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Fulbright New Zealand congratulates three alumni who were named finalists in the prestigious Women of Influence awards, including the current Fulbright New Zealand Chairperson.
The Women of Influence awards recognise and celebrate women from all walks of life who make a difference to everyday Kiwis. The Women of Influence programme is committed to increasing the visibility of women’s leadership in New Zealand, highlighting the important contribution women make in creating a bold and diverse future for New Zealand.
The three Fulbright New Zealand alumni who are finalists in this year’s Women of Influence Awards are Fulbright New Zealand Chairperson Dr Helen Anderson, current Fulbright-Platinum Triangle Award in Business grantee Sarah Reo and 1995 Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Student Award grantee Jennifer Hay.
Fulbright New Zealand Executive Director Penelope Borland says it is an honour to have three alumni named finalists in Women of Influence awards in one year.
“Our alumni are among the best and brightest in their fields. The three brilliant Fulbright New Zealand alumni who have been named finalists in Women of Influence awards embody the academic, professional and personal excellence the Fulbright programme values,” Ms Borland says.
“Like the Women of Influence awards, Fulbright New Zealand is committed to supporting and encouraging women who are future leaders in their fields. There were 53 women in the 2015 cohort of grantees from diverse disciplines including business, sciences, journalism, architecture, music, law, mathematics, art, indigenous development, creative writing and teaching.”
Fulbright New Zealand Chairperson Dr Helen Anderson was named a finalist in the Board and Management category. Dr Anderson received a 1990 Fulbright New Zealand award for seismological research at the University of California. She went on to become Chief Executive of the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology and is now Chair of Wellington Branch Committee of Institute of Directors, Chair of External Advisory Group to Department of Internal Affairs, Chair of BRANZ and a Director of Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency, NIWA and DairyNZ. She is a Council Member of Massey University. Dr Anderson was appointed Chair of Fulbright New Zealand in 2009.
Sarah Reo (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rangituhia, Ngai Tahu, Taranaki), current Fulbright-Platinum Triangle Award in Business grantee, was named a finalist in the Business Enterprise category. She graduated with a BA in Māori in 1995 and an LLB in 1998 from Victoria University of Wellington. She is managing director of Cultureflow, a business celebrating Māori language and culture by facilitating ‘Positive Open Forum’ learning environments. Ms Reo is currently on her Fulbright grant, completing her Master of Business Administration at the University of Hawaii.
Jennifer Hay, 1995 Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Student Award grantee, was named a finalist in the Innovation category. Ms Hay has a first class honours degree in linguistics and modern languages and a Masters in socio-linguistics from Victoria University of Wellington. She used her Fulbright award to complete her PhD in linguistics at Northwestern University. She is now a Professor at University of Canterbury and Director of the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain & Behaviour.
The winners of Women of Influence awards will be announced November 4.
The Fulbright New Zealand programme promotes mutual understanding between New Zealand and the United States through educational and cultural exchange. More than 8,000 people worldwide are participating in Fulbright exchanges this year, in more than 160 countries.
ENDS
For more information, please contact Fulbright New Zealand Communications Manager Jazial Crossley on [email protected], 022 6406 921 or 04 494 1507.