About

  • Hi I'm Renee, a qualified Behavioural Scientist, former big-4 Management Consultant, and a certified Team and Individual Coach who has studied happiness at one of the world's top universities.

    And I'm passionate about helping people to live more fulfilling lives, at work and beyond.

    The unifying thread in my work has always been - ask good questions, distil the insights that matter most, and identify how to make change for the better.

    In the past, I have been the Business Director at Ogilvy Change, and applied the rigour of behavioural science to advertising and communications campaigns, primarily in the public sector.

    I’ve also worked as a management consultant at MartinJenkins in Wellington and Auckland, and as the Behavioural Science Lead within PwC’s Human Centered Design team. Both roles were wide ranging, covering strategy, reviews of operating models and specific functions, and a strong focus on research, insights and evaluation.

    I launched Thrive Lab in 2020, where I focus on insights and change to help people thrive.

    The work has been impactful and rewarding, and I'm particularly proud of:

    • Writing a guide on work redesign for the influential Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum. (Read the guide.)

    • Being a guest speaker at HR New Zealand’s 2024 Virtual Summit on Mental Health and Wellbeing. (Watch the talk).

    • Achieving an 18-point lift in engagement, in a team within AsureQuality.

    • Helping partners in a law firm to connect and to make decisions more efficiently and effectively.

    • Researching and articulating the need for a Spinal and Neuro Hub in Auckland, for the Laura Fergusson Trust.

    • Helping awesome women to thrive at work and in their personal lives, via 1-1 coaching.

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    My qualifications include:

    MSc (Distinction) in Social Policy, London School of Economics. 1st in class for 'Behaviour, Happiness and Public Policy.' Winner of Charles Mostyn Lloyd Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Masters student.

    PGradDip Arts equivalent, University of Auckland. Senior Prize in Sociology.

    BCom / BSc, University of Auckland. Senior Prize in International Business.

    Certified Individual and Team Coach, with the International Coaching Community.

  • Simon Sinek reckons we should ‘start with why’. So here goes.

    I want to play my part in designing a more content, fulfilled society.

    I’ve been interested in this since I was 10, because I saw that we were getting collectively wealthier, but not collectively happier.

    Everything I’ve read indicates there are two key building blocks of wellbeing – strong social connections, and a sense of purpose or meaning. And on these two metrics, we’re not doing so well.

    Levels of loneliness are on the rise, and people are longing for a sense of connection and community. And while we’re often busy at work, for many people, there’s a lack of meaning in the way we spend our days. We’re doing shallow work that’s misaligned with what matters to us, rather than deep, purposeful, rewarding work.

    So that’s where I focus. My 'why' is to help design a more fulfilled society, which starts with dialling up connection and purpose. At work, and beyond work.

  • There are two key threads in my work.

    The first is ‘deep chats for change’. I’m passionate about connecting meaningfully through conversation, whether I'm engaged in research, facilitation, or coaching. The conversation then serves as a catalyst for real-world change.

    The second thread is that everything I do is evidence based. Those insights could come from you and your team, about what matters most, or they could come from happiness research, behavioural science, management consulting and coaching approaches - about what people need to thrive, and how to drive change.