Senior executive with deep experience in leadership and government systems
Gráinne has extensive experience that spans both public and private sectors in heavily regulated industries, including health, forestry, aged care, technology, pay and employment, and care and protection.
She has also worked in highly regulated industries internationally, giving her an understanding of the global regulatory environment – NZ, UK, Australia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
She served as the first Secretary of Children and Chief Executive Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children. Whilst she was Chief Executive, Oranga Tamariki became the first government agency to close the gender pay gap.
In that role Gráinne led the first government pay equity settlement in many years, increased staff engagement, reduced social worker turnover from 15% to 5%, doubled the investment in iwi/Māori organisations, increased payments to caregivers and set up new services in youth justice and to provide children in care transition support as they moved to adulthood.
Prior to coming into central government in 2016, Gráinne was Managing Director for Bupa NZ and Global Lead for Aged Care at Bupa.
Gráinne holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Liverpool and worked in the UK National Health Service prior to emigrating to New Zealand in 1998. Gráinne was awarded an MBA (Hons) in 2003 from IMD Switzerland and was presented with the Welshe Award for outstanding female graduate.
Gráinne is an internationally recognised open water swimmer – Gráinne became the first Irish woman to swim the English Channel at age 17. She has also conquered six of the world’s toughest swims, which includes the Cook Strait (New Zealand) and Moloka’i Channel (Hawaii).