The Speaker and Networking event with Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo, took place on Thursday 21st of April at KPMG Auckland. The fireside chat was moderated by MYLN Member Nurain Janah. Nurain is the founder and CEO of Authenticity Aotearoa, a not-for-profit collective created to empower women of colour to express their authentic selves in their personal and professional lives. 

At the event, Saunoamaali’i spoke openly about her work on the gender and ethnic pay gap in Aotearoa, her leadership journey and leadership encounters as a Pasifika woman in the public sector, and her faith and values that keeps her motivated to do the work she’s doing. The Commissioner shared that she wants to be transparent about her leadership journey and not romanticise all the challenges, bullying and hurdles she had to overcome along the way. For a recording of the fireside chat, please visit our Videos or Resources page.

The 2022 Speaker and Networking series is brought to you by Multiethnic Young Leaders NZ and made possible through the generous support of KPMG New Zealand. The Series aims to inspire, educate and empower the next generation of ethnically diverse leaders in Aotearoa, normalise the presence of underrepresented peoples in positions of influence, and further the discourse on diversity, equity and leadership in the workplace.