Connect

Simon led start-up businesses in Australia for 15 years, before returning to Christchurch with his young family to support economic development and the growth of the start-up ecosystem in the region. He loves having supported the growth of the ecosystem, is a strategic leader who is passionate about impact and the ability of tech start-ups to support our future regional wellbeing.

An ex-elite cyclist and trustee of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula Geopark, Simon enjoys walking on Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū, surfing at Scarborough and spending time at Kikopiri Marae.

Jamie’s previous roles have always positioned him at the heart of helping businesses succeed. With a strong focus on knowing exactly where intervention helps achieve success, Jamie is driven by being able to deliver impactful outcomes for those who entrust him to support their growth.

His international experience within the commercial sector includes; account management for large advertising, FMCG and media organisations, and recruitment consulting for professional construction and engineering consultancies

Jamie loves connecting people within the business community, especially those who invest in Christchurch through business expansion, innovation, and entrepreneurship and his passion for driving economic growth into the region underpins the curiosity he brings to the team.

In his spare time, Jamie trail runs in the Port Hills and as a dad to young children, he enjoys the abundance of nature within Bottle Lake Forest, easy access to the beach and the central city which offers a range of activities including the central library, Tūranga and the impressive Margaret Mahy playground.

Matt brings extensive knowledge and experience as Business Development Manager, including years as Chief Operating Officer of a Fintech company. He also holds a Master of Business from the University of Canterbury. Matt is a strategic thinker and enjoys building sustainable stakeholder relationships.

In his spare time, Matt loves spending time at the beach with his family and playing golf when he can find the time and is very partial to sampling the local craft beer.

With an experienced professional with a background in global fintech and SaaS, Dianna leads a team overseeing the Business Sustainability and Growth work programme and manages the Regional Business Partner Network for the Canterbury region. Her responsibilities include developing business growth and sustainability strategies, building and managing relationships with Central Government and key government agencies, managing government contracts with a value of over $6m, and designing business support programmes and tools.

Previously, Dianna was an Innovation Specialist at the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce where she delivered the Callaghan Innovation component of the Regional Business Partner (RBP) Programme and has held other business management roles in the UK and New Zealand.

Dianna is a strategic thinker, collaborator, and relationship builder with a knack for identifying opportunities. She has experience in managing commercial products and data product portfolios, developing product strategies, and implementing product roadmaps.

Emma had been working in the non-profit sector for 10 years before joining ChristchurchNZ, primarily focused on disability and health innovation. A career highlight was working on a multi-million dollar global challenge run with Toyota, designed to revolutionise mobility devices for people with lower limb paralysis. Emma has always loved supporting innovators, especially those that help people, so her ChristchurchNZ role ticks all right the boxes.

Emma brings strong project & stakeholder management skills, along with a diverse range of innovation design expertise.

A proud resident of North Canterbury with her whānau, Emma grows truffles, olives and also runs a side hustle buying and selling vintage and preloved baby clothes, which she started doing after her daughter was born.

After graduating with a German University degree in Management and Marketing, Anton has worked in numerous roles and developed a strong business skill set. Controlling and Taxation, Certified Business Coach and Trainer, SCRUM MasterWorking for big corporations such as Amazon plus government funded institutions and NFPsRunning start-up and labour market focused programmes in both Germany and Aotearoa.

Anton has a huge curiousty to learn about innovative and sustainability-oriented product and business ideas and is passionate about connecting businesses with the right resources in Christchurch and beyond and watch them grow.

Dad to schnoodle Archie, Anton spends as much time outdoors as possible, growing vegetables and hiking while trying his best to try out all the great Christchurch food places, with Asian fusion as the favourite.