About Melissa
In Numbers
A little plotted history
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Melissa kicked off her career with global FMCG giant Gillette (now P&G) in the mid 1990s.
She then headed to the UK, working within months alongside McKinseys to strategically transform supermarket giant Safeway, delivering double NPAT YoY growth (and where she learned systems-design thinking).
She went on to spearhead strategic transformation programs in British Telecom (new media) and Prudential (strategic risk).
Returning to Aotearoa in 2002, Melissa took on the transformation of the product portfolios at global retail bank ANZ, as Head of Product, where she gained global recognition (and was part of the M&A team in the integration of National Bank).
She was then poached by global retail bank Westpac to do the same, finding herself at age 30 accountable for $50B funds, heading up four teams across all retail on/off balance sheet deposits and lending.
Melissa then took a strategic transformation role at The Warehouse to overhaul its marketing as Head of Marketing (with the country’s largest marketing budget), before being part of the design-led transformation of Air New Zealand.
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The second half… came in 2009 when Melissa jumped to the regenerative ‘bright side’.
She strategically transformed Ecostore, from hippy fringe to global cool, delivering lasting global growth and brand pedigree, with world leading bio-science and circular design solutions, before these things were given a name (and winning a suite of awards incl. NZ Transformation of the year).
In 2014 Melissa undertook the strategic transformation of World Vision, recruited to overturn a 30 year org. model for global roll out.
In 2017 Melissa set up her own private practice, working 1:1 to help regenerative businesses disrupt their worlds. Clients include The Icehouse and Miraka to GOs like Auckland Council to start ups like Ārepa, Acuite, Dr Feelgood, Leaderful and Circularity.
And in the last 10 years, Melissa has run a side gig in training exec leaders and entrepreneurs. Directly, and through Academy EX, and The Icehouse.
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In 2020 over lock downs Melissa went deep into 100 years of regenerative research.
In 2021, Melissa curated all the thinking with the models she's used as a practitioner to create the bones of the t.METHOD.
In 2022, she Beta tested it with her private clients and Masters students.
In 2022 she also began her own Masters of Science in Biomimicry.
In 2023 she calibrated the science with the t.METHOD, and synthesized all the thinking.
Now in 2024, she’s taking it public.
In other people’s words
Businesses Transformed
STRATEGY | INNOVATION | BUSINESS MODEL
In Melissa’s words
I created the t.METHOD in lockdowns, as I got pissed off by the greenwash hijack and this distorted reality field, masking truth. It wasn’t just that it was so wrong ethically, and so very wrong environmentally, it was that it ignored this huge growth opportunity for business innovation.
I wanted to help people see past the mirage. And tap into the opportunity. So I decided to scale up my side gig of training - because upskilling is the most empowering enabler for strategic change.
I utterly believe doing good is good business.
What I find so sexy about playing a disruptive regenerative game, is that it plays in this yummy intersection of biology, tech and innovation. Which means the potential goes exponential. And the hardwiring is built on abundance. Which I friggin love. Because, in this crazy arse world of ours, it feels like hope in a bowl for breakfast.
On the personal side
I live in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa (Auckland, NZ) with two crazy teenagers, one beautiful man, a cat who thinks she’s a dog, and a dog who thinks the cat is a sheep. Aotea, Great Barrier Island is my tūrangawaewae.
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I wish to acknowledge my ancestors whose mana I draw from. To my father Christopher Clement Wragge, second generation kiwi, who raised me as a tree hugger, and died, farewelled as kaumatua on his Waiheke marae for his life’s work fighting to protect the ecology of the Hauraki gulf.
To my great grandfather
, globally renowned meteorologist, botanist, ecologist, cosmologist and theosophist, and one of the first climate scientists. I am privileged to have been bequeathed his glass slides.
I wish to acknowledge my mother Eleanor Cave, first generation kiwi, descendent of Moses Austin, father of Stephen Fuller Austin (the “Father of Texas”). I walk in the footsteps of her wisdom, courage and compassion.