Introducing Master of Ceremony
Guest speaker: Monique Bradley
An occasion celebrating professional excellence deserves a host who brings experience, presence and the ability to connect people.
APCNZ is pleased to introduce Monique Bradley as Master of Ceremonies for the APCNZ 2026 National Symposium & Gala Award Dinner.
Named Professional Speakers Association of New Zealand (PSANZ) MC of the Year 2024/25, Monique is a global keynote speaker, storytelling expert and communication trainer with more than 30 years of experience across film, television, public speaking and performance coaching.
She holds a Master of Creative Practice focused on Keynote Speaking, awarded with First Class Honours. Her work helps professionals and leaders communicate clearly, share their stories with confidence and engage audiences with purpose.
Monique will guide a programme bringing together African professionals, academics, business and community leaders, emerging professionals and institutional representatives for dialogue, connection and recognition.
We look forward to welcoming her to this milestone occasion for APCNZ and our professional community.
Friday, 20 November 2026
The Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec, Hamilton, Waikato
Symposium: 9:00 am–3:30 pm Gala Award Dinner: 5:30 pm–10:30 pm
Join us as we recognise excellence and build connections across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Introducing Benny Jones | Founder & President, APCNZ
Guest speaker: Benny Jones
Building a lasting professional institution takes vision, sound governance and a commitment to service.
Benny Jones is the Founder and President of the African Professional Council of New Zealand Incorporated (APCNZ), a national organisation with four regional chapters and growing membership working across diverse professional sectors throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
A Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, company director and serial entrepreneur, Benny brings experience across law, business and community leadership to APCNZ’s development.
Her focus is on building an institution that recognises African professional excellence, strengthens professional pathways and creates opportunities for mentorship, leadership development, academic collaboration and institutional engagement.
Alongside APCNZ, her leadership portfolio includes serving as Former Chairperson of Adoption is Love Charitable Trust, Board of Trustees St Joseph’s School Waihi, Former Secretary-General of New Zealand African National Council and current Director of Trade, Investment, Government & External Relations at the newly established New Zealand Nigeria Chamber of Commerce.
Join Benny and the APCNZ community at our inaugural National Symposium & Gala Award Night.
The Symposium will bring professionals, academics, business leaders, emerging talent and institutional representatives together for dialogue, knowledge exchange and collaboration. The Gala will celebrate excellence, leadership and service within our professional community.
📅 Friday, 20 November 2026
📍 The Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec, Hamilton, Waikato
▪️ Symposium: 9:00 am–3:30 pm
▪️ Gala Award Dinner: 5:30 pm–10:30 pm
We welcome professionals, employers, institutions, community partners and supporters to attend, connect and help shape APCNZ’s next chapter.
For attendance and partnership enquiries:
🌐 apcnz.org.nz
✉️ info.apcnz@gmail.com
Recognising Excellence | Building Professional Community
Financial Empowerment – Building Wealth, Creating Legacy
Guest speaker: Shanon Hendricks
We often know what we should do with our money, so why don’t we always do it? Financial adviser Shanon Hendricks explores how our beliefs, habits and competing priorities influence our financial decisions and what can help us follow through. Through relatable examples and practical takeaways, she will connect everyday choices with building financial security, protecting our families and creating a legacy for the next generation. Participants will be encouraged to identify one meaningful step they can take towards their own financial future.
Shanon Hendricks is a financial adviser at Hencoz Financial Services, a family-owned business. She has over 25 years of experience in financial services and holds qualifications in business management and financial advice.
Specialising in personal insurance and KiwiSaver, Shanon helps people make informed decisions about protecting their families and planning for the future. Her work also includes workplace presentations and financial education talks.
Shanon understands that money decisions can feel personal and sometimes overwhelming. She helps people feel comfortable asking questions, understand their options and take practical steps towards their financial wellbeing.
📅 Friday, 20 November 2026
📍 The Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec, Hamilton
🕘 Symposium: 9:00 am–3:30 pm
✨ Gala Award Night: 5:30 pm–10:30 pm
Join us for a day of meaningful dialogue, professional connection and a celebration of excellence.
Financial Empowerment – Building Wealth, Creating Legacy
Guest speaker: Yinka Moses
Introducing our Guest Speaker for the upcoming APCNZ 2026 National Symposium — Yinka Moses, FCA, FCPA.
How can financial leadership strengthen accountability and support a more sustainable future?
The African Professional Council of New Zealand Incorporated is delighted to welcome Yinka Moses, an accounting professional and academic at the Wellington School of Business and Government, Victoria University of Wellington.
Yinka specialises in sustainable financial management and accounting technologies. He is Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa, President of the African Accounting and Finance Association (2025–2027), and Vice President-at-Large of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research.
A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and CPA Australia, he also chairs CPA Australia’s New Zealand ESG Committee. His work brings valuable perspectives on sustainability reporting, strategic decision-making and corporate accountability.
We look forward to the insights he will bring to a gathering connecting African professionals, academics, business leaders, emerging professionals and institutional representatives.
📅 Friday, 20 November 2026
📍 The Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec, Hamilton
🕘 Symposium: 9:00 am–3:30 pm
✨ Gala Award Night: 5:30 pm–10:30 pm
Join us for a day of meaningful dialogue, professional connection and a celebration of excellence.
What questions would you bring to a conversation on sustainability and corporate accountability? Share them below.
