Nicky Cummerfield

Head of Global Marketing, Silver Fern Farms

Nicky Cummerfield is a passionate marketing leader committed to market-led growth and sustainability. As Head of Global Marketing at Silver Fern Farms, she plays a key role in advancing the company’s purpose of "creating goodness from the farms the world needs" by driving global brand strategy, consumer engagement, and ethical & sustainability-focused innovation. Proud to be part of an organization striving to become a trusted nature-positive producer, Nicky ensures that marketing initiatives align with evolving consumer and customer needs while strengthening the company’s global presence.
With over 20 years of experience in FMCG, including leadership roles at Goodman Fielder, Tasti Products, Heinz, and Campbells, she has a track record of delivering brand growth, product innovation, and commercial success. Her expertise lies in balancing profitability with responsible business practices, ensuring brands thrive while supporting a more sustainable future for the food industry.

Keynote: Shamubeel Eaqub

Chief Economist, Simplicity

Shamubeel Eaqub makes economics easy and fun. Shamubeel is the Chief Economist at Simplicity. He is also an author, media commentator and a thought leading public speaker. He graduated with Honours in Economics from Lincoln University and is also a CFA Charterholder. He has over two decades of experience as an economist in Wellington, Melbourne and Auckland in leading international banks and consultancy (ANZ Bank, Goldman Sachs JBWere, NZIER, Sense Partners and Simplicity). He balances a portfolio of economics, consulting, public speaking, governance and family duties. He lives in Auckland with his wife and two sons.

Daniel Aronson

Author, The Value of Values

Daniel Aronson is the founder of Valutus, which specializes in creating value through sustainability and responsibility, the creator of the Value of Values™ Model, and the author of the book The Value of Values (MIT Press).  He has helped leading companies identify and quantify over $2 billion in sustainability-driven business value.

Daniel coined the term “submerged value” and is the creator of Impact Science™, True Plastic Impact™, and Materiality Science.™ He has guest lectured at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan’s Sustainability Lab and has written or been featured in over 100 articles and publications. 
Daniel holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a BA with High Honors from UC Berkeley. He lives in the New York City area.

Leonardo Rabelo

Chief Financial Officer, Dole Asia Holdings' Fresh Produce Group

Future-ready CFO with over two decades of experience leading competitive finance and operations strategy across cross -regional agribusiness landscapes. Leonardo is a purpose-driven catalyst for co-evolution and innovation, empowering financial ecosystems that deliver not only profit but enduring impact.
As Chief Financial Officer of Dole Asia Holdings' Fresh Produce Group and founding leader of the Dole Future Council, Leonardo redefines the role of finance in today’s business landscape. He integrates financial excellence with emerging technologies, regenerative thinking, and inclusive leadership to build resilient, high-performance food systems. Passionate about using finance as a vehicle for progress, he champions a new narrative where purpose drives performance. He illustrates how aligning business strategy with purpose yields measurable, lasting value.

Keynote: Dr Ellen Joan Ford

Speaker, Author: #Workschoolhours

Dr Ellen Joan Ford is terrifyingly ambitious about improving the working world for people and for organisations.
As a leader, researcher, military veteran, international speaker, TEDx speaker, facilitator, consultant and parent, Ellen draws on her research and practical experiences to drive organisational outcomes such as improved retention, productivity, engagement, well-being and ultimately, profit, by enhancing inclusive leadership capabilities and workplace culture.
Her keynotes and workshops are full of practical takeaways. Ellen was awarded the Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year - Local Hero, Person of the Year - Manawatu Standard and the prestigious Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award.
She is the author of #WorkSchoolHours (endorsed by CEOs of KiwiBank, FMG, DevryBV and Cliftons, and dubbed a “must-read for any leader building a modern workplace”) and her leadership model is Belonging, Autonomy and Purpose.
Ellen is passionate, authentic and speaks from the heart with warmth, enthusiasm, bubbliness and fun.

Greig Brebner

Design Director, BLUNT

Greig Brebner, a constantly curious character, grew up with his dad’s workshop as his playground, the perfect stage to invent, build and tinker. He dreamed of one day creating a ground-breaking product, the very best of its kind that people around the world would love. Greig firmly believes that makers and creators of products have a deep responsibility for the products they bring into the world that extends far beyond the purchase transaction. With the right design, the right materials and the right after sales care, people can have much healthier, deeper and longer lasting relationships with the products they own.
Today, Greig is best known as founder and inventor of BLUNT, a beloved brand stretching to all corners of the globe. When he isn’t ideating new product designs he is playing on the water or working the land at his northern Auckland property.

Brendan Haigh

kaitiaki, Miraka

Brendan Haigh is Kaitiaki at Miraka, one of New Zealand’s largest Māori export businesses. Their manufacturing plant, near Taupō, was the first geothermally powered dairy factory in the world and Miraka has taken a lead in driving sustainable farm practice through its Te Ara Miraka programme. As Kaitiaki, Brendan is responsible for Miraka’s kaitiakitanga strategy and delivery, both on and off-farm.

Andrew Davies

CEO, B Lab Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand

As CEO Andrew is responsible for the growth of the B Corp community in Australia and New Zealand. With experience across large and small business, in ASX-listed, family-owned and start-up models, Andrew is passionate about the role business can and should have in improving the world, contributing positively to change, and enriching the lives of everyone in our community.

Johanna Cederlöf

Market Manager, IKEA Sylvia Park

Market Manager, IKEA Sylvia Park
A passionate business and people leader, Johanna joined IKEA 13 years ago and has led store teams in Finland and Austria. This includes opening IKEA Vienna Westbahnhof in 2021, an innovative retail centre format with award-winning sustainability design. A forever dream to one day live in New Zealand, Johanna is assembling her team and operations for IKEA opening in Sylvia Park late 2025 and is motivated to deliver positive impact for people and our shared home, the planet.

Nicola Taylor

Co-Founder, Tax Traders

Nicola is a people-centred, purpose-driven leader and co-founder of two innovative Kiwi fintech companies: Tax Traders and Taxi, the world’s first provider of tax-powered working capital for businesses. A commercial lawyer by training, Nicola was named SME Business Leader of the Year at the 2024 New Zealand Leadership Awards and has earned international acclaim for fostering an award-winning workplace culture. Taxi and Tax Traders also won New Zealand's Best Place to Work award in 2024. Nicola is married to Josh, and they have three outrageously wonderful teenagers and a beloved kaboodle, Kobe.

Keynote: Brianne West

Founder & CEO, Incrediballs

Brianne West is a New Zealand entrepreneur, biochemist, and environmentalist creating innovative solutions for a sustainable future. She founded Ethique, the world’s first zero-waste beauty brand, which became a global success. Now, her focus is on Incrediballs, a revolutionary drinks brand eliminating single-use plastic bottles, launching in 2025. Brianne also hosts Now That’s What I Call Green, a podcast blending science and sustainability, inspiring action to address environmental challenges through education and community engagement.

Julia Jackson

General Manager Purpose and Communications, Kiwibank

Julia has over 10 years working in business supporting organisations to understand their purpose and develop strategies to bring that to life. She is passionate about the power of business to create change. She is the GM Purpose and Communications at Kiwibank after spending almost 8 years there embedding purpose, B Corp and sustainability into how they operate.

Speakers - 2025