Christine Hall

Christine Hall’s Waikato MBA has given her the confidence to understand her value and purpose as a leader.

“I’m a transformational change agent, with the ability to take people on the journey and deliver financial results,” she explains. “It’s important to me that I don’t just rearrange deck chairs, and that any change process is meaningful and sustainable.”

Originally from the UK, Christine came to New Zealand when she was 24 to go backpacking – and she never left.

She worked as a registered occupational therapist with Waikato District Health Board for five years before eventually being promoted to operations manager, with responsibility for overseeing mental health services for the entire Waikato region.

Looking to diversify her career beyond the health sector, Christine says she enrolled in the Waikato MBA to gain a well-rounded management skill set.

“I wanted a business qualification that would give me the confidence to step into senior management roles in other industries,” she says. “The Waikato MBA most definitely helped me achieve this; all these years later I’m still using many of the tools I was given.”

Christine thrived in the MBA programme from day one. “I loved learning about marketing and strategy, and being pushed outside my comfort zone with accounting papers. It gave me a clearer sense of my own strengths as a manager compared to people in different industries.”

“Going to China on the MBA study tour to China and learning about business from a whole new perspective was an incredible experience too.”

Christine acknowledges the MBA was a big commitment, as the study is intensive. “Every other weekend I was in class, and the weeks in-between involved writing assignments. At the time I was mum to a two-year-old and a five-year-old, so balancing work, study and family was a little tricky! I feel very happy and fulfilled knowing my family have seen me succeed and achieve my career goals."

She found the group projects both challenging and rewarding, showing her how to adapt and collaborate effectively. “This was where the richness of learning came from – learning to work with people with different world views and experiences.”

Shortly after completing her MBA studies in 2016, Christine was appointed to her first CEO role at LinkPeople, a social housing provider for people with complex needs. "I was able to put all my MBA skills into practice and add value to the organisation right from the start," she says.

In 2019 she became General Manager and then CEO at Pinnacle Ventures Ltd, a social enterprise focused on digital innovation in healthcare, leading a major transformation of the business during the first Covid lockdown.

Christine took on her third CEO role at Central Kids, an early childhood education provider in 2022. “I’m a learner, always pushing myself outside my comfort zone, which is why I have moved between different industries” she says. “I’m not afraid to take a risk to grow.”

“All of my experiences have a line of sight back to social impact and making a difference to Aotearoa.”