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GirlGuiding NZ is excited to announce the appointment of three new Board members – Siva Sivapakkiam, Cory Gordon and Shaun Greaves – who bring with them an enormous range of skill, talent and life experience.
As an organisation we are committed to embracing diversity in all forms amongst our membership, volunteer and staff team, and Board. A major step towards that commitment comes in the form of the appointment of Shaun, Siva and Cory. Whilst females are under-represented on many business and organisational Boards, GirlGuiding NZ has been in the opposite position and until recently had no male Board members. These appointments reflect what we as an organisation believe and reinforce to our girl members – that equitable representation from a diverse range of people, complimented by the right skills, knowledge and talents, is essential. Having a range of voices heard and reflected at our Board level can only strengthen our mission to support girls and young women develop the skills and confidence to make positive changes in their world.
Siva Sivapakkiam, Executive General Manager Operations for KiwiRail, has seen first-hand the value Guiding has given his eldest daughter from her time with Brownies and now in Guides. Siva is keen to see diversity flourish, and this has led him to become executive sponsor for Diversity and Inclusion and also for Young Engineers – initiatives designed to improve opportunities for a diverse workforce to develop, influence, and contribute to KiwiRail. He intends to bring the same passion for empowerment and inclusion to GirlGuiding NZ.
Shaun Greaves has years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, having been involved with Scouts New Zealand and St John (NZ and UK). He also enjoyed a number of years being part of the Camp America team. He is currently working at New Zealand Red Cross as General Manager Humanitarian Development. Shaun actively champions diversity and inclusion; health, safety and wellbeing; child protection; youth development; volunteering best practice and community engagement. He is passionate about youth-led development and encouraging adventure as a means of building resilience, confidence, wellbeing and mental health for young people – exactly what Guiding offers. Through Guiding, Shaun believes we can elevate the voice of girls and empower them to make an increased impact in their communities.
Cory Gordon’s interest in Guiding comes from years of supporting and being a part of the organisation through his wife Anna’s association a volunteer group Leader, as well as looking forward to shaping the future as he brings his young daughter on board in the coming years. After many years in marketing and strategy, Cory has founded his own consultancy called Roger Roger Marketing and has long been an active charitable supporter associate with St Johns, Sparkle Foundation and the Spirit of Adventure Trust.
Between them Cory, Siva and Shaun will bring an enormous amount of knowledge, experience and commitment to the empowerment of girls and young women. Whilst GirlGuiding NZ currently has no tangata whenua on its Board, we are actively working to address that. Meanwhile, the addition of Shaun, Siva and Cory to our Board ensures that girl members see that at every level of our organisation we champion participation, openness, change and diversity in all its forms.