Our Team
The content has been co-designed in partnership with a team of volunteers from right accross the play, active and sport sector in Aoteraroa. Meet the Summit team below.
Governance Group
The purpose of the Governance Group is to bring together individuals from the three key partners, Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA), The Shift Foundation and Sport NZ to ensure alignment of objectives and provide expertise, advise, and guidance on the design and delivery of the Summit.
The group is being co-chaired by:
Dr Sarah Leberman, MNZM, Women in Sport Aotearoa
Sarah is the Co-Founder of Women in Sport Aotearoa and current Board Co-Chair. She is a Professor in Leadership in the School of Management at Massey University. Sarah has been involved in sport all her life, as a participant, coach, administrator, educator, researcher and board member. Sarah was a finalist in the 2016 Westpac ’Women of Influence’ awards in the diversity category for her work in facilitating opportunities for girls and women to exercise leadership at all levels. In 2018, she won the NEXT Woman of the Year Sport category for her contribution to sport in Aotearoa and in 2020 was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to women, sport and the tertiary sector.
Robyn Cockburn, Director and Consultant - Lumin, Board Member - Sport NZ, Chair - The Shift Foundation
Robyn Cockburn is the Director of Lumin, a consulting company working across sport, arts and recreation organisations. Recently appointed to the Board of Sport NZ, she has significant governance experience, and is currently Chair of The Shift Foundation. She is on the Programming team for the IWG Conference to be held in 2022, is a Co-Facilitator of the NZ Olympic Women’s Sport Leadership Academy for retired female Olympians and a Teaching Fellow in Museum and Heritage Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-cockburn/.
Members include:
Sarah is an experienced Partnership Manager for Sport NZ having worked with a mixed portfolio of sport and recreation organisations. Sarah’s Masters of Business Administration is complemented by hands on governance and leadership roles at national, regional and local levels. In her free time Sarah enjoys playing golf, sea-kayaking, yoga and hanging out with her two mokopuna.
Over the past 18 years, Rachel has worked in numerous commercial roles across Formula 1 and other motorsport, football, rugby, golf and athletics. She also has extensive charity experience, through work with the Red Cross and several cancer charities. Over the past six years, Rachel has worked in global advocacy roles, firstly in the disability sector, and for the past two years, women’s sport advocacy
Maddi is passionate about providing opportunities for young women to learn, lead and participate. She enjoys collaborating to achieve outcomes that positively impact people’s wellbeing. In addition to her position on the Shift Foundation Board, Maddi is the Participation Programmes Coordinator at Golf New Zealand.
Originally from Uruguay, Luciana has worked in the sport and active recreation sector for over 20 years across Uruguay, Spain and Aotearoa as a PE teacher, fitness instructor, professional coach (Synchronised Swimming) and a sports administrator. Through her involvement in Synchronised Swimming (as an athlete, a coach and an administrator), Luciana discovered and experienced the positive role sport can play in girls and women lives. She has also completed two master’s degrees, one in Athletes’ High Performance and Talent Development and one in Sports Management.
Yvaan is a Sport NZ Graduate who studied Sport and Recreation at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). He is passionate about creating meaningful and quality experiences for all tamariki and rangatahi through play, active recreation and sport.