Karun Shenoy was appointed as independent director to the CLNZ board in September 2022. His professional background has been in the technology industry, with leadership and management roles in major digital transformation programmes. A Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, Karun is also currently board chair at English Language Partners New Zealand, President of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and board member at Business Central, and Angel HQ.

Mel Winder (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga and Ngāi Tahu) is the Managing Director of Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand and has over 25 years’ experience working for multinational book publishers both in the UK and NZ. She has been a PANZ Councillor and member of the Book Awards Trust and sat on the Whitireia Publishing School Advisory Board.

Rose Carlyle is a full-time author. A graduate of the University of Otago, she practised as a corporate lawyer in Auckland in the 1990s before becoming a barrister sole in the 2000s. More recently, she has taught postgraduate courses at the College of Law in Auckland.

In 2018, Rose received a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland, and in 2020 she was awarded a residency at the Michael King Writers’ Centre. Her debut novel was an instant number-one bestseller in New Zealand, was translated into eight languages, and has been optioned for the screen. Her second novel will be released internationally in 2024.

Victoria Spackman ONZM is an independent director based in Wellington. Her past and current governance and advisory roles span the creative, business, technology and exporting sectors, including Chair of high-growth trans-Tasman technology company Ackama Group, director/board member of BATS Theatre, MetService, NZTE, Screenrights, SPADA, Uno Loco, and Toi Mai Workforce Development Council. She is also an owner-director of visitor experience design and screen production company Gibson International and serves on the board of the Katherine Mansfield House and Garden.

Victoria was Chief Executive of the Gibson Group both before and after she led a management buyout of that business, and was the first executive director of Whitirea and WelTech’s Te Auaha School of Creativity in Wellington. She was legal counsel for South Pacific Pictures and has contributed to screen productions such as Miles from Nowhere, Mistress Mercy, NZ Idol, Street Hospital, Dragons in a Distant Land (produced in Mandarin and Cantonese for Chinese audiences) Sione’s Wedding, Whale Rider, Shortland Street, Maddigan’s Quest and Paradise Café.

In 2012 she was awarded the prestigious Private Sector In-House Lawyer of the Year Award by the New Zealand Law Society to recognise her contribution to the profession and to Gibson Group. Victoria won the Arts and Culture category at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards in 2015 and in June 2016 was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to theatre, film and television in the Queen’s 90th Birthday Honours List. She has degrees and graduate qualifications across theatre, film, law, management and linguistics.

Craig Gamble is a Wellington-based writer. He edited Middle Distance, Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand and his MA thesis The Watch List won the Adam Foundation Prize in 2014. He works as Publishing Manager at Te Herenga Waka University Press.

Gina Butson has a Bachelor of Arts and Law (Hons) and a Master of Arts (Hons) from Auckland University as well as a Master of Arts in Creative Writing (Distinction) from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University.

She practised as a lawyer for many years in both the private and public sectors, including in the Central agencies. More recently, she has been in a senior advisory role in a Crown entity.

Her debut novel was published in 2025. Her short fiction has appeared in various journals and has placed in several competitions.