Chellie is an academic and a passionate and committed advocate for Māori Business development. Her vision is to create relational wellbeing and wealth across spiritual, environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions. Creating transformation in people, enabling them to claim their rightful place in the world, and to embody their sense of self.

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Chellie is an academic and a passionate and committed advocate for Māori Business development. Her vision is to create relational wellbeing and wealth across spiritual, environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions. Creating transformation in people, enabling them to claim their rightful place in the world, and to embody their sense of self.

 

Chellie’s leadership qualities are shaped by her extensive academic achievements, research, teaching, and book writing. She has over thirty years corporate experience in tourism, finance and marketing, holding senior executive positions in New Zealand and abroad. Chellie is currently Professor of Management and Leadership and Associate Dean Māori - Waikato Management School, for the University of Waikato. “Diversity, inclusion and belonging are essential components in today’s workplace, and this requires our leaders and organisations to be culturally and spiritually conversant. These dimensions are core to success today.”

 

Wayfinding Leadership: Ground-breaking Wisdom for Developing Leaders, is her co-authored book. This work created a pathway into ‘Wayfinding Leadership’ training programmes utilised in a variety of domains such as Air New Zealand’s middle management training programme, Global Women’s Breakthrough Leadership course, the judiciary and in the health sector. She also co-edited Reflections on Authentic Leadership: Concepts, Coalescences and Clashes, and Indigenous spiritualities at work: Transforming the spirit of business enterprise. Her published works reflect her kaupapa in transformational leadership and bringing humanity and spirituality back into the workplace, empowering people to create both cultural and economic business success.

 

‘Wayfinding’ is a key driver in how Chellie brings together her cultural and spiritual interests to produce rich and authentic teaching for individuals, bringing another level of emotional intelligence to people's working lives. “I’ve been influenced by my grandmother Wikitoria Wairakau Te taite Whare Atkinson, and by other Māori elders like Jane Marsden and Pereme Porter both of Ngā Puhi. These people, and my mother, have all mentored and guided me. They have helped me to embody the human qualities of humility, generosity, grace, wisdom, humanity, deep faith and service through their leadership”. 

 

Tīrama is about owning your cultural and spiritual strengths to create an empowered sense of self.