Continued on page 10... 9 Legal Executives New Zealand Spring 2026 Welcome to our new Association Manager Karen Smith Karen took over from Executive Officer, Jo Buckton, who served LENZ for 25 years. “I must acknowledge Jo’s quarter century’s commitment to LENZ and all that she did to grow the organisation that is now in such good heart. Thank you Jo for leaving such a vibrant legacy; I have very big shoes to fill,” says Karen. “As well, I’d like to acknowledge the National Office staff – Yolandi Thompson and Michelle Lui - who kept the ship steady during the inter-regnum from February to May. They did, and continue to do, an amazing job. “I also want to thank Carmen, our President, the Board and the National Council members, as well as branch presidents and many others who have messaged me. I’m heartened by the depth and warmth of your support and welcome messages.” Working with people Leading a membership organisation requires many qualities: intelligence, empathy, the ability to think strategically as well as ensuring it remains viable and engages proactively with its membership. And it’s abundantly clear that the recurrent theme in Karen’s background is people. “After initially working at DB Breweries and then Tourism New Zealand, I spent more than 14 years in the recruitment sector predominately in public practice, and (more recently) seven years as membership manager at Restaurant Association NZ. People are at the heart of these roles, and I very much enjoyed working for all those organisations. This opportunity to lead LENZ was, however, too exciting to ignore and I am delighted to have been appointed to lead Legal Executives New Zealand.” In early June, we welcomed Karen Smith to Legal Executives New Zealand as Association Manager.
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