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Headlines 17 Tell us about where you grew up I grew up in a town called Sandwich, in Kent. My parents still live there and have done for 64 years. They were both teachers. I ended up in New Zealand because I was flatting in London with some Kiwis. That’s how I met my future wife, Megan, through my flatmate who was her cousin. I followed her to New Zealand in 1991, so I have been here for 31 years which is longer than I lived in the UK. Why were you drawn to the not-for-profit/charitable space? I worked for Spark for about 23 years in lots of interesting roles. Toward the end of my time there I started to think about where I would like to go. I had been volunteering at two New Zealand charities, Springboard Trust and the First Foundation. This sparked my interest in the not-for-profit sector and so, when a role came up to lead the Neurological Foundation, I put my hand up. I’m now also the Board Chair at both Volunteering Auckland and the First Foundation. There are so many challenges in society and there are some organisations like ours that are doing such great work trying to improve the outcomes for people in certain communities. I loved working at Spark because our role was to enable people to communicate better, and I see that in a lot of work we do at the Foundation. It’s about connecting people and helping them to get better outcomes and that is what drives me. What are your personal hobbies, interests, passions? There may be a small rumour that I like riding motorbikes… that’s possibly why my garage is rather full of them! The great bit is, I get to ride them to work and it’s like being able to enjoy your hobby on your commute. Riding motorbikes is like meditation to me as I am very focused on what I am doing. I also really enjoy walking and try to get my 10,000 steps in every day. I do like a good book and I’m passionate about my volunteer work. How Full is Your Bucket? is a very good read on life balance and how my volunteering helps me to re-energise and to top up my bucket. Are you or your family members affected by a neurological condition? When I first joined the Neurological Foundation my only family connection was my Nan, who had a stroke when I was a teenager. She was in hospital for a few months, until she passed away. This was generally normal for what happened at that time. It’s amazing how different it is today because of the advancements made in stroke treatments. After a few years at the Foundation, I began to recognise more connections around me, for instance many of my friends and family suffer from migraine. A year ago, my Dad developed suspected encephalitis, swelling of the brain, which I had never heard of until working here. And just recently when I was visiting him the neurologist changed the diagnosis to a stroke. It has taken away all his short-term memory. The more I looked, the more I realised how many people around me are impacted by neurological conditions. Describe what your job is Ultimately my role is about leading the organisation, the people, and working with our stakeholders to deliver against our strategy, the business plan, and our purpose. Our purpose is funding research and leading education and awareness into the impact of neurological research. So, it’s about making sure as a business we are doing the things that we’ve said we are going to. This is particularly important in our sector because people are generously giving us money out of their pockets. Tell us what you enjoy most about working at the Neurological Foundation? A part of my role that I love is going out with our Donor Relations Specialists to talk to our supporters, hear their stories, and learn about what they hope we can achieve. It’s so motivating. I also get to know people who have neurological conditions and see the real impacts that these devastating conditions have on them and their families. I love working with our team at the Foundation – their creativity, energy and ideas are fantastic. The other part I enjoy is talking with the researchers, they are so passionate about what they do and it is a privilege to work with them. I have learnt a lot from being a part of the Neurological Alliance, which has 17 charities within the neurological space collaborating on how we can best help our communities. Tell us something interesting you’ve learned while working here. Ï have learnt so much about the brain, and there are three things that stick out to me. The first was hearing Professor Bronwen Connor talk about how her team can take skin cells and turn them into neurons, and then replicate neurological diseases in them. The second is Professor Alan Barber and listening to him talk about clot retrieval surgery, and the incredible things they have achieved in the treatment of stroke for Kiwis. The third thing has been from talking to Professor John Reynolds about a model they have been using where they shine a light into a rat's brain to understand the way neurons interact with different drugs. They are all amazing advances that have already contributed to, or are about to contribute to, treating neurological conditions. What was the last book you read? I have read two in quite quick succession – Tikanga, an introduction to te ao Māori , and Essentialism recommended to me by our Chair, Professor Cathy Stinear. Tikanga talks a bit about language, pepeha, different types of meeting, greeting, karakia and why they’re important. It was so interesting. I sat down on the couch one day and read the whole thing! Essentialism is about when you are so busy doing heaps of different things, you forget to focus on the three things that make a real impact. It's about balance and what is essential to focus on. I like reading books that make you think!