Our People

Jackie Lloyd

Chair

Jackie is an independent director. She was appointed as a Trustee of the Wellington Museums Trust in July 2011 and Chair in January 2016. Jackie’s other governance roles include Deputy Chair of New Zealand Post Group, Director of Naylor Love Enterprises and AgResearch, Trustee of The Lion Foundation and member of the National Council of the Institute of Directors in NZ (Inc).

Prior to her focus on governance, she served as global human resources director for the New Zealand Dairy Board and NZMP Fonterra, and subsequently as a consultant and New Zealand country manager for Hewitt Associates and The Gallup Organization. Jackie has a BA in Psychology and a BCom in Marketing and Manpower, is a member of Global Women and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.

Jane Wrightson

Trustee

Jane is the chief executive of public media funding agency NZ On Air. She is also a trustee of the Digital Media Trust which runs cultural websites NZ On Screen and AudioCulture. She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and holds an MBA with Distinction from Massey University and a BA in Literature from Victoria University. Her past directorships include Netball NZ and Swimming NZ. Jane has worked in media for over 30 years and previously held chief executive positions with the Broadcasting Standards Authority and SPADA, the Screen Production and Development Association. Jane became New Zealand’s first woman Chief Film Censor after working in commissioning, acquisitions and programming-related roles at TVNZ for a decade.

Holden Hohaia

Trustee

Holden Hohaia’s iwi affiliations are Ngāti Maru & Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika. Currently he works for Manaaki Whenua (Landcare Research) in iwi  engagement. Holden is the Chairperson of Te Runanga o Ngāti Maru, the mandated entity which is progressing the Ngati Maru Treaty claim. He is a Trustee of Te Aro Pā Trust, which owns and operates a small Papakāinga development in Evans Bay. Holden is also a qualified lawyer and certified Māori language interpreter. His career background has been mainly in public sector policy and local government roles. Holden was born and raised in Te Upoko o te Ika and is very proud to call this city his home.

Rachel Farrant

Trustee

Rachel has been a Business Advisory Partner at BDO Wellington Ltd for over fourteen years. BDO Wellington Ltd is an independent member of the fifth largest international accounting firm. She is also BDO Wellington’s HR Director, with HR responsibility for a firm with 100 staff. In her business advisory capacity, she works with clients in the retail, professional services, not-for-profit, commercial property, health and government sectors. She is a director of Fulton Hogan Ltd and member of its Audit Committee. She is also a director and the Chair of the Audit Committee of Korida Group Limited. She is also Chair of the Central Region General Practitioners Fees Review Committee. Rachel is a member of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.

Diane Calvert

Trustee

Diane was elected for the first time to Wellington City Council (Onslow-Western ward) in 2016 and joined the Experience Wellington Board in November 2016. Diane comes with extensive leadership experience across the NZ public and private sectors from roles that have focused on operational, people and change management. These roles have spanned areas such as insolvency management, client services delivery through to health and safety reform.  For the past four years Diane has sat on the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation which has recently merged with New Zealand Organisation for Quality Inc (NZOQ). Diane has also been recently appointed to the Board of NZOQ Inc.

Pat Stuart

Chief Executive

Pat’s career in museums started in the 1990s as Manager, Public Programmes at the National Art Gallery and Museum and as part of the team that created Te Papa. She held a number of roles at Te Papa including a 10 months stint as Acting Chief Executive in 2002-03. Between 2005 and 2008 Pat was COO at Whitireia Polytechnic. As Experience Wellington Chief Executive, Pat has shaped its strategic direction stressing the importance of leadership, the values of team work and its vision of excellent experiences which Wellingtonians are proud to share with the world. Pat has overseen major projects including the 2009 development of City Gallery, the refurbishment of the collection store in 2012, Capital E’s move to Queens Wharf in 2014 and the opening of The Attic in 2015.

James Unwin

Finance Manager

James is a Chartered Accountant (FCA – ICAEW, CA – NZICA) and a member of the Finance and Management Faculty of the English Institute. He joined Experience Wellington in January 2016 and brings an extensive professional background in senior finance related roles with Deloittes, Ernst & Young (now EY) and Westpac Banking Corporation. James recently moved back to Wellington after several years in Hawkes Bay and Palmerston North where he was Chief Finance Officer for an innovative apple exporting company and previously, a chemical pump manufacturer.

Dr Sarah Rusholme

Director Children & Young People

After gaining her PhD, Sarah left the lab for an MSc in science communication and in 1998 joined the UK’s National Space Centre start-up team, leaving eight years later as their Director of Education and Exhibitions. Since arriving in New Zealand, Sarah has worked for the Marsden Fund at the Royal Society of New Zealand. She led the feasibility study for NZ’s Science Media Centre and became the Director of Carter Observatory in 2007, joining Experience Wellington in 2010. In her role as Head of Strategic Development Sarah was responsible for Experience Wellington’s strategic planning, cross-organisation research initiatives, and projects that connect institutions across the organisation and city. She has also worked as an independent consultant and a Teaching Associate for the Museum & Heritage Studies Programme at Victoria University. In October 2016 Sarah moved into the role as Director Children & Young People, leading the Capital E team.

Elizabeth Caldwell

Director City Gallery Wellington

Elizabeth Caldwell has been working in the NZ visual arts sector for more than 25 years. Professional roles prior to her present position as Director at the City Gallery Wellington include Director at Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Senior Curator Visual Art and Collection Services at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Arts Adviser for Visual Art and Craft/Object Art at Creative New Zealand and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery (now Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu). Her academic qualifications include an MA (Hons.) in Art History from the University of Canterbury, Diploma of Secondary Teaching (Christchurch College of Education) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Art Curatorial Studies (University of Melbourne).

