2026 Making Their Mark Highlights

Our 2026 Remarkable Making Their Mark Awardees

Dr Kim Mellor (2001) – Making Their Mark
Dr Kim Mellor is a biomedical scientist and Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of Auckland. She completed her PhD on cardiac dysfunction in diabetes at the University of Melbourne in 2011, before returning to New Zealand with a Rutherford Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute in 2013. That year Kim also established the Cellular and Molecular Cardiology lab at the University of Auckland, which is focused on developing new treatments for heart disease in people with diabetes. Her research has been widely cited internationally and continues to explore the mechanisms of cardiac dysfunction linked to diabetes and heart failure.

Lucy Liu (2008) – Making Their Mark
Lucy Liu is Co-founder and President of Airwallex, a global financial platform supporting more than 676,000 businesses worldwide and valued at US$11 billion.  As an immigrant entrepreneur, Lucy has helped showcase New Zealand talent on the global stage, overseeing the company’s global operations and leading its philanthropic initiatives, including Airwallex’s Impact Fund and Latitude 37, which supports young, early-stage AI entrepreneurs in Australia. Before co-founding Airwallex in 2015, Lucy worked as an investment consultant at China International Capital Corporation. She has been widely recognised for her leadership, including being named in Forbes Asia’s Power Businesswomen list and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, in addition to receiving the University of Melbourne’s Rising Star Young Alumni Award in 2021.

Georgie Clatworthy (Stewart, 1986) – Making Their Mark (posthumous)
Georgie Clatworthy was one of Australasia’s leading consultants in fashion and luxury retail leasing, with an accomplished career spanning more than 30 years. A Founding Director of Match Realty, she was recognised for her expertise in retail strategy, leasing, and placemaking, and built enduring relationships with many of the world’s most prestigious brands. In 2015 Georgie was selected for the EY Entrepreneurial Women leadership program and served five years on our Old Girls’ Association Committee. She played a defining role in shaping Auckland’s modern retail landscape, leading the leasing of landmark developments including Commercial Bay, Lower Queen Street and Britomart. Georgie’s vision, integrity, and passion for city-making helped redefine Auckland’s CBD into a vibrant, world-class destination.

Sarah Corson (1987) – Marking Service
Sarah Corson founded Painga Project in 2018, after a career that began through corporate leadership roles, followed by years of self-employment while raising her children. It was in these later years that she recognised the potential to convert her skills and ability to connect people into something more meaningful. Painga Project champions ‘Equity at the School Gate’ for children in South Auckland’s highest equity index primary schools, working with principals to build the support their schools need. The work now centres on a nationwide vision support system, providing children with vision screening, optometry appointments, and fully funded glasses within their schools. Sarah credits her own educational journey through St Cuthbert’s, and the College’s ongoing support of Painga Project, with keeping service at the heart of her connection to the school.

Leilani Faaiuaso (2020) – Emerging Leader
Leilani Faaiuaso is a proud tama’ita’i Samoa and a Consultant in Technology and Transformation at Deloitte. Working at the intersection of technology, people, and purpose, she is guided by her culture, lived experiences and communities to create meaningful opportunities and design solutions for people, by people. Leilani is a part of the Asia New Zealand Foundation (ANZF) Leadership Network and is a YWCA Y25er. She is also a Rangatahi Leadership Opportunities Database Ambassador and komiti member of Pasifika Fusion. Her leadership has been recognised through the KiwiBank Local Hero of the Year Award, Asia-Europe Foundation Capability Building Programme, delivering a TEDx Talk, and the ANZF Sri Lanka Hui. Ultimately, Leilani amplifies the encouragement, and opportunities that have shaped her journey, inspiring others to dream big, do big, and know that they belong in every space.

Jocelyn, Lady Keith CBE (Buckett, 1955) – 2025 Old Girls’ Honour
Lady Keith trained as a nurse in Auckland before pursuing a distinguished career spanning clinical nursing, academia and public health leadership. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from Victoria University, conferred in 1981, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Community Health from Otago University, conferred in 1982. She has headed academic departments in nursing and public health including roles at Otago University and Victoria University of Wellington where she is a Distinguished Alumna and a Hunter Fellow. She was appointed a Commander of the British Empire in 1987 for her services to nursing and public health. She has held office as National President, New Zealand Nurses Association, National President of New Zealand Red Cross, and Vice President of the National Council of Women. She represented New Zealand Red Cross on the Governing Board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies where she has also been a member of the Health Commission.

Karen Crisp (Jarvis, 1982) – 2026 Old Girls’ Honour
Karen Crisp’s pharmacy career was originally inspired when her local community pharmacist diagnosed her childhood chickenpox. Graduating from Pharmacy School in 1985 and eventually settling in Christchurch, Karen and her husband built a group of six community pharmacies. These included robotic dispensing systems and innovative patient focused features. In 2008 she founded the Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group, which played a key role after the Canterbury Earthquakes in retrieving essential medicines from the red zone and ensuring patients’ continued access to medical care. Karen served as Chair and President of the NZ Pharmacy Guild from 2011 until 2017 and as interim Chief Executive in 2012. She is particularly proud of overseeing the $650 million CPSA 2012 pharmacy service contract, and has represented New Zealand internationally through Pharmintercom.

