Kia ora. I’m Pip.
Climate problem solver, systems thinker, connector.
Growing up in a remote part of rural Australia shaped my understanding of the world. My childhood consisted of planting trees and rounding up sheep, finding poisonous snakes in my bedroom and echidna in the garden, and taking solo walks to gaze at the exceptionally starry skies. Somewhere amongst that, a curiosity about the interconnectedness of all things was sparked.
I work on climate change, both locally in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. I support climate changemakers in their ventures, and I research and write about what makes effective climate strategy. My work is informed by systems theory and a fierce sense of justice. I generally believe that all issues are interconnected so while I focus on climate change, that’s because it’s where I feel the most urgency. Ultimately it is just one expression of the broken parts of our global society as it is configured today.
Perhaps surprisingly, I started my career in Sydney’s music industry, drawn to the energy, creativity and sense of community. Since then I have worked in social entrepreneurship, local government, academia, and philanthropy across Australia, South Africa, the UK and Aotearoa, with regional reach in each.
Roles & Experience
In 2024 I started freelancing, drawn to the opportunity to work across a diversity of projects, locally and globally. I’ve been doing strategic work with philanthropists, delivering climate leadership programs, coaching climate tech starts, and facilitation of all sorts.
A quick summary of some of the roles I held prior to this (in roughly chronological order): I founded a youth leadership social enterprise in South Africa, enke: Make Your Mark, which is still impacting thousands of people across the country today. I dabbled in social finance while working at the Bertha Centre for Social Impact at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business, designing a $20M fund, which made me curious about our economic systems more broadly and ultimately led to doing an MBA at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School with a Skoll Scholarship. I worked at Ashoka for eight years - initially leading the UK office, then I managed the team that selects Ashoka Fellows across Europe, before setting up the global Planet & Climate team. When I first moved to New Zealand, I spent two years as Principal Advisor on Climate Action at Wellington City Council.
You can see more detail about my past experience on my LinkedIN profile.
Awards & Recognitions
Ashoka Fellowship: Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions to social problems. They show commitment to bold new ideas and prove compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change. Recognised for founding South African youth-leadership organisation, enke: Make Your Mark. Read the profile here.
Skoll Scholarship: Awarded by the Skoll Centre of Social Entrepreneurship, this is a competitive scholarship for those who pursue entrepreneurial solutions for urgent social and environmental challenges. It enables recipients to study for an MBA from The University of Oxford’s Said Business School. I completed my MBA in 2016 with distinction.
Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans - 2015: The Mail & Guardian's annual awards that showcase the young stars who are shaping the country's future. Read the profile here.