Alexia Hilbertidou
About
Described by the NZ Herald as the Headmistress of Gen Z, Alexia Hilbertidou is the founder of GirlBoss NZ, New Zealand’s largest organisation for young women.
Founded when Alexia was just 16, GirlBoss now has 17,500 members and runs programmes in over 400 schools across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.
She is determined to get women to the table—the boardroom table, that is—and believes the decisions made while young are crucial in shaping the future.
Alexia is a living, breathing example of how Gen Z is making its mark on the world. She has been named New Zealand’s Official Gender Equality Ambassador, a National Geographic Explorer, and a Facebook Leadership Fellow. She studied Leadership for Change at the University of Cambridge and holds a Master’s in Emerging Technologies.
With over 150 keynote speeches delivered worldwide, Alexia is a globally renowned speaker you can trust. She has captivated 100,000+ people at some of the world’s most prestigious events, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the World Economic Forum in Davos, and One Young World in London. Sharing the spotlight with icons like Richard Branson, HRH Meghan Markle, and Deepak Chopra, Alexia delivers fast-moving, high-energy, and hilariously relatable talks that leave audiences laughing, inspired, and ready to take action.
She has received over 30 awards for her work, including Pacific Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Semi-Finalist for Young New Zealander of the Year, Most Influential NZ Woman Under 25 (Westpac Women of Influence Awards), Forbes 30 Under 30, the Princess Diana Award, and Finalist for World Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Alexia was also awarded a Queen’s Young Leader Award for Services to the Commonwealth by Her Majesty The Queen at Buckingham Palace, making her the youngest Commonwealth Citizen to hold this honour.
Through her jaw-dropping stories, Alexia proves that you are never too young (or too short) to create change.
Testimonials
“I’ve been going to HR conferences for over 20 years, so I’ve seen a whole generation of talks about generations. I’ve always been a bit cynical about them. But Alexia provided a practical, insightful, funny, nuanced, and original presentation about Gen Z. NASA, David Beckham, Jamie Oliver, and the Queen have all had a chat to Alexia Hilbertidou about Gen Z and her work at GirlBoss NZ - maybe you should too!"
- Alex Hagan, CEO, Kienco
"Without a 50/50 talent pool from universities and trades, we're on a highway to nowhere. That’s why we teamed up with Alexia & GirlBoss – to invest early, bring more women into the industry, and support their journey all the way through our company."
- Ross Taylor, CEO, Fletcher Building
"Alexia's is a voice that can benefit all organizations that desire to have a more equitable workplace. She started the conversation company-wide about how to support women in STEM, particularly as the pandemic has directly impacted their place in the workforce. All of our attendees commented on just how inspiring she was!"
- Elyse Maloni, EA to the CEO, Diligent Corporation