Who we are | Stroke Foundation NZ

Meena Vallabh General Manager - Services Development

Meena has over 25 years in health having started as a pharmacist and over time moving into strategy, service design/ innovation in health systems. Meena values enduring relationships and is motivated by opportunities to deliver meaningful change that will achieve equity for priority populations and improve outcomes for New Zealanders.

Meena in her role as General Manager Services Development is responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive services development strategy (including advocacy) aligned with the Foundation's mission to prevent stroke, improve outcomes, and save lives.

Jess Winchester General Manager - Marketing and Fundraising

Jess Winchester is the General Manager of Marketing and Fundraising, heading both teams within the Stroke Foundation which are focused on working with the community to raise the revenue needed to continue the work that is required around the country. The team works in all aspects of fundraising, including events, grants, sponsorships, individual giving and campaigns such as Beanie Up.

Jess has over 25 years professional fundraising experience for a wide range of charitable causes both in New Zealand and overseas. She has also spent time as a Trustee for a charity supporting homeless people and volunteered for three years as a regional committee member for the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand. Jess is currently volunteering as a mentor for Kapiti Challenge for Change, supporting young people to realise and reach their full potential.

Jo Lambert Chief Executive Officer

Jo was appointed as CEO of the Stroke Foundation in May 2021. Her leadership experience comes from both the non-profit and private sectors. She joined the Foundation from Barnardos, New Zealand’s largest children’s charity, where she was General Manager of Early Learning. Prior to this, Jo was CEO of the consulting firm Maven, where she worked primarily with clients across health and disability services. For ten years, she was a certified Negotiation and Influencing skills strategist, trainer, and coach for ENS International.

Jo is inspired to make a difference to the lives of those affected by stroke because her mother experienced a life-changing stoke when Jo was a teenager, and her father passed away from a stroke 30 years later. She initially joined the Stroke Foundation as a Board Member in 2018.

Jo has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Studies (Hons), majoring in marketing and market research, and a postgraduate qualification from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). She moved to New Zealand in 1995 and is the mother of two adult daughters. She enjoys yoga, dog-walking and reading a good book.

Nicky Mayne General Manager - Community Services

Nicky joined the Stroke Foundation at the start of 2021 and is now our General Manager of Community Services. Nicky has over 20 years' experience working in not-for-profit leadership, particularly in the disability sector. She completed a Bachelor of Business (Management) in 2022 and applies her strengths of strategic leadership and change management to her mahi. Her education and work experience, coupled with the insight gained from her own journey with impairment, empowers her to support individuals and whānau in living their best lives after a stroke.

Nicky's team of Community Stroke Navigators and Return to Work Advisors engage in their communities across New Zealand to fulfil the Stroke Foundation's mission to prevent stroke, improve outcomes and save lives

Marg Jenner General Manager – Compliance and Risk

Marg has worked in health for 40 years with recent experience in operational and service delivery roles in the private sector. She trained as a registered nurse and has a management degree from Massey University.

As General Manager Compliance and Risk at the Stroke Foundation, Marg leads the administration team in the National Office, with responsibility for Health & Safety, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and organisational policies.

Dr John Gommans Board Member

Dr John Gommans is a Specialist Physician in both Internal and Geriatric Medicine. His specialty interest is stroke medicine and for over 30 years he has worked with the stroke affected community in a range of settings including stroke prevention, acute treatments and rehabilitation in hospital and the community. He has an active research interest engaged with NZ and international colleagues with over 50 publications and has contributed to the development of guidelines for management of stroke.

His Governance experience includes being the Chief Medical and Dental Officer for the Hawke's Bay District Health Board from 2010 to 2018. He is a Past President and Director of the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand. He was President of the New Zealand Geriatric Society at the time of its amalgamation with the Australian Society and a past Chair of the NZ Adult Medicine Committee of the Royal Australian College of Physicians.

Derek McCormack Board Member

Derek McCormack is the Vice Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).
He began his career as a biochemist at the University of Otago and the Otago Polytechnic, working in academic roles from 1978 to 1986, when he became the President of the New Zealand Association of Staff in Tertiary Education, a role he held until 1990. The late 1980s was a period of extensive reform of the national tertiary education system along with much else in the state sector, and during it Derek served on numerous government committees and working parties, including the establishment body of the NZ Qualifications Authority. He joined the senior management of Auckland Institute of Technology in 1991 eventually as its General Manager and worked on the re-establishment of the institute as a university, which took effect from 2000.
Derek became AUT’s Deputy Vice Chancellor in 2000 and was appointed as the Vice Chancellor in 2004. He has led the extensive transformation and growth of AUT as a university since then.
Over the years Derek has served as chair for a number of national organisations including the New Zealand Academy of Sport, the New Zealand Stroke Foundation, the New Zealand Vice Chancellors Committee and Universities New Zealand.

