An evening with leading women in governance

Presentation

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Speaker(s): Kirsten (KP) Patterson, Dawn Sangster
Date: 6:00pm — 9:30pm, 11 June 2025
Venue: Titi Restaurant
Location: 24 Esplanade, St Clair, Dunedin 9012
Price: $95.00 incl GST

Overview

Celebrate the achievements of two remarkable women in governance at our annual Chartered Members and Fellows Dinner. Kirsten (KP) Patterson, chief executive of the Institute of Directors, and Dawn Sangster, experienced local director and agribusiness leader, were both made Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the 2025 New Year Honours for their services to governance and women.

KP and Dawn have long been champions of governance excellence, advocating for diversity and inspiring women to realise their leadership potential. This special evening offers an opportunity to hear their reflections on leadership, governance, and the future of boardrooms in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Join us for engaging conversation, valuable insights, and the chance to connect with fellow members over dinner at the award winning Titi Restaurant, St Clair Esplanade.

This event is for Chartered Members, Chartered Fellows, Distinguished Fellows, Retired Fellows and invited guests only.

Partners are welcome.

Kirsten (KP) Patterson

CMInstD

Kirsten Patterson MNZM (known as KP) is the Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors and is a Chartered Member of the IoD. In 2025 she was awarded the New Zealand Royal Honour, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to governance and women.  She is a qualified lawyer and a Distinguished Fellow of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand, Chair of the Global Network of Directors Institutes (GNDI), and a member of the New Zealand External Reporting Advisory Panel (XRAP).  She serves on the Boards of the mental health charity, Voices of Hope, is Chair of the Brian Picot Ethical Leadership Advisory Board at Victoria University in Wellington and an Ambassador for the Wellington Women’s Homeless Trust. 

A strong advocate of diversity, KP is a member of Global Women New Zealand and was one of the founding members of Global Women’s ‘Champions for Change’, a group of senior executives and directors who commit to diversity in the workplace. KP was the founder and is Executive Sponsor for Chapter Zero New Zealand – the New Zealand Chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative - hosted by the IoD NZ to mobilise, connect, educate and equip directors and boards to make climate-smart governance decisions, thereby creating long term value for both shareholders and stakeholders. 

Dawn Sangster

CFInstD

Maniototo based Dawn Sangster is a Director and farmer of her family farming business GlenAyr Ltd – a 2,650-hectare enterprise which comprises three sheep and beef properties. They also have a 28% equity holding in Nottingham Dairy based in North Otago.

Dawn served on the board of meat company Alliance Group for 12 years retiring in 2023 and is currently a Director of Farmlands Cooperative Society Ltd and therefore brings considerable experience from the boardroom of a farmers’ co-operative. Over the course of her 30-year farming career, Dawn has been active in many governance roles including being a past trustee of the John McGlashan College Boards, a past member of the Beef + Lamb NZ Farmer Council and the past Chair of the Community Trust of Maniototo. She is a current Director of the Maniototo Irrigation company and a member of the governance group for Tiaki Maniototo a MfE funded Jobs for Nature project.

A Lincoln University graduate, Dawn holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce in Farm Management, won the 2012 Institute of Directors Otago-Southland Aspiring Director Award, is a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and was made a member of the New Zealand order of merit in 2025.

Additional information

Should you have any dietary, mobility, cultural or other requirements, you can let us know on the registration form.

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Branch event cancellation policy

Regrettably, registration fees cannot be refunded when cancellations are received within two working days prior to any branch event. See our standard terms and conditions for more information.