UNO Issue 48

Extraordinary moments

I first met Theresa Gattung at a lunch in October 2017; I’d jumped at the invitation to attend from Denise Arnold, who runs the Cambodia Charitable Trust, of which Theresa’s a patron. It was memorable time spent in Theresa’s company always is, you don’t while it away talking about this and that. That day, Theresa talked about SheEO, which she’d brought to New Zealand after meeting its Canadian founder, Vicki Saunders, in San Francisco.

I was hooked as soon as I got my head around it, and became a SheEO ‘Activator’ that same day, adding $1100 to a fund of $500,000 that’s loaned to five women-led ‘Ventures’; they pay back the money, interest-free, over five years, then it’s loaned out again. What a great idea – an act of radical generosity that puts currency back in flow, keeping it moving so more people can benefit from it.

It feels incredible to write this, but that lunch with Theresa led to Mat and I going into business with SheEO and producing and publishing a global magazine for women in business who are working on the biggest challenges our world faces – issues such as poverty, inequality and the environment. In March, Mat and I flew to Toronto and alongside Vicki launched issue one of SheEO magazine in front of 850 of the world’s most influential women – and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. What an extraordinary moment. We feel so incredibly lucky. And the whole magazine was produced right here in our office in Mt Maunganui with our talented new creative director Matt G (there are a whole lotta Mat(t)s in our office now!).

This has given us the most fantastic experiences, including taking our editorial team to LA to shoot the cover with Hollywood actress Selma Blair, who uses the Alinker bike invented by BE Alink, a SheEO-funded Venture. Mat also did his bit for equality by providing his A-grade ironing skills, making sure BE’s black shirt was photo- shoot ready. Here’s to extraordinary moments – and an autumn of kindness, calm and good health.