The SME Stream

How do organisations successfully transform while bringing their people with them?
In this episode of HR Unlocked, Lisa Oakley sits down with Bernadette Kelly, Chief People, Corporate & Operations Officer at TVNZ, to explore organisational transformation, leadership, change management, and the evolving role of People & Culture.
Drawing on her experience leading large-scale transformation across one of New Zealand's most recognised media organisations, Bernadette shares practical insights into building change capability, supporting leaders, communicating through uncertainty, and helping people adapt in an environment of constant disruption.
From digital transformation and organisational change to AI, trust, leadership, and workforce capability, this conversation explores what it really takes to create meaningful, sustainable change.
What You'll Learn
Why successful transformation starts with people, not technology

The importance of dedicated change management and communication capability

How leaders can build trust during periods of uncertainty

Why organisational change should happen with people, not to them

How to communicate effectively throughout large-scale transformation

The leadership skills needed to navigate continuous change

Why AI should enhance human capability, not replace it

Key Takeaways
Organisational transformation succeeds when people understand the purpose behind the change

Trust, transparency, and communication are the foundations of successful change management

Leaders need support too, especially when navigating uncertainty

Technology enables transformation, but people determine its success

Building change capability is a strategic investment, not an afterthought

About Bernadette Kelly
Bernadette Kelly is Chief People, Corporate & Operations Officer at TVNZ, where she leads People & Culture, Legal, Corporate Affairs, Health & Safety, and Operational Services. She has extensive experience leading large-scale organisational transformation, developing leadership capability, and helping organisations navigate change while balancing commercial performance with people outcomes.
Why This Episode Matters
As organisations face accelerating technological change, evolving workforce expectations, and increasing business disruption, leaders need practical strategies to help their people adapt with confidence. This episode offers valuable insights for leaders, HR professionals, and business owners looking to lead organisational change, strengthen leadership capability, and build resilient, future-ready workplaces.
Resources
Connect with Bernadette Kelly on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernadette-kellynz/
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New Zealand’s startup scene loves a good success story, but few have moved as fast – or gone as deep – as Wellington energy software venture Factor.
In this week’s episode of The Business of Tech, I talk to Factor co‑founder Jessica Venning‑Bryan to she and co-founder Simon Pohlen assembled a team with serious domain expertise, built a specialised energy pricing platform, landed major customers offshore, and sold to NZX‑listed utility software company Gentrack in barely two years.
The exit, announced in May, was valued at $24.9 million with a $10 million earn-out tied to hitting $17 million in annual recurring revenue within three years. Gentrack funded the acquisition out of its cash reserves.
Venning‑Bryan doesn’t sugar‑coat the journey. She talks candidly about the “fastest and longest” two years of her career – the tension between capital efficiency and ambition, the stress of fundraising, and the constant questioning of whether the team was moving fast enough or in the right direction.
If you’ve ever wondered what startup life really feels like beyond the glossy pitch decks, this conversation delivers the unvarnished reality.
Deep domain experience pays off
What makes Factor’s story compelling is how textbook “problem–founder fit” looks in practice. After a decade inside the energy sector at Flick Electric and Flux Federation, Venning‑Bryan and Pohlen knew, in forensic detail, the headaches utilities face trying to price complex commercial and industrial energy contracts.
Instead of accepting that clunky, generic enterprise software was as good as it gets, they built a true SaaS product – APIs for everything, rapid deployment, and integration into the messy legacy systems that dominate energy, banking and healthcare.
The episode also digs into how Factor uses AI, including time‑series LLMs like Amazon’s Chronos.
What this episode reinforces is that deep domain knowledge can be the most powerful startup advantage you have. It also reveals why API‑first SaaS remains a winning strategy in conservative, regulated industries, and how to think critically about AI’s role in high‑stakes forecasting and pricing.
Most importantly, Venning‑Bryan’s story is a nudge to anyone sitting inside an industry, staring at a persistent pain point: if you understand it better than anyone, why not be the one to fix it?
Tune in to The Business of Tech this week to hear how Factor went from energy headaches to a $35 million exit – and what that playbook might mean for your own next move. Streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Unemployment has risen again – and it’s worse than everyone expected.
Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate increased to 5.6 percent in the June quarter.
That's up from 5.4 percent in the March quarter and it's slighter higher than most economists were predicting.
So, what does that mean? Should we panic? Or is this just part and parcel of an economy in recovery?
Today on The Front Page, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann is with us to break down the numbers and what it means for our future.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee
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Unemployment's reached the highest level in 11 years.
Stats NZ data shows the rate reached 5.6% in the June quarter, up from 5.3% in the March quarter.
Of the 166 thousand unemployed in this year's second quarter, almost a-fifth had been without work for more than a year.
Herald Business Editor at Large Liam Dann told Kerre Woodham some economists think the rate won't fall again any time soon.
He says some predict it'll increase to 5.7% and hang around at high levels into next year.
LISTEN ABOVE
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The Prime Minister ponders meat and massages, a recovering economy, and whether peace in the Middle East is a pipedream or in the pipeline.
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