Date and Time
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
8:30–10 a.m. MST
Location
Ivory Ballroom
Thomas S. Monson Center
Leadership, the Aotearoa way
As her distinguished term nears its close, New Zealand Ambassador Rosemary Banks joined us for a powerful Women’s Leadership Breakfast — offering insights shaped by a lifetime of diplomacy grounded in the values of Aotearoa (New Zealand).
Speaking to a room of women leaders across politics, business, and community, Banks shared three dimensions of leadership that have shaped her approach:
Public leadership and advocacy: Leading in the public sphere, championing causes, and influencing societal change. She illustrated this with historical examples, including New Zealand’s women’s suffrage movement.
Organizational leadership: Navigating systems, building influence within institutions, and the importance of mentorship, recognition, and feedback to advance.
Community leadership: Fostering social cohesion, inclusion, and belonging — critical to healthy democracies and resilient societies.
She spoke with honesty and humility — reflecting on early misconceptions in her career, how upward feedback from her team was “one of the most powerful things” that shaped her growth, and why building trust remains the currency of lasting leadership.
One idea resonated deeply: inclusion matters. Whether building relationships in Washington or leading a local teams abroad, Banks and Consul General Katja Ackerley highlighted the importance of manaakitanga — respect expressed through action — as a guiding principle.
The breakfast followed a business luncheon where they addressed trade and investment opportunities between Utah and New Zealand. Together, both gatherings demonstrated diplomacy at its best: personal, principled, and purpose-driven.
Her Excellency Rosemary Banks, Ambassador to the United States, New Zealand
Ambassador Banks has represented New Zealand on some of the world’s most influential stages, serving as the country’s permanent representative to the UN in New York, to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, and as ambassador to France and Portugal. She has helped shape the country’s voice in critical international conversations, from trade and security to economic cooperation and global governance.