Ros Ali – Educational Excellence
Ros Ali began her career as a NZ-registered nurse in Auckland hospitals, while studying at University of Auckland. An MA (Hons) in English and a Diploma in Teaching led her into English teaching and libraries, joining St Cuthbert’s College in 2006, where she became Director of Libraries and Head of the Writing for Publication Programme. Central to Ros’s work has been a love of language and literature and a commitment to fostering communities of stories and voices, including through her role on the board of the Michael King Writers Centre and co-facilitating writing workshops for young people and adults across Auckland. At St Cuthbert’s, her English Literature and Writing for Publication programme, unique to the College, empowers students to compose, craft, and publish their own stories, helping them discover their agency and join the growing community of New Zealand writers.

We also recognise two further remarkable Old Girls who were unable to attend their earlier awards ceremony.

Lyndy Sainsbury ONZM (Horrocks, 1968) – Making Their Mark
Lyndy Sainsbury has been involved with philanthropic and community projects for nearly five decades, spanning politics, the arts, and sport. She has served as a board member for Athletics Auckland and as a founding trustee of the Auckland City Sculpture Trust, the Sir Hugh Kawharu Foundation, and the Museum Circle Foundation. She chaired two fundraising campaigns for the Auckland War Memorial Museum and was made a Companion of the museum in 2005. She is a trustee of the Edmiston Trust, which funds art projects in central Auckland. Lyndy chaired the Liggins Institute Trust, a biomedical research institute at the university for a number of years before she became a board member of the University of Auckland Foundation in 2013.  Lyndy was appointed an Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit in 2020.

Dr Willow Sainsbury (1999) – Making Their Mark
Dr Willow Sainsbury completed her undergraduate studies at Princeton University and a Master’s in Museum Studies at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and holds eight degrees across the arts, humanities, education, and psychology. Now a registered educational psychologist, she has held academic roles at the University of Auckland and is currently faculty in Educational Psychology at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Her research examines learning support, neurodevelopmental assessment, and the systems that determine how children and young people access diagnosis, intervention, and educational provision in Aotearoa New Zealand. Alongside her academic career, Dr Sainsbury has made a significant contribution to governance and strategic leadership. Since 2019, she has chaired Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, New Zealand’s national organisation dedicated to strengthening reading and writing across Aotearoa, and has held a range of governance and strategic roles across education, arts, literacy, and the charitable sector.

Our Distinguished Alumnae

Old Girls’ Honours 2003 – 2026
The Honourable Christine Fletcher QSO (Lees), Pamela Allen MNZM AM  (Griffiths), Heather Robson MNZM (Redwood), Dr. Mere Roberts ONZM (Middleton), Rosemary Nalden, Judith Trotter CNZM ONM, Gillian Mellsop, Bridget Coates MNZM, Dr. Gillian Greer CBE MNZM, Paddy Walker (Halliday), Prof. Margaret Beddgood ONZM QSO, Polly Olivia Powrie MNZM, Susan Paterson ONZM (Taylor), Diane Levy (Hift), The Honourable Justice Christine Gordon, Margaret Merrilees (Willoughby), Alison Andrew, Janine Smith MNZM, Barbara Rae-Venter (Rae), Marie Taylor QSO (Lindberg), Dr. Gillian Greer CBE MNZM, Elizabeth Morrow (Wildman), Jocelyn, Lady Keith CBE (Buckett), Karen Crisp (Jarvis) 

Making Their Mark 2008 – 2026   
Carly Arnold (Allbon), Bridget Doell, Rachel Paris (Carnachan), Virginia Toy, Dr Renee Liang MNZM, Dr Karen Willcox MNZM, Sarah Williamson (Lee), Natalie Micarone (Archer), Rebecca Packer (Elvin), Amber Sainsbury, Joanna Pidgeon, Roseanne  Liang, Anna Gowan, Fran Clayton (Cook), Sara-Jane Elika (Auva’a), Anna Handley (Chitty), Philippa de Lacey, Sarah Townsend (Smith), Kate Rogan (Hendry), Polly  Powrie MNZM, Sarah Paykel  MNZM, Antonia Watson, Dr Laura Young, Simone Roggen, Angela Bull, Julie Thomas, Laura Davies (Myers), Jessica Milne, Juliet Maclean, Dr Anna Fenton, Ann Hood (Winstone), Kate Davenport KC (Greenwood), Dr Samantha Holdsworth, Sandy Cooper, Andrea Rickard, Jennifer Ma, Tracey Andrews Smith (Smith), Bridget Snelling (Carnachan), Dr Susan Morpeth, Juliet Moses, Amber Conley (White), Ann Gluckman OBE (Klippel), Raiha Buchanan, Annette Jones, Arnja Dale, Belinda Storey, Ainsley Walter, Claire Trevett, Judge Pippa Sinclair, Lyndy Sainsbury ONZM (Horrocks), Dr Willow Sainsbury, Caitlin Crisp, Felicity Roxburgh (Brown), Rachel Walsh, Dr Kimberley Mellor, Georgie Clatworthy (Stewart), Lucy Liu

Marking Service 2012 – 2026  
Jacqueline Oakes, Gretchen Hawkesby (Hahn), Karen Leuschke (Gifford), Louise Binns (Fraser), Lisa King (Wong), Natalie Germann, Kristina Cavit MNZM, Margaret Vazey (Hopkins), Mary Fenton (Grigor), Dr Gillian Greer CBE MNZM, Gillian Ansell, Sarah Corson

Emerging Leader 2023 – 2026   
Sulu Fitzpatrick, Tiffany Goh, Leilani Faaiuaso

Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award 2009 – 2012
Rebecca Caughey, Rachel Paris (Carnachan), Dr Renee Liang MNZM, Dr Karen Willcox MNZM, Rebecca Packer (Elvin), Roseanne Liang

Educational Excellence 2023 – 2026   
Justine Mahon, Elizabeth Parsons, Ros Ali