Abbie Reynolds is a New Zealand climate change and sustainability advocate.

Early life and education

While at secondary school, Reynolds started a paper recycling scheme when the effects of climate change were not well-known. She has a law degree from the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

Career

Reynolds was previously head of sustainability at

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...

and headed the Vodafone Foundation. Prior to this she was Head of Corporate Responsibility at Telecom (now

Spark Spark commonly refers to: * Spark (fire), a small glowing particle or ember * Electric spark, a form of electrical discharge Spark may also refer to: Places * Spark Point, a rocky point in the South Shetland Islands People * Spark (surname) * ...

). Reynolds was executive director of the Sustainable Business Council from 2016 to 2019. The membership of the Sustainable Business Council doubled within this time to represent 30% of New Zealand businesses with Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope praising her contribution. In 2018, she co-founded the New Zealand Leaders' Climate Coalition with Mike Bennetts, chief executive of

Z Energy Z Energy is a New Zealand fuel distributor with branded service stations. It comprises some of the former assets of Shell New Zealand and Chevron New Zealand. Shell left the New Zealand fuel distribution business in April 2010, selling its ope ...

. New Zealand Climate Change Minister James Shaw praised her and Bennetts's work launching the Coalition and reaching a membership of 100 organisations. She attended the

World Business Council for Sustainable Development The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led organization of over 200 international companies. The Council is also connected to 60 national and regional business councils and partner organizations. Its origins d ...

(WBCSD) meeting in Geneva in 2018. Her other roles have included being part of the New Zealand Government's Electric Vehicle Leadership Group and a member of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor's Rethinking Plastics Panel. Reynolds has been a board member of VOYCE Whakarongo Mai since January 2017. In a 2017 article in the New Zealand online magazine ''

The Spinoff ''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...

'', Reynolds wrote:

Climate change can be an opportunity for New Zealand. Not only can we do our bit to reduce global emissions, we can be an innovation leader and better everyone’s lives.

Reynolds presented to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in July 2019 as part of a panel demonstrating New Zealand's progress on the

Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

. She was interviewed on the Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose podcast in 2020. Reynolds was appointed as Chief Executive Officer fo
Predator Free 2050
in September 2020.

Recognition

Reynolds won the Board and Management Award in the 2019

New Zealand Women of Influence Awards The New Zealand Women of Influence Awards are an annual set of awards which recognise women who make a difference to everyday New Zealanders' lives. The Awards were first made in 2013 and were initially sponsored by Westpac Bank. In 2016, Stuff N ...

. Her outward focus and willingness to help organisations achieve their sustainability goals won praise from the judges. In 2020, she sat on the judging panel together with

Dame Silvia Cartwright Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright (née Poulter; born 7 November 1943) is a New Zealand jurist who served as the 18th Governor-General of New Zealand, from 2001 to 2006. She was the second woman to hold the office, after Dame Catherine Tizard. Early ...

Sir John Kirwan Sir John Kirwan (1650–1721) was an Irish merchant and politician who founded the Kirwans of Castle Hackett, County Galway. Background Kirwan was a member of one of the Tribes of Galway. The family were of Gaelic origin, possibly of Conmha� ...

, Vanisa Dhiru,

Sinead Boucher Sinead Marie Boucher (née O'Hanlon; born 26 June 1970) is a New Zealand journalist and chief executive of Stuff Ltd. On 31 May 2020 she became the owner of Stuff Ltd. Early life and family Born in 1970 to Sean and Mary O'Hanlon, Boucher moved w ...

and Gina Dellabarca.

Personal life

Reynolds lives in Auckland and is married to Daren Grover, the general manager of

Project Jonah Project Jonah is an environmental organisation that was established in 1974 in New Zealand. It specialises in the protection and conservation of marine mammals (whales, dolphins and seals). The key areas in which they work is rescuing stranded ma ...

. After meeting in the United Kingdom in 2003, she and Grover travelled through 26 countries on their journey to New Zealand and blogged about their travels.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Abbie Year of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Auckland alumni New Zealand women environmentalists Vodafone people New Zealand Women of Influence Award recipients