Meet the people behind the magic.
OUR PEOPLE
STEFAN KORN
Chief Executive
“The immense personal and professional growth that results from having to create something out of nothing.”
CONTACT STEFAN
NICK CHURCHOUSE
General Manager People & Practice
“Startup is the energy, passion, ambition and momentum inside every person we meet. You can’t not love that.”
CONTACT NICK
AMELIA DEVINE
General Manager Operations
“Seeing big things happen in very short periods of time, seeing people jump straight back up after failure and build better businesses because of what they’ve learnt – it’s a privilege to be a part of.”
CONTACT AMELIA
JACKY LAVERTY
Head of Venture Management
“I’m inspired by and love the energy of startup businesses, the pioneering mindset and the need to embrace change – every day.”
CONTACT JACKY
CATHERINE JONES
Head of Enterprise Capability
“Henry Ford said ‘If I had asked the public what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse’. Working at Creative HQ provides the constant thrill of the horse race, with everyone from Corporates to Startups as the jockey. It’s a lot of fun.”
CONTACT CATHERINE
BRETT CALTON
Senior Innovation Specialist
“I enjoy helping large organisations realise value from the methods and approaches employed by the start-up and entrepreneurial ecosystems.”
CONTACT BRETT
LINGY AU
Community Engagement Manager
“I love the people, motivation, enthusiasm each individual has to achieve something great!”
CONTACT LINGY
LAURA REITEL
Head of Acceleration
“Finding a repeatable, scalable customer acquisition model is the toughest (and the most rewarding) challenge for any startups. My favourite part about working with founders is figuring out that magic formula.”
CONTACT LAURA
JONNIE HADDON
Senior Innovation Specialist & Programme Director
“Working closely with people who are on the front-line of bringing positive and significant improvement to our world is not just exciting but a privilege.”
CONTACT JONNIE
JAMES SWOPE
Innovation Specialist & Programme Manager
“Working with so many passionate people has me constantly excited and wanting to help as many startups as possible.”
CONTACT JAMES
KELLY DARE
General Manager Engagement
“We weave the future and help people become part of the New Zealand success story, whether they are in startups, businesses or government agencies”
CONTACT KELLY
KELCEY BRAINE
Brand & Design Specialist
“Being able to work with passionate, motivated teams to help them reach their goals is so satisfying – and getting to do it surrounded by a community of like-minded people inspires me to grow continuously.”
CONTACT KELCEY
ALESSANDRA ORSI
Digital Marketing Specialist
“I love being surrounded by creative people and new ideas!”
CONTACT ALESSANDRA
CEARA MCAULIFFE-BICKERTON
Innovation Specialist & Programme Coordinator
“I love meeting entrepreneurs who are passionate about making a positive impact on the world.”
CONTACT CEARA
BRETT HOLLAND
General Manager Innovation Services
“The chance to work with dedicated and creative people to collectively change the world.”
CONTACT BRETT
ALAN HUCKS
Head of Business Development
“Entrepreneurial talent is everywhere in New Zealand – startups, Universities, Corporations and even Government. I am passionate about connecting these change agents to opportunities to create real and positive impact.”
CONTACT ALAN
AARON POWER
Innovation Coordinator & Programme Manager
“I love how it simultaneously ignites and challenges my talents, wits and courage.”
CONTACT AARON
STEPH BENSEMAN
Innovation Specialist
“There’s nothing more inspiring than being around teams of motivated and energetic people everyday who are determined on making a positive impact.”
CONTACT STEPH
EMILY DWYER
Event Manager
“What do I love about CHQ? This doesn’t really feel like work, I get to hang out with an amazing group of people who are passionate, driven, have bundles of energy and are helping to change the world and the best part is I get to be a part of something really special while doing my favourite thing in the world, creating memorable experiences for people!”
CONTACT EMILY
LUKE BALL
Head of Incubation
“Building a great business is incredibly hard and I love the growth that comes with it.”
CONTACT LUKE
OUR BOARD
BARRY BROOK
“So happy to be part of a great team doing amazing things.”
SUSAN REYNOLDS
“The irrepressible optimism and creativity, which is always combined with a hunger to make a difference, inspires me every day!”
RICHARD LAVERTY
“I love the excitement of something, new, smart and game-changing, being part of an open, learning and supportive community, and gaining insight into what’s changing on the margins of world we know today.”
LANCE WALKER
“Thrilled to be part of the team that is helping Creative HQ grow the next wave of innovators and entrepreneurs across such a wide range of sectors and business models.”
