Our Stories: Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas DBE

Written by Caitlin Madden. Posted in Our Stories.

Dame Judith Mayhew JonasDame Judith Mayhew Jonas says home is wherever she is, so it is easy to understand that both the United Kingdom and New Zealand hold special places in her heart.

Dame Judith is originally from Dunedin, having attended Otago Girl’s High School and the University of Otago before moving to the UK in 1973. She has been living in London now for 42 years and is currently working as a Special Adviser at Tishman Speyer, a commercial real estate company.

Dame Judith was the founder and Chair of London & Partners, having been asked by Mayor Boris Johnson to advise on the project and Chair of the New West End Company.

Our Stories: Sue Cambie

Written by Sophie Bevin. Posted in Our Stories.

Sue CambieA passion for design and creative problem-solving inspired Sue Cambie to become an architect. Hailing from Auckland, Sue’s career was successful from the word go. She worked for two of New Zealand’s most creative and successful architecture firms in Auckland. While there, she also completed private work, for some of which she won design awards.

Sue moved to London in 2001 and has had work commissioned in the UK, Europe and further afield. Her experience is vast; she created designs for many sectors including hospitality, retail, residential, arts, education and commerce.

Our Stories: Fran Hales

Written by Sophie Bevin. Posted in Our Stories.

fran halesIt all started in 1983 in Rangiora, New Zealand. Photographer Fran Hales had just taken a snap of her cat, Jezabel, on her new camera, a Kodak Ektra 200, which had a popup flash that doubled as a handle. Fran was 9 and her passion for photography had begun.

Fran has come a long way since her first paid shot of a girl holding a remote control. While the photo was used for a brochure, Fran was destined for brighter things. That photo really was a light bulb moment for her; photography was her passion, but making a living from it was still a dream at that time. She moved to London in 1997, attracted by the accessibility to Europe, the freedom of expression, arts and culture, and to meet new people.

After living in the UK for 14 years, Fran took the step to turn her passion into a profession in 2011.