Gerri Ward is a well-known sustainability leader in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Gerri was the country lead and Director of the Climate Change and Sustainability Services team at EY New Zealand for 3 years. She was previously the Head of Sustainability and Community at Z Energy for 8 years, where she was responsible for the development and delivery of Z’s sustainability strategy and operational programme. Some highlights of Z’s more sustainable outcomes under Gerri’s leadership were the largest single voluntary carbon offsetting project to date, the installation of NZ’s biggest privately-funded recycling programme, Z’s compostable coffee cups, the ‘Retailers Against Racism’ campaign, and the programme to enable disadvantaged youth into career pathways.

Prior to Z, Gerri led the CDRP Business and Biodiversity Offsetting Programme at the Department of Conservation, which resulted in research-based guidance on the feasibility for establishing no-net loss biodiversity impacts. Before DOC, Gerri was at the Ministry for the Environment for 5 years working on business opportunities out of climate change, and on the world-first Carbon Neutral Public Service programme.

Gerri regularly contributes thought leadership pieces via Linked-In, and is an active provocateur in closing the value-action gap between purpose-led values and consequent decision-making.