Melanie Beirne

Melanie is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and senior leadership practitioner with over 23 years’ of leadership experience working with Chief Executives and senior leaders, and more recently, new people leaders with a focus on coaching and building high-performing leaders and leadership teams.

Leadership and strengths development are Melanie’s passion and women are Melanie’s why. Melanie is the Founder of Women Step Forward (Wāhine Mā Rere Ki Runga) established to radically accelerate the leadership capacity of women, and to create a robust women in leadership pipeline. Melanie is a champion of gender balance and inclusive leadership and is driven to develop and empower women to realise their leader within, and to step forward into that power.

Melanie has achieved pre-qualified “coach” status, and is one of 20 preferred providers for Aotearoa’s Leadership Development Centre, delivering the New People Leader and Leaders of Leaders programme to the public service.

Melanie is Pākehā and Māori descent (Ngāi Tahu) and a mother of two young daughters, Amber and Sophia, who keep Melanie on her toes!

Melanie is hugely passionate about revitalising Te Reo Māori and encouraging people to keep the beautiful language alive. Melanie strives to integrate te reo into everyday life and dedicate time to learning from her mentors and enrolment in New Zealand Certificate in Te Reo (Level 2), Whitireia Polytechnic.

You can read about Melanie sharing the benefits of the Aspire: Women’s Development Programme here.