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Teresa Tepania-Ashton
Teresa Tepania-Ashton  Teresa has 12 years’ experience in corporate banking with CITIBANK. She was responsible for major corporate clients in New Zealand that were focussed on global cash management and prior to that for more than a decade Teresa worked for a Danish Engineering firm, predominantly focussing on the Dairy Industry. This enabled Teresa to travel extensively throughout the World giving her a good grasp of the International arena and the many diverse cultures. She took a break from banking to raise her children and earned a GDipBus (Maori Development) before returning to work. She took up a position with HortResearch as the Business development leader for Maori where she helped Māori develop land-based projects looking for accelerated pathways to industry and exporting. In July 2004, she was appointed as the CEO of Te Runanga a-Iwi o Ngāpuhi which represents the largest number of Māori descendants in the country. More than 122,000 (Stats NZ, 2006) people claim to be of Ngāpuhi descent. This role has bought many challenges as well as allowing Teresa to focus on developing the assets of Ngāpuhi but more importantly the aspirations of the Ngāpuhi people. Teresa has an overall passion for leadership, and in 2006 participated in the Leadership New Zealand programme of which she is now an Alumni, and was recently appointed a Trustee to the organisation. Teresa also serves as a director on subsidiary Boards of Ngāpuhi and independent bodies. What was your first significant business experience and what did you learn from it? My first experience was as a young girl, growing up with a father who went from working three jobs to eventually owning his own ‘tree-felling’ business in Auckland. It was a family affair and even though I used to help with administration, the highlight was always being outdoors with my father raking up debris or with chainsaw in hand. My father taught me the value of customer service, most of whom became his lifelong friends. A key aspect was his ability to develop relationships. The other realisation is that hard work does eventually pay off. Your corporate business journey has led you to an exciting and unique role. What key business skills are you bringing to your current role? This role is unique because it expands across a wide spectrum of disciplines. The key skill in this role is the ability to be strategically focused. My particular focus is on the vision of the organisation, and how important that is to the whole of Ngapuhi. Building strategic relationships is also a priority, and competently and professionally representing Ngapuhi, as it is an honour and privilege to do so. Who are the mentors/role models that have inspired you and what important lessons have you learnt from them? I would need to acknowledge both of my parents. My father was an awesome leader within his family and community and well respected by his peers. My mother, however, was a quiet achiever with an unspoken dominance. They both instilled in me the necessity to be humble, respectful and proud of who I was and where I was from. I was also hugely influenced by a previous CEO while employed at Citibank. He gave me confidence to do what I believed in. He empowered me to be as great as I could or wanted to be, which is a style of management that I have continued to adopt through to today. What do you think are some of the essential characteristics of a successful CEO? Leadership is key. No matter what style of leadership you have, the most important thing to do is LEAD! Cognisant with my culture, I am a servant leader – leading to serve Ngapuhi with their aspirations and purpose in mind. Taking and giving direction when required. I have always made it a point to surround myself with great leaders, always with the intent of developing and educating myself further. Looking forward, what do you see as the most exciting elements of change that you hope to facilitate as CEO? The empowerment of whanau, hapu and marae in their journey towards self determination. Most CEOs would be set a key outcome of growing profit. It seems to me that your role would require you to have a number of broader key outcomes. How do you ensure you can regularly demonstrate your personal and the Trust’s success? I strongly believe that in putting the success of the Trust first, your own success will eventually follow. In order to achieve my own success it is important to highlight the success of your team, as they are key to the success of the organisation. Have you brought a set of core values to your role and have these had to change as you seek to drive the trust forward? My parents were steadfast in their Maori world views which transcended from generations before them. Therefore, the values I have grown up with are comparable to that of any Maori organisation. I believe that your values are inherent and therefore you carry these with you no matter where you work. The key is to remain true to yourself. Just what about your current role keeps you ‘turned on’ and what have you done to ensure your team is continually motivated? The thing that keeps me turned on is the growth of the organisation. Watching staff as they grow and develop within the organisation, particularly as they take on challenge after challenge and never give up is very rewarding. What have you learnt about effective leadership and managing people? “Leadership is measured on one’s ability to serve ones people.” It is an honour to serve my people and this is evident throughout the organisation. I prefer to allow staff to grow within their roles, giving them the opportunity to express themselves, and being accountable for the decisions being made. What is your strategy when it comes to engaging and managing staff? What can businesses do to attract higher calibre employees? To empower, develop and nurture. My strategy has always been to enhance the strengths of employees and allow them to grow in their roles. Alongside that of course is to ensure development opportunities are available to enhance their ability to grow within the organisation. Has being a woman and a leader in your working environment been an advantage or a disadvantage? I have always been a hard worker and, in the past, thought that in order to get somewhere as a woman that you needed to work even harder, however, I now believe that that is true no matter what gender. If you are confident in yourself and your abilities you will strive to achieve no matter who you are or what you want to do. How do you manage a work-life balance? I have to admit that I do struggle with this at times, however, I have three wonderful children, 21, 17 and 13, who are my priority. I also have a beautiful three-year-old granddaughter who has totally absorbed my fantasy of happiness. At the end of the day, I will constantly pay tribute to my amazingly supportive husband, who is also a great father and grandfather. Between them, they ensure that I at least have a life. What are some of your current personal and business goals? One of my current goals is to develop more practical skills at a Governance level, and to obtain more experience on boards.\ Do you have a motto or saying by which you live your life? “Ehara taku toa, he taki tahi, he toa taki tini” (My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective) I also believe that it is important while you are in a role that you continue to have passion, once that dies out and your role just becomes just another job, it is no longer worthwhile. What’s your definition of financial freedom? I do not rank freedom in a financial context, the freedom to be the person you need and to be without any restrictions or financial obstacles in your way. I do however rank freedom highly in spiritual context. |