Anna Campbell – recipient of the 2021 YES Alumni Awards
Anna Campbell is the recipient of the 2021 YES Alumni Awards, Contributor of the Year category, having made a clear contribution to business with value to New Zealand.
Campbell participated in The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme in both 2009 and 2010 at Southland Girls' High School where her team won the regional finals both years. She was awarded Southland Young Entrepreneur of the Year and made the New Zealand International Trade Challenge team.
She chose to study at Otago, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in International Business and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Art History. Campbell spent the final semester of her double degree on an exchange in France at Grenoble Ecole de Management, obtaining a certificate in Global Management with distinction.
While studying toward her Masters in Entrepreneurship at University of Otago, Campbell competed in numerous enterprise competitions, helped out start-ups, and was a New Zealand delegate to the World Business Dialogue in Germany.
Campbell secured a graduate role at tech company Timely, a recent success story being acquired for over $100 million by US firm EverCommerce.
Another start-up triumph Campbell was involved in was the $2 million crowdfunding campaign to retain chocolate making in Dunedin following the closure of the Cadbury factory. She later joined the team and had the opportunity to go cocoa sourcing in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
“It was a real eye-opener. I have a passion for sustainability and ethical value chains. Knowing where your raw materials come from is one thing, going there and meeting the people that produce it is another. I learned first-hand sustainability isn't just about the environment, it is about people too.”
Currently Campbell is the Group Marketing Manager for Cooke Howlison and is responsible for multiple franchises. The company is 126 years old and the opposite to a start-up.
“I am loving working with huge global brands and being in an industry at the forefront of technology and innovation. It is an exciting time where we are seeing shifts in both regulations and consumer demand toward more clean energy alternatives.”
“There is a misconception that down here in the South we take our environment for granted. We grew up running around in the bush, playing under waterfalls, and catching a brown trout from the river for dinner. It is so obvious to us that is worth protecting for future generations.”
“To win this award means a lot. I never set-out to be the next Steve Jobs. My parents encouraged me to build an entrepreneurial skill-set to be an asset to any business as times change.”
In her spare time, Campbell enjoys beekeeping having recently completed a certificate in Apiculture through Telford. She is looking forward to her first honey harvest this summer, follow her through the seasons @crafthoneynz.
