Haere rā to Louise, and nau mai to the next Ākina CEO
Louise Aitken has lead Ākina as CEO since 2017
A change in leadership is coming up at Ākina – in November the team will farewell CEO Louise Aitken after four years at the helm.
Louise started as Ākina General Manager in 2016 before stepping up to lead the organisation in 2017, replacing former CEO Alex Hannant. Ākina Board Chair Ben Kepes acknowledged Louise’s remarkable contribution to the organisation;
"Louise has significantly grown Ākina and created what is now widely recognised as New Zealand's leading impact consultancy. The fact that she is able to hand the baton on to a new leader is testimony to the strength and resilience of the organisation. While it is undeniably sad to see Louise move on, she will always remain part of the Ākina whānau and deeply aligned with our kaupapa,” he said.
Louise has led Ākina through a time of significant strategic development, including setting up New Zealand’s first impact investment fund, the launch of New Zealand's first social procurement platform and the delivery of The Impact Initiative, a three year Government-funded programme to establish better conditions for businesses to create positive impact.
Over the years Louise has become a highly respected advocate for the power of impact, having taken part in podcasts, debates, and events like the Social Enterprise World Forum, Good Business Festival, and Festival for the Future.
“My time at Ākina has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of my career. To have built and led an organisation that shows how profit, people and the planet can be in harmony together has been a huge honour ” says Louise. “I’m so proud of everything the team has achieved, what we’ve learnt, and the flexible supportive culture we’ve built here. It now feels like the right time for me to move onto my next challenge – but not before taking some time to recharge with my family over the summer” she says.
Nau mai, haere mai ki te Tumu Whakarae hou
The Ākina Board is very pleased to announce that Nicola Nation – currently the General Manager of Ākina – will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer from the first of October.
Nicola began her journey with Ākina in 2018, and brings a deep understanding of the Ākina mission to make a social and environmental purpose a normal part of how New Zealand does business.
“As our General Manager Nicola brings the knowledge and experience of where we’ve come from, and she also has an exciting vision for where Ākina is headed“ , said Ben Kepes. “Along with fantastic experience from her previous roles she brings depth of understanding and a drive to be different in just the right mix. I’m really looking forward to supporting her to lead the organisation as CEO”.
Ākina General Manager Nicola Nation takes over as CEO on October 1st 2021
Nicola holds a Bachelors of Law and Commerce from Victoria University of Wellington – Te Herenga Waka, complemented by a background in management consulting and procurement; having worked at ACC, Kiwibank, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
For six months in 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Nicola held dual roles at Ākina and at The World Bank – lending her procurement expertise in support of the mission to quickly make medical supplies & PPE available in countries battling Covid.
“Ākina means ‘to challenge’ – we work together to challenge ourselves and to challenge others.” Nicola says. “I’m excited to be taking on the role of CEO at a time of such momentum. We’ve got a team of passionate impact experts, and we're working with a growing list of organisations that care about their impact and have been bold enough to commit to delivering positive outcomes for people and the planet.”
Nicola says that over the last few years, as Ākina’s services have matured, the market for them has grown; “Big concepts like social procurement, and impact investment aren’t just interesting trends anymore – they’re the way things must run if we’re going to successfully respond to challenges like inequality and the climate crisis.” she said.
“Businesses and the Government need to keep stepping up so that together, we can create an Aotearoa that we’re proud to pass on to our children.”
Nicola officially starts as Ākina CEO on the 1st of October, with Louise staying on in an advisory capacity until mid-November.