Come along to our first lunch event of the year, Reimagining Inclusive Leadership

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the call for leaders who can navigate complexity and inspire trust has never been more crucial. As organisations depend more on diverse, multi-disciplinary teams, leaders must create an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and included. Inclusive leadership isn't just a buzzword—it’s a mindset and daily practice. Through small, consistent actions, leaders can unlock the full potential of the people they work alongside.

• Date: Thursday 27 February 2025

• Time: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

• Location: Powerplant Meeting Room at the Generator Wynyard Quarter (12 Madden Street, Auckland 1010)

Our event brings together four leading voices in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore the impact and future of inclusive leadership. We’ll hear their perspectives across various topics:

• What does inclusive leadership mean to you, and how do you practice it?

• Why does inclusive leadership matter for organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025?

• What are common challenges of implementing inclusive leadership, and how can they be overcome?

• What role does cultural intelligence play in fostering inclusivity?

• How do you handle pushback or resistance when implementing inclusive practices?

• How can leaders bring everyone on the journey?

Facilitated by YWCA Auckland’s CEO, Dellwyn Stuart, we will also have time for Q&A with our expert panellists:

• Dr Amanda Sterling - she/her
  Dr Amanda Sterling works with organisations to create meaningful change in gender equity. She uses a research-based approach to increase the representation of women in leadership roles and close gender pay gaps. Her doctoral research, featured across New Zealand's major news platforms, offered unique insights into what enables or hinders women's leadership progression. Amanda speaks about reimagining leadership beyond traditional norms and building inclusive, high-performing workplaces. Her talks help all leaders recognise their role in creating inclusive cultures and equip them with practical actions to drive sustainable change.

• Dr Guillermo Merelo - he/him
  With a strong background in public management and public policy, Guillermo has worked as a senior public officer, columnist, lecturer and academic researcher in Latin America, Europe and New Zealand. He is a published author on integration and inclusion. His academic work revolves around the value of migrants’ processes of integration to their receiving societies. He is also a HR specialist with more than 20 years of experience in talent management, organisational development and change. Brought up in a family of strong women and being a member of the LGBTI community, Guillermo truly cherishes diversity and he is convinced that diverse workplaces have the potential to foster understandings of the self and others, unleash organisational potential and make this a better world.

• Fatumata Bah - she/her
  An experienced public speaker who has engaged with thousands of New Zealanders over the past 8 years, Fatumata is an advocate for and can speak to women's rights, refugee rights, cultural intelligence (CQ), and diversity and inclusion. Fatumata completed CQ training through the 33Sixty Commonwealth Young Leaders Programme in Scotland; the Common Purpose Global Leaders Experience and the Common Purpose Diaspora Dialogues in London. Fatumata completed an internship at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations in New York, where she reported to the Senior Gender Advisor and worked on the UN System-Wide Gender Parity Strategy and the Spotlight Initiative, which aims to end violence against women and girls by 2030. She is a member of the Donald Beasley Institute Disability Advisory Group and a member of the Policy Research and Advocacy Team, Commonwealth Youth Health Network (CYHN).

  In 2023, Fatumata was a finalist in the Young Leader of the Year Award category for the Public Service Commission’s Spirit of Service Awards which recognise public servants who go the extra mile and initiatives that deliver great outcomes for people in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2024, Fatumata received the AstraZeneca & One Young World 2024 Young Health Programme Impact Fellow. She represented New Zealand in Montréal, Canada.

• Luana Nickles (Te Whakatōhea me Ngāi Tai) - she/her
  Luana Nickles is a proud uri of Te Whakatōhea and Ngāi Tai. She is a proud mum straddling two ao in her professional career. She attended Māori-medium education in the 1980s and 1990s, formative years for the Kohanga and Kura Kaupapa Māori movement. This journey was shaped by her whānau and kaiako pioneers—her heroes—who paved the way for tamariki Māori to grow up immersed in the richness and uniqueness of te reo Māori and Māori culture.

  In her legal career, Luana has had incredible opportunities both in Aotearoa and abroad, working alongside inspiring colleagues and leaders on legal issues faced by governments, private sector clients, and iwi. This has included providing strategic advice and representation in high-profile litigation in New Zealand, Australian, and UK courts and tribunals.

  Raised, educated, and working within both Māori and Western systems, she believes there is immense value for all organisations and people—regardless of their backgrounds and experiences—in genuinely understanding, embracing, and championing all things Māori. She firmly believes that what is good for Māori is truly good for everyone. By realising this collectively, she sees the potential to build a truly unique and inclusive Aotearoa for the future.

Thanks for coming along!