Staff  

Jennifer Gill

Chief Executive Officer

In 2004 Jennifer became CEO of our Trust after 10 years as Executive Director of Fulbright NZ. Her career in philanthropy began in 1985 when Sir Roy McKenzie appointed her as the Executive Officer of the Roy McKenzie Foundation. She was a founding member of the board of the Wellington Regional Community Foundation, the Funding Information Service and a current board member of  Philanthropy New Zealand.

Syd Beguely

Chief Financial Officer

Syd joined the Trust after eight years consulting to both not-for-profit and “for profit” organisations. Before this he held senior management positions with energy sector companies. He brings depth and breadth of management and financial skills and experience to his Chief Financial Officer role. Syd holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Otago University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business from Auckland University. He is a CA member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Karyn McLeod

Grants Manager

Karyn joined the ASB Community Trust in 2002, after moving from Christchurch where she worked for five years with the Canterbury Community Trust.  Karyn's passion for philanthropy began in 1997 where she had the privilege of working for organisations such as Richmond Fellowship and with an adult reading assistance scheme.

Moi Becroft

Project Manager, Maori & Pasifika Education Initiative

Before joining the Trust Moi worked for the Department of Internal Affairs for 11 years, doing community development work and coordinating Auckland COGS committees during that time. With Nga Puhi connections through her mother (a Beazley), she grew up in Kaipara’s Port Albert as a fifth generation Albertland settler on her father’s side. Well networked and known within Auckland’s social service sector, Moi has a profoundly deaf daughter, which also connects her to the deaf community.

www.initiative.org.nz

Chloe Harwood

Policy and Research Manager

A graduate of Canterbury University , Chloe is responsible for policy development, research, the development of evaluation protocols. Chloe has worked for Britain’s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta), where she awarded funding to innovative and pioneering learning projects.

Greta Buchanan

Grants Advisor

Greta is responsible for assessing Learning sector applications. She joined the Trust from Waitakere City Council, where she was responsible for the council’s community grants programmes. With a degree in psychology and anthropology from The University of Auckland, she has also worked in research, marketing and business development. Greta’s background includes project management and research for The University of Auckland Injury Prevention Research Centre and marketing and business development for Britain’s Capio Nightingale Hospitals, which is part of Capio Europe a pan-European healthcare provider.

Kim Collins

Grants Advisor

Kim is responsible for assessing Environment and Community Wellbeing applications. She has a psychology degree from Otago University and was Business Development Manager with United Way. She also worked for Auckland City Council and has experience in the assessment of funding applications, facilitation and training in the community sector, events promotion, administration and project management.

Catherine George

Grants Advisor

Catherine is responsible for assessing Arts & Culture and Heritage applications. She brings 15 years' grant-making experience to the Trust. She was previously employed as a funding advisor to the Lottery and Heritage Committee. Catherine trained as a journalist and has extensive community involvement as a volunteer in children’s theatre and in education.

Kate Holgate

Grants Assessor

Kate is an Aucklander who has experience working in the Wellington not-for-profit sector. Her academic background is in sociology, social policy, and development studies.  Following an internship at Caritas Aotearoa she spent three years as Asia Programme Officer at Volunteer Service Abroad where she evaluated volunteer programmes in East Timor, Vietnam and Bhutan.  Kate then headed to the bright lights of London and became involved in grant making at The Health Foundation, which focussed on funding large and small scale projects to improve patient safety, staff leadership, and quality of care. 

Cyril Howard

Grants Advisor

Responsible for assessing Marae and Sport & Recreation applications, Cyril brings to the Trust 13 years experience as a grants assessor with the Local Government and Community Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). He began his career as a Community Worker in Mt Roskill and also spent three years working as a Gaming and Censorship Compliance officer, auditing gaming machine trusts for DIA. Cyril says sport has always been a passion and his varied sporting career has seen him playing as a NZ Touch representative, an Auckland and North Harbour Maori Rugby representative, an Under 14’s NZ Softball representative and as an Auckland and NZ Maori Rugby League representative. Although he has lived in Auckland most of his life, Cyril, of Nga Puhi descent, still calls the Hokianga home.

Shalini Pillai

Grants Advisor

Shalini has responsibility for assessing refugee and migrant, Health and Youth Health and Development applications. She joined the Trust after working as an administrative officer and exchange co-ordinator at Auckland University. Shalini was drawn to grass roots community support work by an interest in energy and rural health, in particular their effects on poverty and development.
Born in Malaysia, she has lived in New Zealand since 1989, but has also been a development worker for the Street Children’s Program in Vietnam, a development instructor in India and underwent development work training at the Institute for International Cooperation and Development, in Michigan, USA.

