Women Who Lead

They are leaders in their fields; impactful, smart and brave. Each of them, in their own way, making a profound and positive difference to the world around them.

ASB Bank and panel host – Hannah Ockelford – are delighted to bring you a rare and privileged insight into the professional lives and personalities of three incredible ‘Women who Lead’.

This is an event that promises to be candid and insightful, featuring high profile business leader – Jolie Hodson, talented broadcaster – Hayley Holt, and influential entrepreneur and businesswoman – Marisa Fong. You will hear what it means to them to be a leader, how they use their influence to effect change, what drives them and what’s coming next.

5:30pm – Networking & Drinks
6:00 - 7:30pm - Panel discussion
7:30 - 8:00pm – Networking & Drinks

Jolie Hodson
Jolie is Chief Executive Officer of Spark New Zealand. Jolie joined Spark in 2013 as CFO and held the roles of CEO Spark Digital and Customer Director before being appointed CEO mid- 2019. Since joining the company, Jolie has played a pivotal role in transforming Spark from a legacy telco to a growing digital services company.
Prior to joining Spark, Jolie worked for 20 years in a range of senior roles for the Lion Group and Deloitte. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand.
Jolie is a founder of On Being Bold and a member of Global Women and Champions for Change. She is passionate about mentoring women in business.

Hayley Holt
Hayley Holt is a much-loved television presenter, author, and former professional athlete. She is currently the Sports News Presenter on 1 News at 6pm, having previously been a co-presenter on TVNZ’s Breakfast for three years alongside Jack Tame and John Campbell. Her extensive career in TV and media, also includes eight years as a reporter and presenter on the cult-favourite sports entertainment show The Crowd Goes Wild.
Hayley was a professional Snowboarder and Ballroom Dancer, featuring on three seasons of New Zealand’s Dancing with the Stars competing as a dancer and then as a judge, which then lead to a role on the hit BBC show Strictly Come Dancing.
Earlier this year, Hayley released her book, Second Chances, where she details the raw and honest account of her story of alcoholism, recovery, and courage in the face of loss, all within the public eye.

Marisa Fong
Marisa co-founded Madison Recruitment with Wynnis Armour in 1998 growing it to become the largest, privately owned Recruitment Company in New Zealand. Acquired by a publicly listed company in late 2013, the multi-million acquisition deal set a precedent for the industry.
Marisa went on to create a personal investment portfolio of companies specialising in HR Tech, Fintech, manufacturing, Agriculture and Biotech. She serves on Boards as Chair and as an Advisory Board Member on a range of commercial and not-for-profit organisations.
Marisa is a passionate supporter of women’s careers, is an Executive Judge for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year and was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs in 2020. She has also been a mentor for the First Foundation.

Hannah Ockelford – Panel interviewer
Hannah is the curator and host of this popular and entertaining ASB Bank Female leader panel series, where she interviews some of the country’s most senior and successful women. She also facilitates events on behalf of other corporates and organisations alongside other contract-based work. Hannah trained as a journalist, spending 12 years in broadcasting mainly at TVNZ. Following that she worked for a global professional services company for five years before developing her own business.

Join this incredible panel alongside the team at ASB Bank for a candid insight into how these “Women who Lead” operate.

With thanks to ASB Bank for their ongoing and generous support.