Life is too short to dig for dirt. I choose to dig for gold.

Born and raised in former Yugoslavia, I could not have asked for a happier upbringing. The civil war which erupted in 1991 changed life as I knew it and I fled to NZ with my husband and young son in 1994, armed only with a suitcase and a hope for a better life. 

There are many things I have learnt from living through a civil war and starting a new life from the ground up. I had to make active choices to anchor my world around what mattered to me the most. I had to develop a courageous heart and a focussed mindset to build a new life for my family. I had to nurture my sense of humility and stay true to my morals and values in order to find happiness in the everyday.

I firmly believe I would not be where I stand today were it not for the personal hardships I have faced. They have made me a fighter, a seeker of joy, an eternal optimist. I will always push forward in the hope of leaving the world in a better place.

I have learnt from experience that anything is possible despite, or maybe even because of, the seemingly insurmountable challenges we may face in life.

My life story is my leadership story.

I have lived my life by the philosophy of choice: I believe we are capable of developing methods which can empower us to choose how we respond to life’s challenges. These choices we make give us the opportunity to take control over how we react to and frame our worlds.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked myself: What now? What can I do? Throughout our lives we continue to face new hurdles, new constraints. I believe that it’s how you respond to any of life’s triggers that enables you live life courageously, wholeheartedly and with purpose.

I am driven by curiosity: a thirst to understand the world, a desire to connect with people, a drive for continued learning. If we nurture this curiosity we open the gateway for better self-knowledge and compassion, both for ourselves and for those around us.

Professional background.

Back home in Croatia, I graduated in Economics, majoring in monetary policy before moving to New Zealand. I landed in the insurance sector by pure luck and am deeply grateful for my time within this industry. I have spent over 23 years building my career to senior executive level within a large corporation giving me the unique ability to provide coaching attuned to those who operate within similar environments (view my career development here).

// PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING
2005 – ANZIIF (AUS and NZ Institute of Insurance and Finance) Senior Associate Level qualification
2010 – Melbourne Business School Management Programme
2013 – ISL (Institute for Strategic Leadership) Senior Leadership Programme
2017 – Female Leadership Programme
2017 – IECL Level 2 Coaching Programme (ACTP accredited)
2017 – Future Auckland Leaders Programme (2 years)
2018 - 2021 – Aspire Women’s Leadership Programme Guest Speaker (Victoria University)
2022 – IAG Leading for Impact