Gender Champion
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This award recognises an individual, female or male, who is committed to achieving gender equality for all women at the board table or in leadership.
This person will be someone who publicly advocates for this and supports gender diversity and inclusion in their day to day work. The may be responsible for appointing board members, they may be an educator or trainer, they may be a community leader or lead a project to deliver gender equality in governance.
Nominees will provide examples of their work and public advocacy in championing gender diversity and/or gender equity.
This award is sponsored by Tompkins Wake
Meet the finalists
Elle Archer
Elle has a successful career in technology, science, geospatial technology, digital architecture and infrastructure where there are few women leaders. Elle has often been the only wāhine in the room and that has driven her to make a difference for other women coming through.
For over 20 years Elle has been a disruptor, committed to achieving gender equality in the digital and infrastructure sector. She has made a valuable contribution to Māori governance in the digital sector and to improving a bi-cultural understanding of governance.
She started and facilitates the sisterhood Kaupapa, speaking with wāhine in schools, whare kura, and university encouraging and empowering women through telling her own story. She is an advocate for youth development for Māori and wāhine into professional pathways.
Elle is a managing director for ELG Global, and her governance roles include Chair of Te Matarau the Maori Tech Association of Aotearoa National, is Iwi representative - Ministry of Education Nga Iwi o Hauraki, is Chair of the Canterbury Regional Joint Committee Waitaha Regional Digital Equity Governance Group, a board member of GovHack NZ and board trustee of Ako Otautahi Learning City Christchurch Trust Board and Central Plains Water Trust Board.
In 2021 Elle was a finalist in the Inspiring Governance Leader award.
“I not only want to be a good governor, I want to ensure I give voice to the voice-less, and aid in evolving the governance space for all.”
Susan Doughty
Susan is Chair of Diversity Works NZ and is past national President of YWCA and President of YWCA Auckland. She has worked in the corporate sector for many years holding senior corporate roles, including Director Diversity and Inclusion for Fonterra and is currently Head of Global Reward and Insights at Zespri.
Susan’s passion for gender equality and equity has led her to successfully combined her day-to-day career expertise in human resources and remuneration, her governance experience and her not-for-profit work, to lead gender equality and inclusion change to target the root cause barriers to the
advancement of women.
Susan led the design and launch of the YWCA’s Equal Pay Awards programme in 2013 and while at Fonterra, she led the organisation to being the first company in New Zealand to gain the Gender Tick, and in obtaining the Rainbow Tick. She has developed gender-targeted programmes for mentoring and coaching women to create the opportunity for women to progress into leadership roles.
Susan is recognised in New Zealand and internationally as a leader in gender pay equity and uses her influence and expertise to raise awareness of equity issues and in promoting positive change for women within Aotearoa New Zealand.
“If we want to make a real difference to gender representation in the Boardroom, we need to start by fixing the broken rung at the very bottom of the career ladder. Sustainable change cannot be left to the few who, against all odds, ‘make it in a man’s world’. Sustainable change demands that we are intentionally supportive at every point of a woman’s career, particularly during those early years, to ensure that she can develop into her best self.”