helps share best-practices. With the world of work now radically different than it was even 5 years ago, there has never been a better time to learn how better to value your team, and get the best out of them. BPTW will help give us all new ideas on engagement and performance, and perhaps help NZ’s overall productivity.

Graeme is Chief Executive of NZTech, the national voice for New Zealand’s technology ecosystem. Originally from Tauranga and now based in Auckland, he leads a team dedicated to creating a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous Aotearoa powered by good technology. With tech now the fastest-growing sector in New Zealand and creating more jobs and companies than any other, Graeme is passionate about helping these organisations truly be New Zealand’s Best Places to Work™. As one of BPTW™’s partners, Graeme also joined the judging panel because he values the shared belief between NZTech and Best Places to Work™ in doing good and floating all the boats higher through better business.

An environmentalist, public speaker and entrepreneur, Izzy is driven by a deep purpose to mainstream corporate responsibility for people and planet. Leveraging her background in human-centred design, and her passion for corporate sustainability, Izzy founded Futureful, New Zealand's first EVP and ESG-based recruitment platform. Having studied our emerging generations, and being a millennial herself, Izzy is well aware of the changing landscape that holds up our global workforce and is excited about the changes these demographics will make to work and leadership here in New Zealand.

A frequent flyer on New Zealand’s corporate speaker circuit, Izzy is often found sharing her insights into the powerful performance of purposeful people and the need for a greater commitment to New Zealand’s natural capital from our corporate sector.

Izzy believes that where someone works, and the effort that goes into making that workplace something employees can be proud of, makes a fundamental difference in the wellbeing of our people. This impact on wellbeing also impacts their engagement and productivity. Izzy believes New Zealand could see a significant increase in productivity if more people felt safe, supported and inspired by their workplace.

Kalyn approaches every day with a singular purpose; to show the world that thriving humans at work and commercial success, go hand-in-hand. Kalyn's career has exposed her to all kinds of high-performance workplaces, most notably when I was a Director at North American retail leader, Aritzia LP, and on the SLT leading up to its listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

We partner with organisations to adapt and perform in the new world of work.

When we as leaders are constantly aiming to create better and more innovative workplace practices, this ultimately results in greater outcomes for all stakeholders, including NZ Inc! Hearing directly from our people, celebrating stories, and creating a community provides the platform to do this. Beyond what's on the tin, I love that BPTW connects employee experience to customer experience and financial performance, and provides employers an opportunity to provide proof of what it's like to work in their organisation. Getting awesome people into our awesome orgs is one the most important thing we can all do!

Michael is a passionate advocate for the Kiwi tech sector, with a keen ability for spotting people’s super powers – their personalities, experience and skills – and unleashing their potential. With a career spanning 15 years at IBM across eight roles, working as a fractional CMO, and now as Co-Founder of Flux B2B, he offers deep experience and insight in growth strategy and leadership.  Michael's belief in people's innate drive to do great work underpins everything he does. As the Conveyor of Judges for the NZ Marketing Awards, he's no stranger to recognising excellence and brings that same eye for impact and potential to the BPTW™ judging panel.

Mike is an internationally experienced chief executive and director with skills and capabilities primarily developed within the global energy sector. Mike has worked in business contexts covering both turnaround and growth in the corporate sector, and since 2016 has been involved as a director in NZ’s venture capital ecosystem.

Mike's purpose is to realise individual and organisational potential. He deliver's on that through a portfolio of gigs as an author, speaker, consultant and executive coach.

Mike know's from personal experience that human workplaces deliver much better economic, social and environmental outcomes. Best places to work is a forum where our best practices and lessons from real-life experiences can be curated and shared so we can all accelerate human workplaces at a scale that makes a difference beyond the individual organisation.

Sam is Director of the University of Canterbury’s Kōawa Studios - home to 450 young digital production wizards, and an Executive Producer with a background in international screen production, digital production innovation, and creative leadership. She works at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and technology; championing emerging screen and production technologies to ensure Aotearoa stays globally connected and locally distinctive. Sam is passionate about empowering the next generation of talent through storytelling, tech, and purposeful partnerships that shape a more inclusive and sustainable screen ecosystem. Sam brings her passion for inclusive, values-driven leadership and cultures to the BPTW™ judging panel, seeing the best work environments as powerful enablers of excellence, creativity, and wellbeing. For Sam, floating all boats higher is about showcasing the richness of New Zealand’s work culture to the world, and amplifying the stories that make us proud to live and work here.