A Westlake alumna was honoured on the national business stage — and a current Westlake student had the privilege of introducing her.
Naomi Ballantyne ONZM, Class of 1981, was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame at a gala event in Auckland on 6 August. A pioneer in New Zealand’s life insurance industry, Naomi has built a career spanning business leadership, entrepreneurship and mentoring. She returned to Westlake Girls as our Senior Prizegiving guest speaker last year.
Year 13 Business Studies student Mia Marks introduced Naomi at the ceremony in her role as a Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) ambassador. It was a special moment for Mia, with student ambassadors introducing the laureates from their respective schools.
Mia is also co-founder of this year’s YES company, Aotearoa Colour, alongside Renee Panui, Holly Christiansen and Keita McKenzie. Their New Zealand themed colour-by-numbers booklet combines pictures and facts to help young people with ADHD engage with learning.
Former Westlake student Charlotte Print (Class of 2020) also attended. Charlotte has remained involved in YES through university while studying towards a BA/LLB and founding start-ups, including Hot Off the Patent Press, which explains emerging patent technologies in plain English.
Congratulations to Naomi on this significant honour. It was wonderful to see Westlake students and alumnae at different stages of their journeys brought together for the occasion.
Pictured above: Mia Marks, Naomi Ballantyne ONZM and Minister of Finance Nicola Willis.
