From purpose statements to real decisions: building a wellbeing economy
- Tuesday 27 October 2026
- 11:45 am - 2:00 pm
- AUT Te Iringa Wave Room WG308, Sir Paul Reeves Building, Governor Fitzroy Place, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
Get Tickets HERE
Dr. Victoria Hurth works globally at the intersect of academia and hands-on business to help companies transition to be drivers of long-term wellbeing for all. This includes advising executives across a wide range of sectors on the intersect between purpose, sustainability, ESG and reporting and how to lead the transformative change needed.
She is an Independent Pracademic working to align decisions with long-term wellbeing for all through effective purpose-driven governance. Victoria is a Fellow of the University of Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, and is currently Project Leader of the first international standard in Purpose-Driven Organisations (ISO37011). She previously supported the UN on the methodology for sustainability reporting and has led pioneering standards in Governance of Organisations (ISO37000), and Purpose-Driven Organisations (PAS808).
Victoria is a member of the Sustainability Advisory Group at BSI (British Standards Institution), a group that operates globally and that is also the UK's National Standards Body. She has more than 25 years’ global experience in company transformation, previously working for 3M and Accenture with organisations such as Marks and Spencer, Cancer Research, and J Sainsbury and also has significant experience in developing theory through a number of academic roles. Her latest book is BeyondProfit: Purpose-Driven Leadership for a Wellbeing Economy, co-authored with Ben Renshaw and Lorenzo Fioramonti.
Following Dr.Hurth's keynote address she will join a panel discussion featuring:
Neil Gaught, Founder of Neil Gaught & Associates
Neil is an internationally recognised purpose thought leader, award-winning author and adviser who has worked globally across five continents. For more than 25 years, he has worked with organisations to understand how a clear and enduring purpose can drive better decisions, stronger performance and long-term value. Today, he works with boards and leadership teams in Aotearoa New Zealand to turn organisational purpose from words into action, embedding it into governance, strategy, culture and decision-making. He is the creator of the Single Organizing Idea (SOI®), a management framework designed to make purpose operational, and the author of CORE: How a Single Organizing Idea Can Change Business for Good, which was shortlisted for the UK Business Book of the Year Award in 2018. He is an expert contributor to ISO 37011. Neil's regular Substack publication 'Neil Gaught On Purpose' explores purpose, leadership, governance and business through articles, commentary and interviews.
Andrew Baker (Te Arawa, Tūwharetoa), Founder of Tika Learning
Through Tika Learning Andrew helps organisations build cultural strategy and capability by weaving Māori culture and language into the heart of their business. His approach draws on a long corporate career at Air New Zealand, where he created and led the company's Māori Strategy, embedding cultural values across customer experience, HR, brand and sustainability for a 12,000-strong workforce. Andrew works with leaders to navigate the Māori world, from Treaty of Waitangi guidance to translations and implementation planning, always grounded in trust and collaboration. He is passionate about proving that indigenous values and business outcomes aren't just compatible — they're mutually reinforcing.
The panel session will be moderated by Dr. Victoria Hatton, Food and Fibre Futurist, Founder of Be.Deliberate and Vice President of the BNZBA
Our thanks for the support of our Lead Sponsors - OCS Group and BSI Group - and our Event Partner AUT