Kimberly Rees

Grants Advisor

Kimberly is responsible for assessing Community Building Projects applications. She has considerable experience in empowering not-for-profit groups and funding for improved community outcomes. With a background in policy analysis, social research and sociology, she has a passion for helping build social cohesion. Formerly the Project Leader for Community Resources at Waitakere City Council, she is now responsible for assessing all community facility grant applications for the trust. Kimberly says community facilities should be multi-use venues for people to come together and interact, build communities and participate in society. Originally from Boston in the US, she and her husband sailed their yacht to New Zealand 13 years ago on a world trip. “We fell in love with the country and the world trip ended here,” she says.

Peter Stowers

Grants Advisor

Peter is responsible for assessing Community Wellbeing Sector applications. He joined the trust in July 2008 after two and half years with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). At the DIA he was Community Development and Funding Advisor for the Pacific Provider Development Fund, so he has considerable experience in working with Pacific communities. Peter was part of the development and the delivery team of the Pacific Cultural Awareness Training package, an internal compulsory training package for all DIA’s community advisors. Prior to that, he was a Tax Information Officer for Inland Revenue for five and half years and was involved in the Industry Partnership Project. A Samoan-qualified accountant, he migrated to New Zealand in 1997 and aims to become a member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Marie Ball

Receptionist

Receptionist Marie has been with the Trusts since March 2004 and is the first point of contact for many people, whether on the phone or at the reception desk. As well as reception duties, Marie has an administration role within the grants application process. Before joining the Trusts, she was an administration manager with a property investment company.

Melanie Bayly

Administration Assistant

Melanie joined the trust as Administration Assistant after working for Relationship Services. Melanie says she enjoyed being involved with an organisation that helps people to make changes in their lives and was attracted to the trust “because that’s what ASB Community Trust is about too”. Originally from Warwickshire, in England, she has been in New Zealand since 2005. Before leaving the UK, Melanie was resident stage manager at Warwick's Playbox Youth Theatre and she also stage managed a touring theatre company called Generator. In New Zealand she began studying for a Bachelor of Design degree at Unitec, before starting work for Relationship Services as an administrator and receptionist.

Ross Burton

Grants Analyst

Ross is responsible for all issues related to the payment and monitoring of grants once they have received board approval, manages the grants database and is the IT troubleshooter. His background is in administrative and database management, process improvement and project management. Ross has previously worked in central and local government, in the not-for-profit sector and in the private sector. Ross has been with the Trust since 2005.

Craig Innes

Accountant

Craig has worked as an accountant in the marine, travel and apparel industries.  Most of his time has been spent in the marine industry working for a super-yacht management company through two exciting Americas Cup defences. Craig holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Auckland University and is also an ACA member of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants. He grew up in Kaipara Flats, where his family have lived and farmed in the area for five generations. Craig now resides in Pt Chevalier with his wife and two children.

Annie Johnson

Office Administrator

Annie is the Office Administrator for the Maori and Pasifika Education Initiative team. She joined the Trust after seven years as a school office manager. With an extensive background in administration and finance, Annie is now enjoying the exciting challenge of helping launch a new project that has the potential to raise educational achievements for Maori and Pasifika communities across the region. Born in Auckland and of Cook Island descent, Annie lives in West Auckland and is the proud mother of three children and nana to two grandchildren.

Russell Joyce

PR Manager

Russell is in charge of all publicity for the Trust, including the website, TrustLine newsletter, press releases and public events. Previously he was a senior sub-editor on the Salisbury Journal, in England, and a sub-editor at the Waikato Times, in Hamilton. Russell now lives in the Earthsong eco-village in West Auckland with his wife and two children.

Anna Palmer

Internal Communications Manager

Anna is responsible for all the information and internal communication needs of the Trust’s staff. She has been with the ASB Community Trust since 2005 and returned to the Trust after the birth of her  twins. Anna has been involved in the information industry for over 20 years and has worked across many sectors, from advertising to law, both in New Zealand and internationally.

Marilou Sambajon

Grants Administrator

Marilou is the Grants Administrator supporting the grants team. Before joining the Trust in January 2007 she was Assistant Manager at Student Job Search Auckland. She holds a degree in commerce and administration from Victoria University  and has also worked as a forensic administrator in the Institute of Environmental Science and Research’s Wellington office.

Matthew Stratton

Investment Administrator

Matt manages the day-to-day relationship with the trust's external investment managers, custodian and advisor. Before joining the Trust in Jan 2001 he spent five years as an investment analyst at Sovereign Funds Management, responsible for all New Zealand asset classes. Prior to that he was the Operations Manager at Citigroup. Matt began his career with a New Zealand-based funds management company in 1985. He has since worked for fund management companies based in Sydney and London. He holds a Diploma in Business Finance and a New Zealand Stock Exchange Diploma.