Catie Noble
XIR
Chief Enthusiasm Officer & Executioner
I began my career as a physiotherapist in the UK, fascinated by what motivates people to change.
That early work taught me to listen closely, build trust quickly and help people move forward.
These foundations still shape how I work today.
Since moving to Aotearoa in 2005, I’ve worked inside organisations at critical points of change. I support leaders and cross-functional teams when things are stuck, unclear or in motion. I help align priorities, bring structure to complex workstreams and translate ambition into coordinated execution.
As an Expert in Residence, I work within systems when strategy and delivery are out of sync. Leaders bring me in to provide clarity, lift delivery capability and help cross-functional teams make meaningful progress on work that matters.
Alongside this, I’ve started, grown and sold health businesses. That hands-on experience sharpened my understanding of how strategy, culture and delivery collide in real time and what it takes to keep things moving.
My work spans sectors and scales, from grassroots ventures to national initiatives. Recent work with Contact Energy involved supporting cultural alignment across major geothermal projects.
I led the design and implementation of a Project Charter that brought thousands of contractors and specialists together under a shared way of working.
The charter is now in use across sites to onboard teams, strengthen safety and build a high-trust project culture.
I bring strategic clarity, behavioural insight and operational discipline. I do the work from inside, not from the edges.
Real work. Real progress.
Sarah Williams
XIR
Chief Insight Officer
Being an XIR is being about the team.
Building cultures where people back each other, work with purpose, and achieve more than the sum of their parts.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve led and influenced teams on some of Aotearoa’s most complex electricity generation sites.
I quickly see what motivates people to do their best, and I’m just as quick to spot the barriers that get in the way.
My focus has been building high-performing cultures by weaving together continuous improvement, innovation, environmental leadership and safety.
These aren’t add-ons; they’re the foundation for delivering results in challenging, high-risk environments.
As an Expert in Residence, I work inside organisations as a hands-on, embedded advisor to shift culture from the inside out.
I support cross-functional teams to align around shared goals, create space for honest input, and translate strategy into practical action. That means fewer disconnects, stronger buy-in and a more resilient operation.
The result is a culture where people take ownership, performance lifts, and safety, delivery and engagement move forward together.
Rae Baker
XIR
Chief Connection Officer
Tauranga
Whether running a city-wide festival or facilitating a governance workshop, I bring clarity, creativity and fearless energy.
As an XIR, I’m always focused on connection, purpose, and impact.
I started my career in festivals, learning how to take bold ideas and turn them into experiences people remember. Whilst working with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival I saw what it takes to bring vision, logistics, and people together under pressure
I’ve directed the Queenstown Winter Festival, the award winning Flavours of Plenty Festival and worked across tourism, commercial and not-for-profits, applying the same skills I now use in governance and leadership: clear strategy, sharp priorities and strong stakeholder alignment.
As an Expert in Residence, I draw on my background in high-profile projects to help organisations cut through complexity, surface opportunities early, and keep people moving in the same direction.
I’ve guided teams to national recognition and delivered projects that strengthened culture, boosted local economies, and connected communities.
I help people get on the same page, focus on what matters and deliver results - creating the conditions for people to do their best work.