Dame Lisa Carrington DNZM.

New Zealand’s most successful Olympian.

Dame Lisa Carrington is a world champion kayaker and New Zealand's most decorated Olympian, Having won a total of 9 Olympic medals - 8 gold and 1 bronze, across 4 consecutive Olympic Games since her recent success in Paris. 

Carrington, who is of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki and Ngati Porou descent, was born in Tauranga in 1989 and raised at Ohope Beach. Through surf lifesaving she discovered a natural love of and knack for paddling. In 2007 she switched her surf ski for kayak, a move that marked the start of her record-breaking canoe sprint career.

Described by Sports Illustrated as ‘quietly humble yet furiously driven’, Lisa has 15 world championship golds to her name. Her total medal haul of 22 includes 9 successive K1 200m titles.

See more about Lisa here. 

Dai Henwood.

Iconic New Zealand comedian.

Dai Henwood is one of New Zealand’s most beloved comedians. With 25-years in the comedy industry and 3-years living with stage 4 cancer, Dai has gone to hell and back. Hell turned out to be a good teacher. Alongside the highs of his career, he has faced spectacular lows, leading to his reinvention and the development of a strong work ethic that has made him one of New Zealand's most beloved entertainers. Dai embodies the story of Growth for good, demonstrating how to rise above adversity to become a more fulfilled and successful individual.  

See more about Dai here.

Dai Henwood appears by arrangement with Johnson & Laird Management.

Patrick Gower.

New Zealand journalist.

Paddy Gower is a New Zealand journalist and is widely regarded as one of the best communicators in the business, with an irrepressible personality.

Paddy has been a journalist for over 20-years and has a unique insight into how the government works and New Zealand’s place in the world. He spent 10-years in the parliamentary press gallery covering 4 different Prime Ministers and 3 different governments and has moderated the leader’s debate in the 2017 and 2020 elections.

Part of his growth for good story saw the success of his documentary series work which includes On Booze - a deeply personal insight into his own problems with alcohol. As a speaker, Paddy can talk about the resilience and authenticity that have been crucial to his career and share intriguing insights and entertaining stories from his experience as a journalist - all with his classic witty humour.

He'll also be part of the debate on the affirmative team.

See more about Patrick here.

Luke Ashworth.

Founder of Adviser.AI.

Luke has worked at the forefront of UK life insurance distribution for over 20-years.

His story is not just of success. He has faced unimagineable personal and business loss that would have broken most. His terrifying life journey has not kept him down – far from it. His experiences have only emboldened his determination to succeed.

With a track record of risking everything in the pursuit of his beliefs, he’s now growing his third business which he believes has the potential to transform protection distribution globally.

He’s going to share his journey, his vision for the future of life insurance distribution, and how the pain we all experience is our greatest opportunity for success. 

Doug Kamo. 

Master of ceremonies. 

With over 25-years in the performance and entertainment industry, Doug is a triple treat and has earned the reputation of 'Mr Entertainment' being one of the busiest producers, directors and entertainment practitioners in the country. He has amassed an impressive array of drama, television, concert, musical theatre but his passion and love of communicating and engaging with a wide variety of people has seen him make a significant impact in the corporate meeting and conference market as a facilitator, host and master of ceremonies.

His infectious personality and endless supply of energy, with a wealth of experience as an entertainer, ensures he delivers a tailormade, exciting and above all fully engaged MC experience. One that has seen his services contracted across the globe for corporate giants such as Super Liquor, Rothbury Insurance, Foodstuffs NZ, Rugby World Cup, Flight Centre, Vodafone, L’Oreal, Air New Zealand, Coca Cola, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sovereign Insurance and many others.

See more about Doug here.

Chairman: Angus Dale-Jones.

Knax consulting, Director.

Angus Dale-Jones is part-time Executive Director of the Corporate Trustees Association, chairs the Financial Advice Code Committee and runs a consulting practice.

He received his education in Zimbabwe and South Africa, qualified as a Chartered Accountant, and holds a Masters degree in Business and Technology from the University of New South Wales. In Australia, Angus worked with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission as a financial services regulator for 17 years including four years as West Australian Regional Commissioner.

In New Zealand he spent three years at the then Securities Commission (now FMA) as director responsible for the implementation of the Financial Advisers Act. He served as an independent board member of the Professional Advisers Association (now Financial Advice NZ) from 2012-16.

Affirmative team:

Leader: Sam Stubbs.

Founder of Simplicity.

Sam Stubbs is the co-founder of Simplicity, one of NZ’s fastest growing KiwiSaver plans. Simplicity is a nonprofit KiwiSaver and Fund Manager that gives 15% of all fees to charity and invests with a conscience. Sam was previously CEO of Tower Investments.

He was MD of Hanover Group and worked for Goldman Sachs in London and Hong Kong. He has also worked for NatWest Markets, Fay Richwhite and IBM. Sam has an MA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Auckland. Sam is a father of four children and with his busy work and home life, has no time for any hobbies! He dreams of Simplicity and sailing around the world.

Affirmative team:

Vic Crockford.

Heft, Executive Director.

Vic is the Executive Director of nationwide communications and government relations consultancy, Heft, and the Project Director at the Coalition to End Women's Homelessness - an advocacy body working to shine a light on women's homelessness in Aotearoa.

She is also a member of Queenstown-Lakes District Council's Climate and Biodiversity Reference Group and the Chair of Arts Access Aotearoa, a not for profit that creates opportunities for Deaf and disabled audiences and artists, as well as for people in Corrections.

Prior to these roles, she was Chief Executive at Community Housing Aotearoa, the peak body for the community housing sector, and Communications and Government Relations Manager at Z Energy.

Affirmative team:

Patrick Gower.

New Zealand journalist.

