Ā mātou tāngata Our people
Leadership team
Director – Financial Capability
Nick Thomson
Nick leads the financial capability portfolio which develops and delivers financial education for schools, communities and workplaces. Nick is an experienced senior executive who has held a variety of senior leadership positions in education. Prior to joining Te Ara Ahunga Ora, he was the General Manager of Industry Training, General of Learning Design and General Manager of Product Development & Quality Assurance at Competenz – one of New Zealand’s largest industry training organisations.
Director – Policy
Dr Suzy Morrissey
Suzy leads a team that supports the Retirement Commissioner to shape the Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission’s policy and research work and activities. She oversees our research programme, the statutory three-yearly Review of Retirement Income Policies and the statutory role to monitor the effects of the Retirement Villages Act, the Regulations and Code of Practice. Suzy is a Chartered Accountant and spent eight years working for global accounting firms in Australia and New Zealand. She was made a Fellow Chartered Accountant in 2018. Since 2012 she has worked in the public sector and brings experience from Treasury and MBIE to her role at Te Ara Ahunga Ora. Her PhD in Taxation examined policy and gender.
Kaihautū | Director Māori Development
Erin Thompson (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngaati Tiipa)
Erin leads engagement with Māori to understand financial capability and retirement from a Māori perspective. She helps drive improvement in retirement outcomes for Māori by connecting and aligning the Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission’s work with related industry and government workstreams. Previously the Kaikōkiri for the Te whai hua – kia ora, Sorted in Schools programme, Erin comes from a teaching background. She is a strong advocate for kaupapa Māori, te reo Māori, and mātauranga Māori, and has a wealth of experience in iwi and community planning and development, and iwi governance.
Director – Stakeholder Relations
Anika Forsman
Anika leads the team helping to share the stories about the ways Te Ara Ahunga Ora Retirement Commission is empowering the people of Aotearoa on their journeys to better retirement. They are communications and stakeholder specialists with a grounding in personal finance knowledge, tasked with stripping away the jargon to create an easier pathway for understanding how to achieve long-term financial wellbeing. Prior to joining Te Ara Ahunga Ora, Anika spent six years working for Auckland Unlimited, most recently leading the communications and marketing requirements for the Auckland Council group and Crown partners for the 36th America’s Cup. Her previous roles included working in communications at Fonterra and as a journalist in Queenstown and Auckland.
Director – Marketing
Vanessa Morris
Vanessa leads the Marketing team and is responsible for the Sorted master brand and sub brands, as well as the consumer experience. Vanessa has spent the last 20 years build building brands people love and trust, as well as engagement programmes that leverage data and insights to drive behaviour across social, digital and 1:1 channels.
Policy
Policy Lead
Dr Michelle Reyers
Research Lead
Dr Jo Gamble
Retirement Villages Specialist
Tristan Fluerty
Financial Capability
Learning Development Lead
Tista Lythe
Learning Designer – EME
Su Min Ahn
Kaitakawaenga/Learning Designer MME
Marina Kawe-Peautolu (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu)
Learning Development Specialist
Tania Vercoelen
Learning Development Administrator
Lexia Hansen
Project Specialist – Pacific
Liline Hewett
Learning Delivery Lead
Donna Robinson
Learning Delivery (Programme) Specialist
Natalie Palmer
Learning Specialist - Schools
Claire Bailey
Kaikōkiri/Learning Specialist – Kura
Kimiorangi Thompson (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Rangiwewehi)
Relationship Specialist – Communities
Josh Nicholson
Marketing
Marketing & Content Lead
Kelly Phillips
Digital Marketing Specialist
Hannah Merceanu
Product Marketing Specialist
Vanya Piacun
Graphic Designer
Georgia Lopesi
Digital Platforms Lead
Jason Gambitsis
CRM & Analytics Specialist
Mike Coffey
Digital Channels Specialist
Morgan Martin
Marketing Administrator
Devon Connolly
Communications
Personal Finance Lead
Tom Hartmann
National Partnerships Lead
Rachel Beckett
Communications Specialist
Elizabeth O'Halloran
Communications Specialist
Georgette Dawbin
Corporate Services
Finance Lead
Gemma Fulton
People Lead
Rosa Armstrong
Business Lead
Nick Beard
Assistant Accountant
Shristi Singh
Performance Accountability Specialist
Rebecca Jenner
Business Administrator
Ciaran Lymer