The Hillary Institute and Edmund Hillary Fellowship are delighted to announce the appointment of Anna Kominik as their new Board Chair.

Anna is an entrepreneur, director and strategist with a deep understanding of both the public and commercial sectors. She has served two New Zealand Prime Ministers and a former Commonwealth Secretary General, and has multiple director roles. She is currently the Asia Pacific region director of Wisk NZ, a US/NZ advanced aviation company bringing to market one of the world’s first autonomous electric air taxis.

Anna is picking up the baton from former Chair, Paul Atkins, who is stepping down from his role as Chief Executive for Zealandia to take up the role as Chief Executive at the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

“We are so excited to welcome Anna. She is a world-class leader, who combines a deep understanding of the public and innovation sectors with a passion for New Zealand innovation that addresses economic, social and environmental wellbeing. While we had some great applicants for the role, Anna stood out as a Chair who can help EHF and the Hillary Institute navigate through the pandemic and realise our potential for transformative impact”, says Rosalie Nelson, EHF Chief Executive..

‘Of equal importance is her desire to honour our kaupapa through Sir Edmund and commitment to our partnership with our mana whenua, Te Ātiawa.”

Anna says she has always viewed EHF and HI as potential game-changers for Aotearoa.

“The kaupapa of both organisations draws on the strength of the past and the possibilities of the future. Aotearoa is at an inflection point - with climate change and a COVID-impacted world, we have a window of opportunity to re-imagine our future through world-class, innovative talent. The Hillary Institute and EHF are contributing to and growing those opportunities and it is a huge privilege to be part of that,” says Anna.

The Hillary Institute recognises, celebrates and works with transformational global leaders - one per year (only), in the areas of climate change and social justice. There have been 10 Hillary Laureates since 2008. The architect of the Paris Climate accord, Christiana Figueres, is the current Laureate.

The Edmund Hillary Fellowship was set up in 2016 to attract and select entrepreneurs and innovators to Aotearoa through a pilot global Impact visa programme. Today there are 532 Fellows - 400 international and 132 kiwi innovators.

“We want to thank Paul Atkins for his profound contribution through this transition phase. He has set up the foundations for our next chapter, as we move from attracting and selecting talent to driving impact and consolidating the ‘twin hulls’ of our Hillary Waka, Laureates and Fellows. Anna is the ideal Chair to help us gain further momentum,” says Hillary Institute Founder, Mark Prain.

Anna begins her position as Chair on November 01, 2021.

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