Alison McDonald OBE
Deputy Secretary Immigration
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment | Hīkina Whakatutuki
Alison was appointed as Deputy Secretary, Immigration within the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment in 2021 and leads Immigration New Zealand (INZ). INZ works hard to deliver immigration services that bring the right migrants and quota refugees to New Zealand, while remaining trusted stewards of New Zealand’s border.
Alison has a wealth of operational leadership experience from public service in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She served in a variety of leadership roles within the UK Civil Service at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for her work there.
Alison arrived in New Zealand in 2013 and spent three years at Te Kawa Mataaho (Public Service Commission) as Deputy Commissioner for Performance Improvement. She went on to roles as Director of the Customs 2020 Transformation Programme and Deputy Chief Executive, Services for Children and Families at Oranga Tamariki (Ministry for Children), before joining Immigration New Zealand.
SESSIONS
DAY 1
2:05
Mini Leadership Labs
Lab A: Resilience in High-Pressure Environments
How do you keep people motivated when the pace is relentless? This session helps you sharpen the ability to make clear decisions in uncertain conditions, sustain your team’s energy, and remain composed when pressure builds.
Skills Learned: Decisive decision-making, stress management, sustaining team motivation, and role-modelling resilience.
Alison McDonald OBE, Deputy Secretary, Immigration, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment | Hīkina Whakatutuki
Lab B: Building Executive Presence and Self-Belief
Executive presence is critical for leaders who want to influence decisions and advance their careers. This lab will help you strengthen self-belief, communicate with confidence and authority, and position yourself effectively for progression opportunities while staying authentic to your leadership style.
Skills Learned: Strengthening executive presence, communicating with authority, building self-belief, and strategic self-advocacy.
Loren Thomas, Head of People Strategy & Experience, Trade Me
Lab C: Leading High-Performing Teams
Unpack what it really takes to build and sustain a team that consistently delivers results. This lab focuses on the behaviours, systems and leadership practices that drive accountability, trust and performance for long-term success – even in the face of conflict, underperformance, or team dysfunction – to support long-term success.
Skills Learned: Building accountability and trust, fostering psychological safety, managing conflict and underperformance, strengthening team cohesion, and applying practical frameworks to sustain motivation and performance under pressure.
Anna Calver, Chief Economic and Engagement Officer, Wellington City Council