Waikato Business News March/April 2017

22 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2017
REMARKABLE WOMEN IN BUSINESS
Nicole Carson - LawFit
Carson Law was launched in
April 2012 by award-winning
lawyer Nicole Carson, who
serves predominantly private
clients and SME business
owners.
Nicole returned to Waikato to set up
the Hamilton firm after impressing
colleagues and counterparts in Bay of
Plenty where she was named the 2010 Young
Professional of the Year.
A strategist and entrepreneur at heart,
Nicole founded Carson Law at just 26 years of
age. She enjoys legal practice and primarily
likes to work with like-minded commercial
property and business clients, particularly
all aspects of business structuring, contracts,
and finance work. She comes from a general
practice background and finds having broad
experience is an asset to clients. It allows
Nicole to have continuity across clients’
legal needs while efficiently providing a
collaborative approach to legal services.
Outside of the law, Nicole is also a director
at CrossFit Alpha Brave, which is conveniently
within sight and walking distance of the
Carson Law office. Alpha Brave opened in
July 2016 and offers CrossFit, BattleFit©,
Weightlifting, Olympic Lifting, Women’s
Only Classes, and Yoga. It’s the perfect CBD
location for professionals to train before and
after work. Nicole and her business partner,
head coach Rose McAuslin, wanted to open
a CrossFit centred gym that delivered more
value and add-on services. “We have three
core operating principles. Always doing more
than is expected – adding value - that’s first.
Creating a community that makes people
feel supported, encouraged, and celebrated –
that’s second. Our membership is diverse!
Beginners, corporate warriors, sportsmen and
women, mums and dads, retirees, teachers,
doctors, the common thread is the Alpha
Brave community. Thirdly, we have a deep
commitment to coaching safe form and proper
technique. It is a principle we commit to with
no exceptions and it makes us so proud to
watch members progress with movement and
confidence.”
Leading stormwater expert in
high demand
Bronwyn Rhynd - CKL
Bronwyn Rhynd is one of New Zealand’s
leading experts on stormwater
treatment, disposal and management.
Bronwyn joined land development
consultancy CKL as a director in 2015, 11 years
after establishing her own business Stormwater
Solutions which merged with CKL.
The merger added the specialist area of
stormwater and environmental engineering to
CKL’s services. It provided end-to-end project
management across all planning, surveying,
and engineering disciplines.
“We have continued to provide stormwater
expertise, also adding further expertise in fresh
water ecology and environmental planning,”
Bronwyn, an environmental engineer, said.
Bronwyn, and the CKL team, fully
harness the potential of water to create urban
environments sympathetic to the natural
environment. Environmental solutions called
rain-gardens and swales capture water runoff
from houses and streets and daylight the
water, filtering and slowing it down, as it
heads towards natural catchment areas.
There’s no such thing as a typical client.
“We get involved with all sorts of projects
in the land development spectrum and our
clients are from a broad range,“ Bronwyn said.
“These projects could be a two lot
subdivision through to something significantly
larger, for example an 800 lot subdivision.”
CKL was responsible for major residential
and commercial developments in Hamilton
like Huntington, Rototuna Village, Rotokauri
Rise, Teafields, and Eton Estate.
Bronwyn’s qualifications include a NZ
Certificate in Engineering (Civil), a Bachelor
of Engineering (Civil) and a Masters
in Environmental Engineering Science.
Bronwyn regularly contributes to local and
international conferences.
Her qualifications and career have given
Bronwyn a specialist knowledge and expertise.
She has been called upon by the Environment
Court for expert witness testimony.
While women in such industry roles are
not common, it’s also not unheard of.
“I’m an engineer and scientist,” Bronwyn
said. “There are not that many women, so
we are leading that charge, and I am able
to encourage other women by being in the
position I am in.”
“At the end of last year I could put my
hand on my heart and say we have increased
women in our company CKL by 200 percent
from the previous years. It’s an opportunity to
show people we are a company of diversity,
it’s something that can be a point of difference
to be proud of.”
Bronwyn’s experience includes
environmental and civil engineering projects
in both the private and public sector.
443 Anglesea Street, Hamilton
FREE TRIAL
www.alphabravecrossfit.nz
07 838 0617
www.carsonlaw.co.nz
linkedin.com/nicole-carson
07 849 9921 | hamilton@ckl.co.nz
Church Road, PO Box 171, Hamilton 3240
www.ckl.co.nz
Expansion provides new opportunities
Linda-Maree Drake –
Fegan & Co Ltd
2017 is shaping as challenging
year for Linda-Maree Drake
who since February has taken
on a new role as managing director
of rural recruiters Fegan & Co Ltd.
The acquisition of the well
established Cambridge company at
the start of the year comes at a good
time for Linda-Maree who last year
completed a Masters of Business
Administration (MBA) at Waikato
University.
“The qualification has certainly
given me a lot of confidence in
terms of running another business,”
says Linda-Maree who alongside
her husband set up Russell Drake
Consulting in 2010.
The former critical care nurse
at Waikato Hospital’s ICU left the
health care profession in 2011 to
work full-time in the business to
assist with its development, putting
in place systems and processes to
enable greater efficiency and room
for future growth.
Over the next two years the
business continued to grow at a rate of
20 percent year-on-year, through new
client acquisition and profitability,
establishing itself as a recognisable
company within the Waikato business
community providing practical,
legally compliant employment
solutions and advice to employers.
In 2015, Russell Drake Consulting
marked a milestone reaching 850
active clients in its business.
Linda-Maree specialises in
providing business management and
strategic development services to
clients including leadership mentoring
for individual managers. She also
describes herself as an Intrapreneur,
utilising her entrepreneurial skills
and business management and
strategic development knowledge to
grow businesses.
Linda-Maree has worked hard at
her own development in recent years.
Looking for organisational experience
outside of Russell Drake Consulting,
she accepted two positions within
client companies over 18 months
to increase her knowledge and
experience while commencing her
MBA. Having completed her MBA
last year, Linda-Maree returned to the
business full-time to help take it to
the next level as well as developing
her own career in business and
management consulting.
The acquisition of Fegan & Co
Ltd provides just the challenge she
was looking forward to.
“It’s worked out really well. We
discussed it over the Christmas break
and decided to proceed with it. We’ve
known John a long time and you’ve
got to take opportunities when they
present themselves,” she says.
Despite selling the business he
has led for 20 years, John intends
to continue to play a role in it over
coming months and possibly longer,
and Linda-Maree welcomes his
continued involvement.
“Taking on the business is
definitely a new challenge but I’m
relishing it,” says Linda-Maree.
“ I think women should just be
confident in themselves and they
should take on new challenges. Yes
it can be scary but you have to run
with it.”
“One of the things I’ve noticed
with some women is they sometimes
want all the I’s dotted and the T’s
crossed. But instead we need to go
with it a little and work in that growth
space. For a while you have to be in a
place where you aren’t comfortable.
We need to trust ourselves more.”
“Fegan & Co has been running
a long time but I also need to find
my own space and make it work on
my terms and use my own skill base
to add value, along with bringing
on board skilled and qualified staff
with a different set of skills to what
I have.”
Linda-Maree is well accustomed
to putting in long hours into her
business and brings the same energy,
drive and confidence to her role as
Fegan & Co’s managing director.
“It’s about being confident and
trusting yourself. And you have to
put in the hours to get the rewards.”
Russell Drake Consulting
Ph: 07 838 0018
www.russelldrakeconsulting.co.nz