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Refactor: Auckland March 2020
It’s a brand new year and Refactor is BACK. We’ve got an incredible kick-off line-up, new catering, and we’re back at the gorgeous Warren & Mahoney studio in Wynyard Quarter. Read on to learn more or grab your ticket now!
Speaker Profiles
Ngapera Riley
Ngapera couldn’t make it in November, but she’s raring to go this year! Ngapera is the Chief Executive Officer of Figure.NZ. She believes everybody should have access to good information, and that knowing how to find and use data is vital to solving our country’s biggest problems. She cares about everyone being able to take part in that, so we can collectively work towards a better future for Aotearoa. Ngapera works closely with Māori business and education efforts across New Zealand. She currently holds board positions with the InZone Education Foundation, Hyundai’s Pinnacle Programme, and Te Ohu Whai Ao Trust, which connects indigenous business efforts from around the world. She is also part of the working group Te Pokapu for the Maori Data Sovereignty Network advocating for Maori rights and interests in data. Formerly the Global Director of the World Class New Zealand Network for Kea, Ngapera has also worked for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Ministry of Health, University of Auckland, and Manukau Institute of Technology. Most of all she is a global citizen who loves to spread kindness, sing, cook and spend time with family.
Gemma Gracewood
Gemma Gracewood is a writer, a producer and director of TV, film and radio, a publicity and audience strategist, and currently the editor-in-chief of Letterboxd, the film social network. A Lower Hutt-born, South Auckland-raised Pākeha Gemini extrovert, Gemma’s professional history starts with her literally delivering media to its audience, as a 10 year old Raleigh Twenty-riding newspaper-delivery person. She was one of the first graduates of AUT’s Communications Degree, after which she created a news bulletin for MAX TV and held a long editorial director stint at Radio 95bFM. She’s produced Kim Hill on RNZ’s Nine to Noon, ridden the Beehive’s underground travelator as a Government press secretary, sent a brass band up in a flotilla of hot-air balloons on one of several arts series she produced for TVNZ, driven NZ’s fourth most popular folk-comedy duo on the wrong side of the road in Texas, created two award-winning webseries with chain-reaction machine genius Joseph Herscher, and toured the world singing other people’s songs in the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra. With audience front of mind throughout all her roles, publicity and audience strategy have long been Gemma’s natural side-hustles. Her favourite saying used to be “you can sleep when you’re dead!” but now that she has a four year old that’s not funny shut up.
Amritpal Kaur
In 2018, Amrit was one of the Finalists for New Zealand’s Emerging Leaders in Engineering (and the only woman) and in 2019 she was the Valedictorian for AUT’s summer graduation. Amrit graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hon) Majoring in Mechatronics and Minoring in Creative Entrepreneurship. During her time at the university, she worked on interesting projects such as creating chatbots and a headset that enables communication for people with disabilities. Amrit recently started her full time career with Deloitte in the Platform Engineering team. She enjoys learning new things and pushing herself outside of her comfort zone as she believes that’s where the growth happens. Amrit loves volunteering her time and skills hence is involved with SheSharp, EWB and the Women in Tech group within Deloitte itself.