Profile
Through her long and happy experience across Europe, the UK and New Zealand, Gil Sewell knows that collaborating on culture, talent and capability brings forth the strategy and frameworks that foster the environment for a highly engaged and focused workforce.
Her earlier career background in business development and directorship roles has given her in-depth understanding of the commercial and financial drivers of business, as well as the ability to create relationships that result in long-term delight inside and outside the organisation.
Sewell believes in building on what’s good, mitigating critical derailers and, above all, listening to and valuing people.
51 Huia Road, Otahuhu, Auckland
027 555 3117
gil.sewell@ember.org.nz
linkedin.com/in/gilsewell
ember.org.nz
Gil Sewell
Kaihautū Tikanga | Chief People & Culture Officer Ember Korowai Takitini
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Bio
Milestones
Profile
Read on
Special Report
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Bio
Milestones
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Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
2015–2018
2018–2019
2020–2021
2022
2023–Present
HR Director, OD and Recruitment at Auckland DHB: established the first successful, contemporary OD function in the New Zealand public health sector from scratch at Auckland District Health Board, delivering innovative people solutions across the entire employee life cycle, seeing a radical shift in culture, mindsets and behaviours.
2015–2018
Executive Director, HR and OD at Waikato DHB: developed and implemented the first People Strategy, embedded a culture of safety for senior doctors, and set a new direction and approach for employment relations, building improved relationships with unions through collaboration and quality conversations
2018–2019
General Manager P&C at PwC: introduced a refreshed Parental Leave Policy, taking PwC to the cutting edge of inclusive, gender neutral and fair leave for all new parents
2020–2021
P&C Lead for the establishment of the new National Public Health Service in Te Whatu Ora, where her frameworks are still in place
2022
Kaihautū Tikanga | Chief People and Culture Officer at Ember Korowai Takitini: achieved CI rating (the highest possible rating) in the Certification Audit 2025 for culture and wellbeing
5-Star Employer of Choice 2026
Finalist in HRNZ Leadership Awards 2025
2023–Present
Milestones
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
As a founding member of WOW! (Women. Opportunity. Winning.), an employee resource group created for all women of Ryan Specialty, Phillips Topping has long championed for women in the industry.
“It’s very important to set an example and to not only inspire but mentor other females,” she adds.
In addition to her sharp marketing eye, the key to Phillips Topping’s success lies in her high-energy approach and positive attitude.
“As the leader of a team, it’s important to motivate and encourage your team members. People work very hard and do their best and it’s important to recognize these efforts. For my career overall, my attitude has been one of curiosity. The more you can learn, the better you’ll understand the business, and then the deeper your knowledge will become, making you a better team member.”
Chief underwriting officer of executive risk at Chubb
President of financial insurance solutions at Kemper
Chief underwriting officer at Axis Capital
CEO of global Insurance at Endurance
CEO of global Insurance at Sompo International
Empathy underpins that discipline. Prickett has struggled in the industry. She has felt what it is like when promised support does not materialize. Having worked across almost every function in the company, she understands operational detail and the pressure agents face. That shared experience shapes her leadership.
Structural barriers also shaped her path. As a woman and a mother, she encountered the assumption that serious business building required keeping priorities “out of order for a time.” She also experienced the double standard that frames firm women as difficult while praising similar behaviour in men.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing,” Prickett says.
She wants to dismantle the expectation that women must choose between career and family, or between strength and kindness. In her view, leadership demands both conviction and care.
Being named an Elite Woman carries weight. Prickett did not have female role models in the industry when she started. She hopes visibility changes that. “I hope I can be an example. Not of perfection, but of persistence. Of building from your values and staying true to who you are.”
The legacy Prickett is still defining centres on proof – proof that a large, profitable company can grow without sacrificing integrity; proof that agents can build real assets while keeping their priorities intact; and proof that leadership does not require abandoning who you are to succeed.
“If you have a choice between being liked and doing the right thing, doing the right thing is always better, even if it’s the unpopular thing”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“What I’ve learned is that when you build from your values, when you put people first, when you do the right thing even when it’s hard, that becomes your plan”
Lee-Ann Prickett,
Experior Financial Group
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“My strongest professional quality is my ability to build trust and long-term relationships, whether with clients, colleagues, or stakeholders”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage
“I’ve always believed that if you love what you do, you’ll never settle, and that attitude has guided every decision I’ve made”
Danny Ibrahim,
KeyRate Mortgage