Our Directors
Mary Somervell
Mary is a business adviser with an extensive background in marketing and HR spanning over 20 years. She has worked extensively in education, health and professional services environments. Her broad marketing experience extends from initial market research and feasibility studies through strategy formation to stakeholder engagement, implementing marketing plans and communications programmes, business development, partnership formulation and relationship management.
She is a skilful workshop facilitator who helps clients proactively deal with challenges and opportunities and the formulation of workable business plans.
Her generalist HR background includes: recruitment and retention strategies, people development, leadership coaching, HR policy development and succession planning.
She manages complex projects involving diverse interests by bringing together all parties to develop shared understandings and mutually beneficial working relationships.
She is a highly skilled communicator and team player who proactively manages relationships so key personnel are kept informed on progress with ‘no surprises’ throughout assignments.
Qualifications & memberships: M Com (Marketing/ International Business), B Com (HR/ Marketing), MHRINZ, MSMEI
Steve Vaughan
Steve trained as a chemical engineer and his career includes extensive experience in research and development, environmental issues (from local to multinational negotiations) and risk management including future risks. This work has included engineering developments derived from new research and large governmental projects requiring complex risk judgements.
Steve has represented New Zealand at international fora including as a board member for the Global Environment Facility and as delegation leader at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
He developed and implemented techniques to incorporate futures thinking (foresight) into the long term planning of New Zealand’s largest local authority. He is actively involved in the development and application of risk management techniques for diverse areas such as the siting of explosives facilities, irrigation schemes, flooding, and investigation of medical incidents.
Steve is a past deputy chair of the New Zealand Society for Risk Management. He has been on the management committee for the Society of Chemical Engineers NZ and contributed to the redevelopment of the IPENZ code of ethics.
He is a trained and experienced facilitator with particular experience in resolving and clarifying complex technical issues.
Qualifications & memberships: BE Hons (Chem), PhD (Chem Eng), C Eng, MIPENZ, MIChemE