Revved 2025 Agenda

Every session at Revved is built around a question that matters to NZ’s business leaders right now. These are not surface conversations - they are questions that shape where leaders place their focus, their energy, and their thinking in a world where those choices matter more than ever.

2025 Agenda

8.15am - 5.30pm
Registration from 7.30am
Thursday 7 August
Viaduct Events Centre

Morning Sessions

You’ll be in the room because you move fast, think big and want to be where NZ’s future is being built.

Revved is about bold ideas, sharp insights and connections that accelerate action.

Welcome

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Paula Bennett
MC
Revved 2025

How do you build unstoppable inner momentum when the world keeps shifting?

Success is more than just skills - it’s about how you think, show up, and push past limits.

Mindset + Momentum
Building Unstoppable Drive

Cam Calkoen
Motivational Speaker
TedX

Will AI drive transformational progress, or are we hurtling toward blind adoption without guardrails?

AI will either supercharge progress-or lead us blindly into risk. This debate tackles where we draw the line and where we place our bets.

The Great AI Debate
Greatest Asset or Biggest Blind Spot

Anna Mowbray (Host)
Co-Founder ZURU,
Founder ZEIL

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Joined By

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Mark Laurence
Generative AI Consultant, Strategic Advisor + Futurist

James Monaghan
Co-Founder Mission
Venture Builder + Consultant

Andy Higgs
Executive Director
Digital Identity NZ

Dr Mahsa McCauley
AI Expert, Tech Trailblazer
+ Diversity Champion

What does it really take to scale fast and sustainably in NZ?

Building something from nothing requires vision, resilience, and the ability to execute fast. Learn how Cecilia, one of NZ's top entrepreneurs has launched and scaled multiple businesses - and what she sees as the next big opportunities.

Building + Scaling
The Entrepreneur’s Edge

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Cecilia Robinson
Founder, My Food Bag
+ Tend Health

Morning Tea Provided

In The Driver’s Seat
Navigating the Future of Business

What are the top 3 strategic imperatives you're driving over the next 18 months to stay ahead?

AI will either supercharge progress-or lead us blindly into risk. This debate tackles where we draw the line and where we place our bets.

Paula Bennett (Host)
MC
Revved 2025

Joined By

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Caroline Rainsford
Country Director
Google NZ

Vanessa Sorenson
Chief Partner Officer ANZ
+ MD, Microsoft NZ

Steve Jurkovich
Chief Executive
Kiwibank

Unchartered Leadership
Courage + Change

How do leaders foster a style of leadership that drives real change?

Leadership isn't just about reaching the top-it's about navigating the unknown, breaking barriers, and leading with impact. Monique Faleafa brings a powerful perspective on how courage and values-driven leadership create real, lasting change.

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Dr Monique Faleafa
Board Member + Partner
PwC NZ

The Future Forces
The Next Generation of Leaders

Where are the next-gen leaders placing focus, investment, and energy to lead at speed?

These founders have each built multi-million dollar businesses from the ground up. They’re not bound by legacy systems, bloated teams, or red tape. They move quickly, test boldly, adopt tools early, and turn uncertainty into action.

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Simran Kaur (Host)
Founder
Friends That invest

Joined By

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Saurav J Bansal
CEO
Gait Global

Kate Gatfield-Jeffries
Co-Founder
Moodi Blends

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Steven Zinsli
Founder
Extraordinary

RPM: Rapid Power Matches
The Ultimate Business Collision

Data-driven, AI-powered matchmaking moving you around in the room!

This data-driven, AI-powered matchmaking experience ensures that in just 30 minutes, every attendee makes two high-impact connections tailored to accelerate their business, career, and impact on NZ’s future.

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Rochelle Moffitt
Founder Tickled Pink
+ Sip & Share

Lunch Provided

Afternoon Sessions

High Performance Teams
The Psychology of Winning

What do world-class teams get right about mindset, leadership, and trust? Terry McFlynn built a winning team in its first season - players who had never competed together. This session unpacks the psychology of winning, building trust fast, and leading under pressure. In a country obsessed with the All Blacks, and now the Black Knights, what can businesses learn from a team engineered for success from day one?

How do you build a sports club that moves like a startup and competes like a heavyweight? That’s exactly what Ali Williams is doing with Auckland FC. From All Black to entrepreneur, he’s driving pace, disruption, and big thinking in an industry known for tradition. Ali brings sharp lessons on commercial leadership, brand building, and leading with guts - lessons any founder or business leader can use.

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Meldoie Robinson (Host)
Head of Sports, Events + Partnerships, TVNZ

Joined By

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Ali Williams
Former All Black
+ Entrepreneur

Terry McFlynn
Director of Football
Auckland FC

The Coalition of the Willing

Sir Ian Taylor is bringing five of NZ’s most exciting innovators to the Revved stage.

Each will deliver an 8-minute lightning talk that cuts through the noise with fresh, fearless ideas. These Mojo Makers aren’t talking about change. They’re making it happen.

Electrifying change through full-system decarbonisation.
Digging deeper into the next generation of clean energy
Nuclear fusion breakthroughs from the edge of possibility.
Biotech and clean tech rooted in Māori values and economic transformation.
Ngāti Toa’s Passive Homes project. Building with mana, pride and purpose.

Sir Ian Taylor (Host)
Founder + MD
Animation Research

Joined By

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Mike Casey
CEO
Rewiring Aotearoa

Dr Isabelle Chambefort
Energy Future Theme Leader, GNS Science NZ

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Dr Ratu Mataira
Founder + CEO
OpenStar Technologies

Wayne Mulligan
CEO
NZ Forestry

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James Bushell
General Manger
Toa Homes

Unfiltered
Focus, Fire + The Future of Work

Where does unicorn builder Anna Mowbray focus her energy?

How does she manage the pressure, the pace, and the people? And what's next for business and leadership in Aotearoa? Anna Mowbray doesn't just build businesses - she reshapes industries, challenges the status quo, and drives real change. This fireside chat lifts the lid on her mindset, methods, and what's next.