I grew up in Wellington and after completing my degree at Victoria University I spent the next three years working in the energy sector in both Wellington and Auckland. I then headed overseas on a working holiday in British Columbia, Canada then two years in Queensland, Australia. It was here that I had my first experience of middle management, in the sustainable products industry.

Then it was time to come home where I began working at Instep as an Account Manager. I found the idea of employee assistance interesting and it is nice to see people getting the assistance and help they need from caring employers. My work focuses on managing large employer accounts - this ranges from advice, consultation and liaison with our afterhours service to report writing and training. Employee assistance is a global initiative and I have attended conferences, both here and overseas as part of my learning and development programme. Like my colleagues above, I am also a member of the Employee Assistance Professionals Association. New Zealand might be small in comparison to other countries, but we generally get it right when it comes to ‘people best practice’. Working so closely with our clients is extremely rewarding because it means I get to hear the success stories and the concept and effectiveness of EAP is validated every day.