Recognising Excellence | Building Professional Community
Introducing Our Guest Speaker: Natasha Harvey FCA, CMInstD
Guest speaker: Natasha Harvey
The African Professional Council of New Zealand Incorporated is delighted to welcome Natasha Harvey FCA, CMInstD as a guest speaker at the APCNZ 2026 National Symposium.
Natasha is an experienced Chief Financial Officer and governance professional whose career spans financial leadership, strategy and business transformation across multiple sectors. She is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors.
Alongside her executive career, Natasha has more than 15 years of experience working with boards and contributing to governance in both commercial and for-purpose organisations. Her governance involvement includes the WEL Energy Trust, Student Residence Trust Aotearoa and the Institute of Directors Waikato Branch, where she serves as Deputy Chair.
Having participated in the Institute of Directors’ Mentoring for Diversity programme in 2017, Natasha is passionate about developing leadership capability and encouraging diverse perspectives. She believes effective governance goes beyond compliance and oversight — it’s about asking the right questions, challenging thinking and making decisions that create lasting value for organisations and the communities they serve.
Her combination of commercial experience, governance insight and community involvement will bring valuable perspectives to our Symposium. We look forward to the conversations her insights will encourage around effective governance, inclusive leadership and meaningful community impact.
Join us as we connect, learn and celebrate professional excellence.
📅 Friday, 20 November 2026
📍 The Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec, Hamilton
We look forward to welcoming Natasha and hearing her speak at the Symposium.
Introducing Rob Finlayson Business Development & Relationship Manager Waikato Chamber of Commerce
Guest speaker: Rob Finlayson
INTRODUCING ROB FINLAYSON
Business Development & Relationship Manager Waikato Chamber of Commerce
Strong professional communities begin with meaningful connections.
The African Professional Council of New Zealand Incorporated (APCNZ) is a proud member of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce. We are pleased to introduce Rob Finlayson and welcome him to the APCNZ 2026 National Symposium.
Our Founder and President, Benny Jones, recently met with Rob at the Chamber and interviewed him about his background, his role and his commitment to connecting the Waikato business community.
Here is their conversation.
𝗛𝗲𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗯, 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?
I’ve lived in Hamilton for just over ten years now, originally hailing from Auckland via Tauranga. I am lucky enough to have been married to my lovely wife for nearly 20 years this November. I am the proud father of two kids, my daughter has just started at Victoria University studying a Bachelor of Innovation and Design while my son is in year 12 at St Paul’s Collegiate here in Hamilton.
𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
My background is in tourism and I worked in the tourism industry for over 30 years. My last role was as at the Waikato Museum as a Visitors Services Manager. Unfortunately, Covid-19 significantly disrupted the industry and after a restructuring at the Museum I decided to switch back to my key skillset being sales to seek another role. I started as a contractor working with the Chamber, aiding the team in organising the Awards Gala Dinner and Golf Day. I must have done a pretty good job as Don tapped me on the shoulder and offered me a role after Golf Day!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹?
Putting it short and blunt, it’s about membership retention and driving new membership. It’s my job to be a point of contact for our members and learn from them, how we can improve the value of their membership. I also will be actively seeking to enhance the presence of our members here in the Waikato.
From a new member point of view, it’s finding businesses actively looking to connect with the Waikato business community and enabling them on that journey.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀?
I’m a people person. I enjoy engaging with people from all parts of life and connecting to them via a great chat! I love getting to know people personally and learning what motivates and drives them and their business. I have a high level of emotional intelligence and I’m not too shy to put a foot forward and introduce myself to someone new. I can talk to people of all business levels, from CEOs to small business owners.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿?
I will be bringing enthusiasm and infectious energy into the role, and I am eager to continue to build on the existing culture here at the Chamber. We have a relatively new team here at the moment and I am really excited to see where we can take the Chamber over the years to come.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝗸𝗮𝘁𝗼?
One of my favourite places is our awa, the river flowing through the city’s centre. I enjoy getting out on the water. I have my own jet ski and if I’m not out on the Waikato River you can find me at Waihi Beach relaxing with family and friends.
Thank you Rob.
APCNZ looks forward to building connections through our Chamber membership and creating opportunities for African professionals and businesses to engage with the wider Waikato business community.
Join us in welcoming Rob to the APCNZ 2026 National Symposium.
Introducing Our Guest Speaker: Anabella Bianchi
Guest speaker: Anabella Bianchi
The African Professional Council of New Zealand Incorporated is delighted to welcome Anabella Bianchi as a guest speaker at the APCNZ 2026 National Symposium.
Originally from Argentina, Anabella Bianchi has called New Zealand home for over 20 years. With two decades of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition, she is passionate about connecting people with opportunities and helping individuals recognise their potential.
As Founder of Elevate Resourcing and Project Wednesday, a professional networking community, Anabella is a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion and meaningful human connections.
Having built her own career in a new country, she understands the challenges migrants face and the importance of confidence, resilience and networking.
Anabella believes that while artificial intelligence is transforming the job market, communication, relationships and the ability to stand out remain our greatest strengths.
Her experience brings a valuable perspective to conversations about navigating career opportunities, building professional networks and recognising the strengths we each bring to the workplace.
Join us as we connect, learn and celebrate professional excellence.
📅 Friday, 20 November 2026
📍 The Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec, Hamilton
🕘 Symposium: 9:00 AM–3:30 PM
✨ Gala Award Night: 5:30 PM–10:30 PM
We look forward to welcoming Anabella and hearing her insights at the Symposium.
Recognising Excellence | Building Professional Community