Paddy Gower is a New Zealand journalist and is widely regarded as one of the best communicators in the business, with an irrepressible personality.

Paddy has been a journalist for over 20-years and has a unique insight into how the government works and New Zealand’s place in the world. He spent 10-years in the parliamentary press gallery covering 4 different Prime Ministers and 3 different governments and has moderated the leader’s debate in the 2017 and 2020 elections.

Part of his growth for good story saw the success of his documentary series work which includes On Booze - a deeply personal insight into his own problems with alcohol. As a speaker, Paddy can talk about the resilience and authenticity that have been crucial to his career and share intriguing insights and entertaining stories from his experience as a journalist - all with his classic witty humour.

He'll also be part of the debate on the affirmative team.

See more about Patrick here.

Negative team:

Leader: Trish Sherson.

Sherson Willis, Director.

Trish Sherson is co-founder and Director of one of New Zealand’s leading Corporate Affairs firms, Sherson Willis and a well-known political commentator.

Trish has spent her career in the media, politics and corporate affairs, starting out as a journalist and radio host for Radio New Zealand, a producer for the Radio Pacific daily national breakfast show, and later produced daily current affairs programmes Late Edition and Holmes for TVNZ.

In her early 20’s she worked for ACT in Parliament as a senior caucus press secretary when the party was first elected in New Zealand’s first MMP election.
Trish has spent almost 2 decades building Sherson Willis and advises some of New Zealand’s best companies on their communications. She has a Bachelors degree in Communications and is a proud alumni of Taumarunui High School.

Negative team:

Kirk Hope.

CEO, Financial Services Council.

Kirk Hope is the CEO of the Financial Services Council. Kirk was previously the CEO of Business NZ and has also been CEO at the New Zealand Bankers' Association, Executive Director of the Financial Services Federation and held a range of senior positions at Westpac, including Head of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs.

Kirk also has a range of governance positions including as a Commissioner at the Tertiary Education Commission and is Board member of INFINZ and the Defence Employers Support Council. He holds a Master’s degree in Law, focused on regulation of financial services, and an Honours degree in Political Science.

Negative team:

Guyon Espiner.

Investigate Journalist, RNZ.

Guyon Espiner has been a leading journalist in print, television and radio for more than 20-years. He has an intimate knowledge of politics, having spent 14-years covering Parliament, mostly for Television New Zealand, where he was Political Editor. In 2012 he worked as an investigative reporter for TV3’s 60 Minutes and then as co-host of current affairs programmes Third Degree and The Vote.

In 2014 he switched to radio becoming co-host of Radio New Zealand's Morning Report. In 2017 Guyon conducted a series of interviews with 5 former New Zealand Prime Ministers in a radio and video series for RNZ, called The 9th Floor, which will also be published as a book. Guyon continues to write profiles on leading figures in business and politics for the Listener magazine.

Josh Cuttance.

SHARE NZ.

Financial Adviser - Personal Insurance & KiwiSaver.

Josh has been at the helm of his adviser business for over 4-years, consistently demonstrating hard work, organisation and efficiency. One of Josh’s strengths is his adeptness at harnessing technology to streamline processes, ensuring an effective workflow for his clients. With a strong client-centric approach, he emphasises education, enabling clients to make informed decisions.

Dean Logan.

First Capital Financial Services.

Head of Risk Management.

Dean is an accomplished financial professional, boasting over 2-decades of extensive experience in the insurance industry. Having launched his career in 1998, Dean swiftly climbed the leadership ladder, notably serving as a National Leadership Specialist for ACE Insurance responsible for coaching and developing the leadership team, capabilities, and competence within the ACE Insurance brand of CICNZ. His proficiency extends beyond leadership to managing sales teams, fostering new insurance product development, and ensuring robust audit and compliance risk management. Driven by a passion for education, Dean strongly advocates for continuous learning and development.

In his current roles, Dean functions as Risk MAC Chair for Financial Advice New Zealand’s Member Advisory Committee, Adviser council at Fidelity Life, and Deputy Chair for the Community Wellbeing North Canterbury Trust. He also manages Logan Smythe & Associates, a firm esteemed for providing proficient personal and business risk advice in the life insurance sector. Balancing multiple responsibilities, Dean remains committed to championing financial security and wellbeing.

Campbell Mitchell. 

Chief Executive Officer.

Campbell joined us from Suncorp New Zealand in October 2023, bringing a background in both general and life insurance. As well as spending time as Acting CEO, his Executive experience at Suncorp spanned the customer, sales, claims, operations, marketing and corporate affairs functions.

Prior to insurance, Campbell had a successful career in the media industry, first as a journalist in New Zealand and the UK, before progressing into Executive roles in digital, marketing, sales and strategy with Fairfax Media / Stuff and NewsCorp in Australia.

Bronwyn Kirwan.  

Chief Commercial Officer. 

When it comes to mixing insurance with technology, Bronwyn’s been there, done that.

Following a stellar career spanning senior financial advice, distribution and strategy roles in New Zealand and overseas – not to mention her time leading a disruptive digital insurer – Bronwyn decided to bring her amazing skillset to Fidelity Life.

She plays a leading role in our customer-led transformation as we diversify our channel mix and deliver awesome experiences to our advisers, partners and customers.  

Niall McConville. 

Chief Insurance Officer. 

Niall’s passionate about life insurance and, as our Chief Insurance Officer, he’s responsible for ensuring core functions like new business, underwriting, claims and service delivery for our advisers, partners and customers each and every day.

He’s also a strong advocate for more women choosing financial advice careers, and for better access to pro bono advice for those facing financial hardship.

Niall was previously General Manager of Retail Distribution at leading Australian life insurer TAL, which he helped grow to become the biggest player in Australia’s financial adviser inforce market.