About

  • Hi I'm Renee,

    I’m a qualified Behavioural Scientist and former big-4 Management Consultant, with Team and Individual Coaching credentials, and I’ve studied happiness at one of the world’s top universities.

    My passion? 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 Thrive Lab, these skillsets come to life via research and insights projects, workshop facilitation, and coaching.

    Before starting Thrive Lab in 2020, I enjoyed a varied three-part career.

    • In the consulting chapter, I led or supported insights-based research, evaluation and change projects, as the Behavioural Science Lead within PwC’s Human-Centred Design team, Senior Consultant at MartinJenkins, and Business Director at OgilvyChange. These roles were wide-ranging – with projects across healthcare, education, children’s welfare and social services, disaster planning, transport and more.

    • Prior to that was my ‘travel and teaching’ chapter, lecturing Sociology at the National University of Samoa, and teaching life skills at charitable school in Zanzibar.

    • And ‘back when,’ I worked in healthcare communications, with roles in pharmaceutical research, regional healthcare, and aged care.

    I’ve also served as an Independent Director for New Zealand Certified Builders, and as a Māori family representative (Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Porou) on the Board of my children’s primary school.  

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    Qualifications:

    • 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.