New-look board for Headlight
Photo of our new Headlight trustees ( l to r): Christine Law, Jean O’Callaghan, Madeline Patterson, Yoko Kakuma.
The Headlight board is excited to be embarking on a chapter with a new chair and four new trustees joining our governance team from June 2024.
Our Chair for the past two years, Jose Ganga, has stepped down from his Chair role after providing huge value in terms of leadership and governance for Headlight. We wish to express our heartfelt and sincere thanks for all the hard work and dedicated support that Jose gave to the board and team during his time as Chair.
Jose is replaced in the chair role by trustee Marion Poore who has been on the board for 18 months. Marion brings with her a wealth of public health leadership experience from her background as a general practitioner and public health physician.
Marion and existing board members Mel Wright and Merle Grimwood Petterson are joined by four new board members. All based in the Queenstown district, they bring a complementary set of valuable experience and skills to the Headlight board.
New trustee Jean O’Callaghan has spent her whole career in the health sector. Starting out as a nurse she worked in hospital and community settings before moving into management. Jean worked in senior management roles in NZ, Australia and the UK. Upon retirement to Arrowtown Jean was appointed as a deputy commissioner to the SDHB and then as a board member. She currently sits on the Idea services Board of IHC. Jean also participates in a range of interests and activities locally.
Christine Law has worked within the Ski Industry for 12 years both in management and support roles. Originally from Canada, she has made Queenstown her home over the last 9 years, and has first hand experience being a transient member of the community, with the hardships that can follow. Throughout her whole career, mental health and wellbeing has been a strong focus for Christine both with teams she has lead, as well as peers she has worked alongside. She has created and delivered several events that bring communities together and encourage peer to peer support, and is a strong advocate for mental health literacy.
Madeline Patterson is a solicitor working at Mactodd Lawyers in Queenstown. Prior to working as a solicitor, she spent 13 years working in government social sector roles, spanning operational policy, procurement, community partnerships, privacy and official information.
Since 2017 Madeline has served as the ministerially appointed Community Representative on the Ministry of Social Development’s Benefit Review Committee, covering the Queenstown and Central Otago areas. She is a strong advocate of mental health literacy and a grassroots approach to improving the mental wellbeing of communities.
Yoko Kakuma is a chartered accountant with experiences in the banking, retail and service industries with a focus on Sustainability. She is originally from Japan but has spent most of her life overseas, in the US, Canada, Belgium, Hong Kong and NZ. Through her experiences, she understands the challenges of moving to a new place and the impact it can have on your mental health. She is passionate about mental wellbeing and is a strong believer in being active and connecting with the community.
The Headlight team is delighted to welcome our new trustees to join our board and look forward to continuing to make a difference in improving our communities wellbeing with their guidance and support.