In a world of constant disruption, traditional change management isn’t working. It is too focused on process, not people; on economics, and not development. In this thought-provoking session, we’ll challenge outdated models and offer a new perspective - one rooted in organisational development, not compliance checklists and Gantt charts.
Join Mike as we explore how to lead change with reference to actual experiences during his 13 years at Z Energy. We will unpack why mindset beats milestones, why leadership eats management, and why leaders must shift from managing resistance to growing readiness. This session is designed for learning and development professionals who want to empower their organisations to not just survive change, but to thrive through it and beyond.
If you’re tired of the same slides, the same frameworks, and the same results - this is your invitation to change differently.
Speaker: Mike Bennetts
Mike Bennetts is best known as the founding Chief Executive of Z Energy, having transitioned the company from its previous global owners in 2010. In thirteen years at the helm of Z, Mike led significant corporate events like launching Z as a brand, an IPO, $3 billion of M&A deals, debt and equity raises, and a takeover response.
In 2016, Mike and Z were respectively CEO and Company of the Year in the Deloitte Top 200. Mike was the founding Convenor of the Climate Leaders Coalition from 2017 to 2022, reflecting his commitment to the energy transition and environmental and social sustainability challenges.
Mike developed cross-cultural leadership experience by working in Africa, Asia and Europe between 1992 to 2008. He has held governance roles since 1999 in joint venture, private and public companies in South Africa, China, Singapore and New Zealand. Mike is currently the Chair of Punakaiki Fund Limited, a $110-million venture capital fund, having started with an initial equity of $1.5 million in 2016.
Across his two decades of experience as a CEO, Mike is known for his transformational leadership style and commitment to the development of the people he works with. Mike’s new venture as an Executive Coach (Kaiārahi) at Taumata Advisory reflects this. Mike’s stated purpose is to ‘realise individual and organisational potential’ through his work as an author, speaker, mentor and consultant.
In 2023 he published Being Extraordinary, a book packed with practical experiences and insightful anecdotes demonstrating how Mike developed and applied his “Model for Extraordinary” that enabled extraordinary outcomes to be delivered.
Competency Framework: L&D Practice, L&D Leader, L&D Strategist
Session Theme and Audience: Learning Leader, L&D Change Maker
Event Access
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Meeting opens at 6:45pm for a 7pm start.
Host: Lower North Island
Event eligibility: This event is open to NZATD members, affiliates and non-members.
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