Hi,
I’m Sarah

The squiggly line that got me here.

I grew up in Auckland, New Zealand in a family where food was the heart of our home. My parents were (and are) great gardeners and cooks, and the cycle of growing, harvesting and renewing was the backdrop to daily life. The soundtrack was National Radio. Its smorgasbord of news and views fed our curious minds and prompted lively family conversations. This nurtured a thirst for learning which has stuck with me. I always have a podcast or book on the go and gravitate towards places and people that are a source of interesting, new-to-me ideas.

As a kid, I wanted to be a marine biologist but as I moved through school languages and social sciences drew me more than the pure sciences. The dream of studying sea life has faded but I’m still deeply interested in the interconnected nature of our global system. Doing my best to treat it respectfully is important to me, especially now I have a family of my own.

My first big adventure was a high school trip to Tahiti. I was surprised by how I felt on arrival - so far from family, immersed in a different culture and language. It taught me a lot about being out of my comfort zone. Curiously, the way I funded the trip touched on a later career thread. I worked the 5pm-to-midnight shift soldering componentry at Rakon, one of NZ’s early tech success stories. Not your usual after-school job experience!

At Victoria University of Wellington I completed a Bachelor of Laws and a BA in Philosophy and Politics. I was recruited into the highly-regarded clerk programme at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, and became part of their litigation team advising clients in the consumer, banking, insurance and intellectual property sectors. I relished the problem-solving challenge of law but didn’t feel drawn to the partnership pathway. Seeking a broader role in the business world, I embarked on an MBA while working, completing my final year of study at the BI School of Management in Norway. Why Norway? Because in the list of partner universities I could choose from, it seemed the biggest adventure. It didn’t disappoint. My MBA case studies explored new and emerging food products - culminating in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style business pitch, where I presented my idea for gourmet pizza kits. 

From this point on, I followed what has become my career M.O. Rather than applying for jobs, I approach people or companies that interest me and create my own opportunity. In this way I landed a consultancy role at KPMG Boxwood where I was subsequently appointed Manager CX and Digital and then segued into Head of Business Delivery (Global) for Direct Wines, a family wine business needing to reinvent itself for a new era. The same process led to me becoming General Manager at Tech Futures Lab, helping to build this innovative education business from the ground up. And again to my current role as Strategic Lead - Agritech for NZ Trade and Enterprise, where I help agritech companies to scale bigger, faster and better.

Between roles I have often planned a ‘sabbatical’. Returning home from Europe, it was an incredible six-month immersion in the unfamiliar, backpacking through South America. These opportunities to reflect and refocus have always been of benefit to the role I move into next.

Keen to keep broadening my skills and cross-pollinate ideas across different businesses in different stages, I developed my governance experience through roles at NZ Tech, Agritech New Zealand and My Food Bag. This work drew me back to my interest in our food system and to my current career point.

For a long time I felt self-conscious about my changes of direction. Now I realise that it is my strength. It has honed my ability to work across boundaries, sectors and disciplines, enhanced my skills as a manager and collaborator, and enriched my problem-solving toolkit. Instead of following a linear professional pathway, I’ve been guided by my need to do meaningful work with positive impact, to keep growing and learning, and to engage with people and initiatives that are dynamic, action-focused, and powered by possibility.

Now, I’m here. Ready for the next adventure…