Rising Governance Star
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This award is presented to a woman who is an emerging female leader at a regional or national level and who is embarking on a governance career.
Nominees will have some governance experience, less than five years experience on a Board, and will be acknowledged by their colleagues as a governance leader of the future.
Nominees can represent any field and industry sector.
This award is sponsored by Sport New Zealand.
Meet the finalists
Adrienne Miller
Adrienne trained as a lawyer and her professional working career has mostly been in the construction, infrastructure and water infrastructure sectors.
She is General Manager NZ for Infrastructure Sustainability Council. Adrienne has recently broadened her community involvement to start a governance career.
She is a trustee of Diversity Works NZ and chaired the DWNZ Steering Group to deliver the diversity roadmap for the Construction Sector Accord. Adrienne was a founding member of the Women in Infrastructure Advisory Board and on the Building Advisory Panel at MBIE. Adrienne has been identified by the Superdiversity Institute for Law, Policy and Business, and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, as an emerging director to watch.
Adrienne is passionate about people and community centric issues and the need for sustainable, big picture, long term, system-wide thinking to prevail.
Claire Bourne
Claire is the Organisational Development Manager responsible for executing IAG's Group Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging and Early Careers strategy.
She is passionate about empowering people and communities. She is co-founder of two community initiatives: one focused on the transition into retirement (Hono Mai) and the other on connecting rural communities (Whenua Whanau).
She is a board member of Graeme Dingle Foundation Canterbury, is Chair of The Period Place and Deputy Chair of St Mark's School. Since 2015 Claire has been a mentor through the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation to Irihapiti.
Claire has focused her emerging governance career on boards that make a difference for women and for young people. She brings her culture and capability experience and Te Ao Māori expertise to her board roles and is passionate for enabling tamariki to succeed.
Kylie Leonard
Kylie is a mother of three, teacher, farmer and first term Taupo District Council councillor where she is a member of a number of governance groups including Chair of Lake Taupo Protection Trust Joint Committee.
Kylie has always been very active in the community and is laying the foundations for a successful governance career in the agriculture sector.
In 2020 Kylie was elected to the Fonterra Cooperative Shareholders Council as the Central Plateau representative and is one of only a few women on the Shareholders Council. She is a board member of Vetora Bay of Plenty and was appointed trustee of the Hillary Outdoors Trust in 2021.
Kylie won the Dairy Women's Network Community Leader award in 2018 and was a finalist in the rural section of the New Zealand Women of Influence awards in 2019.
“I understand the operation and practicalities of farming and the difference strong governance, direction and leadership can make.”
Meleane Burgess
Meleane is an Associate of Governance New Zealand and The Chartered Governance Institute and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.
Meleane is a chartered accountant and started her governance career on the local school board. She established and was Chair of the Waikato Pacific Business Network to provide support to Pacific business owners and professionals. She was a member of the MSD Pacific Governance Group guiding the strategy and action plan for Pacific Peoples.
Meleane is a trustee of Anglican Action. She is the first pacific person to be appointed to the Public Trust Board and as a Council Member of the University of Waikato. She is a future director on the New Zealand Post board.
In 2021 Meleane was a finalist in the Emerging and Pacific Governance Leaders awards.
“Governance is a path less travelled by our Pacific Peoples and I believe that as I travel on this journey, I will empower others to follow.”
Robyn Morete
Robyn is Ngāti Porou, Ngai Tāmanuhiri and connects to marae across the beautiful Tai Rāwhiti region, and this whakapapa has formed the lens she brings to governance.
Robyn has recently been appointed National Manager Māori for Te Kāhui Kāhu.
Robyn is a director on the Wellington Rugby League Board and is Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee. She is also a member of the Wellington Hockey Advisory Board.
Robyn is intentional about weaving her aspiration as wahine Māori in to hāpori (community) development, and has served as Chair and Executive member of Wainuiomata Rugby League, Wainuiomata Hockey Club, her local Māori Women’s Welfare League branch and Kura Kaupapa Māori.
Robyn has a lifelong passion and commitment to sport. She is values driven and tireless in her service to her community. She is an advocate for women, in particular wāhine, kōhine and kōtiro Māori and Pasifika.
Susannah Leydon-Davis
Susannah competed as an international badminton athlete for many years and represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games.
She is now Head of Recruitment Experience for Agoge, starting from a part time role during her athletic career to a member of the leadership team for the last five years.
Susannah has transitioned from high performance sports athlete, bringing together her passion for the sport she loves, to being involved in sports governance.
She is a member of Waikato Badminton Association and was appointed to the national board of Badminton New Zealand after her term as the athletes’ representative.
Susannah is a recipient of the Commonwealth Women’s Leadership Programme Scholarship 2022.
“As a young woman, governance is a platform to grow her voice and she wants to make an impact and be a role model for other young women.”