Date: |
07 Aug 2026, 7.30AM – 9.15AM |
duration: |
1 hr 45 mins |
Venue: |
Engineering New Zealand |
Address: |
Level 6/40 Taranaki Street Wellington |
Cost: |
|
Enjoy an informal, interactive morning of discussions and honest conversations about leadership, career progression and personal growth.
Share your experiences in an open and engaging environment, hosted by Engineering New Zealand President Kennie Tsui. Hear from an expert panel with different perspectives on leadership journeys: work-life balance, wellbeing, resilience and what diversity and inclusion looks like in practice. An interactive Q&A will follow.
The discussion will centre on women's leadership experiences, but this event is open to all genders and career levels.
Spaces are limited – register now to secure your spot.
Programme
7:30am – Networking breakfast (food stations, coffee and tea)
8:00am – Welcome and housekeeping
8:05am – Panel introduction and discussion
8:40am – Interactive audience Q&A
9:00am – Networking
9:15am – Event concludes
Your panellists
James Kilty
James Kilty is Chief Executive of Transpower New Zealand and a respected leader in the energy sector with a strong track record of building high-performing organisations. A long-standing advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, James has worked with Champions for Change and industry leaders across New Zealand to address barriers to participation and progression in the energy sector. He leads Transpower at a pivotal time for New Zealand's energy future, with a focus on delivering for consumers and enabling Aotearoa to thrive.
Lupesina Koro
Lupesina Koro (Salelologa and Lufilufi – Samoa, Atafu – Tokelau,) is an environmental engineer who began her career in transport engineering at Aurecon after graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce in 2022. She joined Tektus in 2024 where she contributes to outcomes that prioritise sustainability, collaboration, and our role as kaitiaki.
She serves as an Emerging Professional Board Member on the Engineering New Zealand Governing Board. She is actively involved with the South Pacific Professional Engineering Excellence (SPPEEx) support network for Māori and Pasifika engineering professionals, and serves as a mentor for the South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students (SPIES) association for aspiring Māori and Pasifika tauira at the University of Auckland. Lupesina’s upbringing, faith and experiences shape her approach to servant leadership.
Helen Davidson
Helen is Chief Executive of ACE New Zealand, a member association that represents more than 265 firms that deliver engineering, technology, construction, infrastructure and environmental solutions across the built and natural environments in Aotearoa.
After studying law and biomedical ethics at the University of Otago, Helen worked for 15 years across health law, professional regulation, patient safety policy and biomedical ethics, both in New Zealand and Canada. She then moved to the engineering sector, spending five years on the leadership team at Engineering New Zealand before moving to ACE in 2021.
Helen is a passionate advocate for women in professional services and a driving force behind The Diversity Agenda, an award-winning programme to help engineering and architecture firms become more diverse and inclusive. She’s inspired to attract new talent into the professional services consulting sector, shining a light on the amazing work our professions do to build sustainable and resilient communities that benefit everyone. Her other roles supporting these outcomes include as Trustee and Immediate Past Chair of the Engineering New Zealand Foundation and Chair of the Directors and Secretaries Advisory Council of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).
Dr Helen Anderson
Helen is an experienced Chair and director and is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors. She has a broad range of expertise in technically complex areas through her roles as Chief Scientific Adviser and then Chief Executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. She has a PhD in seismology from Cambridge University and has chaired and participated in several high level technical inquiries, including the post-Kaikoura earthquake investigation into Statistics House and the Christchurch CBD Building collapse.
Since leaving the public service Helen’s governance experience has included privately held companies, industry associations, not-for-profit and state sector bodies. She has held roles as Chair or director on many boards including BRANZ, Scion, NIWA, Antarctica NZ, and Studio Pacific Architecture. She has chaired Risk and Audit Committees for government departments and chaired MBIE’s Building Advisory Panel.
Come for the kōrero, stay for the connections. Join Engineering New Zealand, the Diversity Agenda and the Institute of Directors for the Women in Leadership breakfast on Friday 7 August.
Enjoy an informal, interactive morning of discussions and honest conversations about leadership, career progression and personal growth.
Share your experiences in an open and engaging environment, hosted by Engineering New Zealand President Kennie Tsui. Hear from an expert panel with different perspectives on leadership journeys: work-life balance, wellbeing, resilience and what diversity and inclusion looks like in practice. An interactive Q&A will follow.
The discussion will centre on women's leadership experiences, but this event is open to all genders and career levels.
Spaces are limited – register now to secure your spot.
Programme
7:30am – Networking breakfast (food stations, coffee and tea)
8:00am – Welcome and housekeeping
8:05am – Panel introduction and discussion
8:40am – Interactive audience Q&A
9:00am – Networking
9:15am – Event concludes
Your panellists
James Kilty
James Kilty is Chief Executive of Transpower New Zealand and a respected leader in the energy sector with a strong track record of building high-performing organisations. A long-standing advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, James has worked with Champions for Change and industry leaders across New Zealand to address barriers to participation and progression in the energy sector. He leads Transpower at a pivotal time for New Zealand's energy future, with a focus on delivering for consumers and enabling Aotearoa to thrive.
Lupesina Koro
Lupesina Koro (Salelologa and Lufilufi – Samoa, Atafu – Tokelau,) is an environmental engineer who began her career in transport engineering at Aurecon after graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce in 2022. She joined Tektus in 2024 where she contributes to outcomes that prioritise sustainability, collaboration, and our role as kaitiaki.
She serves as an Emerging Professional Board Member on the Engineering New Zealand Governing Board. She is actively involved with the South Pacific Professional Engineering Excellence (SPPEEx) support network for Māori and Pasifika engineering professionals, and serves as a mentor for the South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students (SPIES) association for aspiring Māori and Pasifika tauira at the University of Auckland. Lupesina’s upbringing, faith and experiences shape her approach to servant leadership.
Helen Davidson
Helen is Chief Executive of ACE New Zealand, a member association that represents more than 265 firms that deliver engineering, technology, construction, infrastructure and environmental solutions across the built and natural environments in Aotearoa.
After studying law and biomedical ethics at the University of Otago, Helen worked for 15 years across health law, professional regulation, patient safety policy and biomedical ethics, both in New Zealand and Canada. She then moved to the engineering sector, spending five years on the leadership team at Engineering New Zealand before moving to ACE in 2021.
Helen is a passionate advocate for women in professional services and a driving force behind The Diversity Agenda, an award-winning programme to help engineering and architecture firms become more diverse and inclusive. She’s inspired to attract new talent into the professional services consulting sector, shining a light on the amazing work our professions do to build sustainable and resilient communities that benefit everyone. Her other roles supporting these outcomes include as Trustee and Immediate Past Chair of the Engineering New Zealand Foundation and Chair of the Directors and Secretaries Advisory Council of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).
Dr Helen Anderson
Helen is an experienced Chair and director and is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors. She has a broad range of expertise in technically complex areas through her roles as Chief Scientific Adviser and then Chief Executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. She has a PhD in seismology from Cambridge University and has chaired and participated in several high level technical inquiries, including the post-Kaikoura earthquake investigation into Statistics House and the Christchurch CBD Building collapse.
Since leaving the public service Helen’s governance experience has included privately held companies, industry associations, not-for-profit and state sector bodies. She has held roles as Chair or director on many boards including BRANZ, Scion, NIWA, Antarctica NZ, and Studio Pacific Architecture. She has chaired Risk and Audit Committees for government departments and chaired MBIE’s Building Advisory Panel.
