Kelvyn Eglinton joins Purposely to share his leadership journey, straddling sport and community sectors alongside corporate and government.
Kelvyn thrives in pressure situations, adept at sensitively working with groups of people who do not necessarily share the same views and carefully managing high stake situations. Kelvyn points to his ability to empathise with other people's perspectives.
'I work hard to listen to their side of the story, not just superficially but truly listen to the fears and concerns they have'
On top of his ability to listen and importance he gives it he has significant amounts of experience working through conflict situations especially those that aimed at finding a resolution for business and for society through 'social outcomes'.
Kelvyn has had a wide-ranging career that has included non profit leadership and governance, international mining, local government, urban growth strategy, central government roles and the sport industry provide a platform to showcase these skills.
We explore Kelvyn's approach to life and how his upbringing helped shape who he is today. One example of this is advice he received from his father, "If you can shake hands and laugh with the workers and the Mayor in the same day, you will do well in this world."
We go deep into his current role as CEO of Momentum Waikato, co-ordinating generous donors with transformative projects. Kelvyn has played an instrumental role in raising the funds for a new regional theatre project in Hamilton. Beyond just raising the funds, more than $80 million, he has coordinated all stakeholders in the project to ensure that everyone is in agreement with the plans and the whole community will benefit.
Before returning to NZ, Kelvyn was the Chief of Staff in the Jakarta office for Newmont Mining Corporation and oversaw the renegotiation of the contract of work with the Government of Indonesia and the social responsibility programmes of the operation on Sumbawa Island and North Sulawesi. For six years Kelvyn was based in Perth as Asia Pacific Director for External Affairs overseeing government, communications, and development programmes across operations in five countries and prior to that was the External Affairs Manager for Newmont Waihi Gold in NZ.
Kelvyn is a Registered Independent Commissioner for RMA hearings alongside his roles on social performance panels for resource companies. He sits on the Boards the Waipa Communities Facilities Trust, Surf Lifesaving NZ and is a Trustee for the NZ Surf Lifesaving Foundation and Hospice Waikato.