Brett Mason

Director Museums Wellington

Brett joined Experience Wellington in 2001, as the Marketing Manager for both the Wellington Museum and Capital E. Brett became Director of Wellington Museum, then known as the Museum of Wellington City & Sea in 2006. Museums Wellington was set up in 2008, to manage the Wellington Museum, the Cable Car Museum and Nairn Street Cottage. Space Place at Carter Observatory became part of the group under Brett’s directorship in 2013. Brett is a Getty Leadership Institute graduate and a recipient of a Minister’s Discretionary Grant which allowed him to visit over 30 museums across the UK, Europe and in Los Angeles. Brett is a past Board Member of Museums Aotearoa and a Teaching Associate for the Museum & Heritage Studies Programme at Victoria University.

Michelle Cheriton

Manager People & Capability

Michelle is a Wellingtonian who has worked in both the public and private sectors in Human Resources roles. Prior to commencing employment at Experience Wellington Michelle was employed as a Human Resources Business Partner for one of New Zealand’s largest Construction and Infrastructure firms. She has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington, majoring in Human Resources & Industrial Relations and Commercial Law. She is a member of Human Resources Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ). She started her career at the Ministry of Defence where she developed her skills in a general HR position and then moved to London, where she worked for a not-for-profit organisation. Michelle has a keen interest in people, and in learning and development, and is currently undertaking a degree in organisational psychology.

Alice Montague

Strategic Fundraising Manager

Alice has been working in fundraising and marketing for 15 years.  Originally from the UK, she worked in a range of sectors, including NGOs, politics and the arts.  Alice arrived in New Zealand in 2011 and spent six years with New Zealand Red Cross, in her last three years she was the General Manager for Marketing, Communications and Fundraising. She left Red Cross in December 2017 and joined Creative New Zealand where she was responsible for delivering capability building initiatives for their clients. She joined Experience Wellington in October 2018. Alice is on the board of the Fundraising Institute New Zealand (FINZ) and is a Leadership New Zealand alumni 2017 and has a MSC Events Management and a BA Humanities.

Zofia Miliszewska

Executive Support Manager

Zofia’s connection to Experience Wellington started at City Gallery Wellington working as a casual Visitor Services Host while undertaking her studies at Victoria University. Almost a decade later, Zofia returned to Experience Wellington to take on the role of Executive Support Manager where she now manages executive support for the Board and Chief Executive and provides project leadership of the corporate Strategic Plan priority projects. Zofia’s prior experience includes working in a number of administration roles for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and while she was living in London, she was Data Analyst in the Global Strategy Office and then Client Information Manager (for the European, Middle East, Russia and India regions) at international auction house Christie’s. Zofia led the review and implementation of a new Telephony system and a refreshment of the core IT infrastructure of the organisation as well as leading the re-brand of Wellington Museums Trust to Experience Wellington and the development of the current website.

Simon Jones

Buildings Manager and H&S Coordinator

Simon joined Experience Wellington in 1997 assisting under contract first with the removal of old equipment from the then defunct Capital Discovery Place. He then assisted with the re-fit of the new Capital E facility in Civic Square. In June 1997 Simon was employed as the weekend manager at Capital E until 1999 when he then moved into the Exhibition and Events team. In 2013 around the same time as Capital E moved out of its building due to earthquake issues with the building Simon moved into the Experience Wellington head office to take on the role of Buildings Manager for the whole organisation.

Joanna Matthes-Tuisila

Accounts Manager (on maternity leave)

Joanna joined Experience Wellington in 2013 as Accounts Manager having previously worked as an Accounts Administrator at Cowley Services Limited. She has worked in Samoa with the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme as the Assistant Accountant and also as Conservation International Foundation’s Grants Coordinator before migrating to New Zealand in 2010. Joanna is also undertaking postgraduate studies at Victoria University on a part time basis in the hopes of getting into the Chartered Accountants Programme.

Marissa Renwick

Assistant Accountant

Marissa is a Chartered Accountant with experience working in a vary of finance roles for a number of different organisations. She has recently relocated back to Wellington after living and working in the UK for two years.  Prior to joining Experience Wellington and moving back to New Zealand, she was employed as a Financial Accountant for a large tool hire company in the UK.

Before living in the UK, she was based in Wellington, where she studied a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration at Victoria University and completed her CAANZ qualification. She began her career in the finance profession at OSPRI New Zealand, a large not-for-profit organisation before then moving into a more commercially focused finance role with Fujitsu New Zealand.

Anita Patel

Accounts Assistant

Having worked in financial institutions and banks in Mumbai India, Anita has also worked for Small Business Accounting in Wellington. A commerce graduate, Anita also accomplished her Grad. Dip in Commerce (Majoring in Accounting) from Victoria University of Wellington. Since her school days, Anita has always loved solving math problems and finds it relaxing working with numbers. New Zealand always fascinated Anita and getting the opportunity to settle in Wellington and work for Experience Wellington is a dream come true.

Marta Ordejón-Mateos

Office Administrator

Marta has over 15 years’ experience in administration, customer service and sales, gained here in New Zealand and during her 11 year stay in the UK, where among other companies she worked at Bosch and Dell. Her role at Experience Wellington is as Office Administrator, which enables her to feel part of all the teams across the organisation. Marta is originally from Spain, where she completed her studies in history and archaeology.