Headlight is am award winning Queenstown based charity whose mission is to increase mental health literacy in communities so that people have the skills, knowledge and confidence to support their mental health and the mental wellbeing of people around them who are struggling. As founder and Chief Executive I am responsible for leading this start up NGO to become a sustainable, flourishing organisation.

The Southern Wellbeing Trust is a new community-based charitable trust whose purpose is to promote the mental health and wellbeing of southern communities, whānau, families and individuals. The Trust seeks to build resilience, improve connection and promote self-agency amongst our community members, so that our people can better support their own mental health and wellbeing needs. I co-founded the Trust with local GP Dr Tim Rigg after seeing first-hand the devestating effects of COVID on the livelihoods and mental wellbeing of the Queenstown community. In response, Dr Rigg and I set up the Southern Wellbeing Trust to bring innovative, evidence-based initatives into the Queenstown Lakes that would focus on preventing mental illness and ill health, and are community-driven. As GM I am responsible for managing the operations of the Trust, including managing the operating budget, fundraising, strategic planning, stakeholder management, and overseeing the team of contractors and volunteers. I work closely with our board of Trustees (of which I am one), with Dr Rigg (Clinical Director), our team and our operational and community partners to deliver our projects.

Working with the wider National Screening Unit team I provided strategic communications advice and support for the national breast screening, bowel screening, cervical screening and antenatal and new-born screening programmes. High profile projects include the 50th celebration of the Newborn Metabolic Screening Programme, the change to the age range for cervical screening, and the development and launch of the new cervical screening campaign for young women: Give your Cervix Some Screen Time which has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2020 TVNZ Marketing Awards .

I was contracted to support the roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme across South Island DHBs, building on my Southern DHB experience and role.

After being inititally contracted to develop the communictions and community engagement plan for the National Bowel Screening Programme in the Southern district, I was contracted to provide communictions services to implement the plan and raise awareness and promote participation in the programme amongst stakeholders. Key achievements included the successful media launch of the campaign and creation of the Southern DHB Bowel Screening Champion videos which achieved over 100,000 organic reach for the programme.

I provided communications services to support the establishment of the new mental health and additiction (MHA) quality improvement programme, and the launch of its initial projects, within the wider MHA and health sector.

I provided strategic and locally-focused communications services for the Southern District Health Board and the South Island Alliance. This includes developing communications plans to support health service and health promotion initiatives, internal communications, media relations management and strategic online communications.

From my base in Queenstown I provide marketing, communications and project managment services to local and national public health organistions. Recent major contracts include:- Acting Principal Advisor for the National Health Board (see below) - Developed ten in-depth case studies for the Ministry of Health on the implementation of the ABC Tobacco Control Strategy in primary and secondary care- Project managed a one-day workshop for the public health nutrition and physical activity sector to promote best practice approaches to workplace wellness.- Marketing and Communications Advisor role for the Ministry of Health and SPARC's nationwide workplace wellness initiative - NZWell@Work- Copywriter for the Ministry of Health's "Health Eating Healthy Action" Newsletter

In this short term contract I managed the communications needs of a large national health organisation. The role includes strategic communications planning, media relations, risk management, relationship management, writing, editing and managing a small team. The contract provided continuity between the exiting and incoming permanent Advisor ( a gap of 3 months).

Managed the marketing and communications requirements of a major new social marketing campaign to promote healthy eating "Feeding our Futures". This high profile campaign was part of a major government drive to reduce obesity and improve nutrition, part of the Healthy Eating - Healthy Action strategy. Responsibilities included marketing and communications strategy development and implementation, relationship management, sector co-ordination, website management, media relations strategy and implementation and copywriting.

Contract position to project manage a major campaign to promote immigration to visitors coming to NZ for the Lions rugby tour.

I was responsible for the marketing and communications activity of a major personal development and work skills programme, a total enrolment of 17,000 students a year.

Managed the marketing and corporate fundraising activities for the NZ office of the world’s largest child agency.

Managed the corporate sponsorship programme for a $25 million arts/education centre redevelopment.

Coordinated all marketing activity for the largest international arts festival in Australasia.

Managed public relations campaigns for a number of large client accounts including Oil of Olay and Giorgio Beverly Hills.