Tereki Stewart Board Member

Tereki has spent the larger part of his working life in iwi roles and Māori organisations, mostly in Māori health and the primary/community sectors. He has held a number of executive roles including Manukura Hauora (Health Lead) for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, and is the former Chief Executive of two Māori-led PHOs. His previous governance experience has included sitting on the boards of private GP practices, iwi partnership organisations, and appointments to the former DHB community and public health and Māori health advisory committees. Tereki is also currently the Chair of Te Taumata Hauora o Te Kahu o Taonui, the Iwi Māori Partnership Board (IMPB) in the North stretching from the Tāmaki estuary in Auckland, mai ki te Rerenga Wairua (to the top of the North Island).

Tereki brings a lived experience to the Board as a stroke survivor and is also passionate about achieving equitable outcomes for Māori and other population groups ‘under-served’ by the health system. His other passion is ‘hanging’ with his whānau, especially his mokopuna.

Ruth Payne Board Member

Ruth has held general management roles in large NZ organisations, with responsibilities across HR, Planning & Performance, Communications and other corporate functions. She has also led a range of change initiatives, including major restructuring programmes and innovation processes. She applies her wide-ranging experience of corporate management, strategy and organisation development in her work as an independent contractor and in governance roles.

Ruth holds Masters’ degrees in History and Management and has a post-graduate Diploma in Creative Writing. She is a Fellow of HRINZ and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

Ruth joined the Board of the Stroke Foundation in 2018 and is based in Wellington.

Catherine Epps Chair of the Board

Catherine Epps is the General Manager Health and Technical Services at WorkSafe, and before that was Executive Director Allied Health, Scientific and Technical at Capital and Coast District Health Board. She’s held senior leadership roles in public and private healthcare organisations for over a decade.

Catherine has a Masters in Human Communication and Deaf Studies, and is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Managers. She also has clinical expertise as a Speech-language Therapist specialising in neuro rehabilitation, including supporting those with brain injuries to return to work.

Catherine migrated from the UK in 2006, and now identifies as a Kiwi who loves pastimes that allow her to enjoy the best of New Zealand; tramping, sailing, and hanging out with her whānau. She joined the Stroke Foundation Board in 2021.

Mark Ford Deputy Chair

Mark Ford is a chartered accountant and is an executive within Fulton Hogan, based in Christchurch.

His executive experience ranges from New Zealand Chief Financial Officer through to Commercial and operational based roles. Mark holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Canterbury University and is a current member of the Institute of Directors.

He was appointed as a director of the Stroke Foundation in 2021 and has previously held many board positions on Boards in the Construction Sector.

Mark's passion for his involvement in the Stroke Foundation comes from his own lived experience. As a fit and active 41-year-old Mark suffered a stroke in February 2019. This experience allows him to contribute to the Board and see perspectives through a stroke survivor's eyes.

Prof Anna Ranta Medical Director

Prof Anna Ranta is a Wellington New Zealand based academic stroke neurologist whose research focuses on translational stroke research to optimize stroke care quality and access with a strong emphasis on addressing health inequities. Her work to date has resulted in 200+ peer reviewed publications. She has led several large research programs and also collaborates widely with others across Australasia and globally.

She has extensive clinical and academic governance and leadership experience. She is the Head of Department of Medicine at University of Otago, Wellington, Co-Directs the National Hyper-Acute Stroke Programme, leads of the New Zealand National Stroke Registry, Co-Chairs the Australian and New Zealand Stroke Guideline Acute Steering Group, is the immediate past President of the Neurological Association of New Zealand, the current Secretary of Stroke Society of Australasia, Board Member of the World Stroke and Asia Pacific Stroke Organisations, and serves on the editorial boards of ‘Stroke,’ ‘Neurology,’ and the ‘Journal of the American Heart Association.’

Leeanne Yeoman Board Member

Leeanne Yeoman is the Associate Director of Allied Health for Older Persons Health and Rehabilitation, Te Whatu Ora Waitahi/ Canterbury.

She is a registered Physiotherapist, with over 20 years of experience working alongside people with stroke within acute care, hospital rehabilitation and community settings in New Zealand and the UK. She has worked in operational healthcare roles and has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation.

Leanne joined the Stroke Foundation NZ Board in 2024. She is based in Christchurch and enjoys spending time in the outdoors, tramping, and cycling with friends and family.