Executive team
Amanda Malu | Chief Executive
Amanda Malu is the Chief Executive of Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao.
Amanda has deep experience in the public sector, education, and marketing, as well as experience across borders and with international education through her past roles. She has held senior leadership roles across education and health sectors.
Prior to ENZ, she was Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery at ACC, and formerly Chief Executive at Whānau Āwhina Plunket, leading the organisation through extensive change over five years in the role. She has also held senior marketing and communication roles, including at the Tertiary Education Commission and in the vocational education sector.
As ENZ’s Chief Executive, Amanda is responsible for leading ENZ in promoting Aotearoa New Zealand as a study destination and helping our country realise the social, cultural, and economic benefits of international education.
Sharon-May McCrostie l Acting General Manager, Sector Engagement
Sharon-May is the Acting General Manager, Sector Engagement. She leads a team dedicated to supporting education providers to grow their capability and success in international education.
Prior to joining ENZ in 2023, Sharon-May was with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in a range of roles supporting New Zealand exporters to realise their international growth ambitions, including Customer Director, Regional Director Australia Pacific and Trade Commissioner Hong Kong.
Sharon-May has also held senior sales, marketing and business development positions across the New Zealand export food industry, with a focus on Asian markets, including at ENZA (formerly the NZ Apple and Pear Marketing Board) in Singapore. She has a management degree majoring in Japanese and international business from the University of Waikato.
Sahinde Pala l General Manager, Sector Services
Sahinde joined ENZ in 2016 after 18 years working for a multinational group of English language schools. With a career dedicated to international education, she brought extensive private sector experience in international marketing, stakeholder engagement and student experience delivery to the organisation.
Sahinde has held a number of roles at ENZ working with education providers, government stakeholders, regional groups, peak bodies, students’ associations and community groups. She was heavily involved in developing the International Student Wellbeing Strategy.
With a passion for delivering an excellent customer experience, Sahinde will be leading the newly formed Sector Services team to deliver a suite of products and services that support the sector to rebuild and thrive. This includes student experience, global citizenship, global events, and agent engagement, as well as scholarships to support domestic students to have an international education experience, and international students to study in New Zealand.
Sahinde is based in our Auckland office and spends her time outside of work standing on the sidelines of sports fields supporting her young boys.
Ben Burrowes | Acting General Manager, International
Ben is the Acting General Manager, International. In his substantive role, Ben is Education Counsellor and Regional Director, Asia (excluding China). Ben is responsible for leading ENZ’s team based offshore that is focused on profiling New Zealand as an education partner and ensuring international education contributes to New Zealand’s international relations goals.
In his Counsellor role, Ben leads bilateral education relationships across the Asia region that underpin New Zealand's economic and diplomatic interests.
Prior to joining ENZ in 2017, Ben worked in the public relations sector, supporting a range of New Zealand brands and government agencies with their strategic communications and business development programmes across Asia. He has been based in Singapore since 2008.
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Matt Penney l General Manager, Corporate Services
Matt joined ENZ in 2014. He previously held Financial Controller roles at Bathurst Resources and Contact Energy, and has worked in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Matt is a Chartered Accountant, a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of Wellington.
Matt’s team provides insightful analysis to the sector and ENZ, as well as strategic finance, budgeting and IT services and lead ENZ’s business operations’ planning and performance.
Di Solomon l General Manager, Government Relations
Di is a public sector leader with over 15 years’ experience working across a number of central and local government agencies.
Di leads the Education New Zealand team responsible for governance, accountability and performance, and connecting ENZ to its government agencies partners. Her aim is to ensure New Zealand’s international education sector is resilient, sustainable, globally connected and provides an excellent education experience.
Formerly an international student, Di holds a Masters in Environmental Policy from Lincoln University.
Geoff Bilbrough l General Manager, Marketing and Communications
Geoff is a senior corporate communications and marketing practitioner with a proven record of advising and delivering programmes for clients in the private and public sector.
His experience includes ten years in Wellington with Sweeney Vesty Limited; ten years in London with an integrated marketing communications agency; six years as the General Manager of the Hong Kong office of FleishmanHillard, a global communications agency; and before joining ENZ, at Acumen in Wellington.
At Acumen, Geoff advised and led communication programmes for clients including Buddle Findlay, Scouts New Zealand, BCITO, the Motor Trade Association and James Hardie. In Hong Kong, as well as a client load that included Marriott International, Huawei, Emerson Electric, Melco Crown International amongst others he was responsible for the running of FleishmanHillard Hong Kong - a 55-person multicultural, multidisciplinary consultancy.
Geoff has personal experience of international education through his son who is a previous recipient of a Prime Minister’s Scholarship to Asia, completed an undergraduate exchange to France, and is finishing his PhD with the Humboldt University in Berlin.
Ed Tuari l General Manager, Māori
Ed is of Ngāti Porou and Te Whanau-ā-Apanui descent, and joined Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao in 2017. He previously worked in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for 18 years.
As Manukura, Ed develops and leads the Rautaki Māori (ENZ’s Māori Strategy), provides advice regarding cultural capability, and brings a Māori perspective to policy and project development.
A former primary school teacher for 10 years, Ed has experience in providing Māori bi-lingual and immersion learning within the New Zealand primary school sector. He also co-wrote and co-presented the first Māori language television programme for preschoolers for mainstream New Zealand television.
In 2012, Ed was named New Zealander of the Year in the United Arab Emirates by AIG, for his cultural and professional contribution to the New Zealand community in Dubai and throughout the Middle East. Recently Ed was the Kaipupuri-Cultural Advisor of the Aotearoa New Zealand Pavilion, entrusted with Kaitiaki o te mouri for Expo 2020 Dubai.
A graduate of Auckland University of Technology, Ed holds a degree in Māori Development, Language and Culture and a Diploma in Teaching.
Ed enjoys engaging in indigenous development initiatives, working towards the preservation and maintenance of tribal culture and heritage, and indigenous networking.
