Dr Genevieve Thornley — business strategy, service design, portfolio management and impact consultant, Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand

Strategy · Service design · Portfolio · Impact. For the moments when the old way isn't working, and the new one isn't built yet. I lead organisations through complexity and change to build resilience and drive strategic growth. From portfolio investment decisions to service design, I broker knowledge for the greatest impact.

Track record

20+ years across Crown research, tertiary education, central government, membership bodies and not-for-profits
$1b capital and $17b insurance portfolios informed
200+ research funds brought under portfolio discipline
5,000+ businesspeople supported through redesigned services

How I can add value

Strategy: strategy development, Better Business Cases, board papers and governance advice for investment decisions that withstand scrutiny.
Service design: co-design, journey mapping and service redesign, including new product and programme development.
Portfolio: investment prioritisation, research office and PMO design; MoP and P3O practitioner.
Impact: evaluation frameworks and communication of fiscal, environmental and social outcomes.

Selected work

Kotahi Engineering Studio — turning a strategy into a portfolio of strategic moves. To support their growth trajectory, an engineering studio needed to connect their strategy, current and future projects, and long-term goals. This would enable discussion amongst management and board to focus on the right things in order to future-proof their value. Working with the CEO, I built a multi-year portfolio model, mapping key strategic and operational projects to strategic goals. Leadership now has common ground for decisions on how strategic moves are tracking, and for future moves to reach its long-term vision.
PhD, University of Canterbury — measuring whether investment actually reduces risk. A rights-based framework measuring EU disaster risk reduction across the Asia Pacific: policy analysis, funding data and 27 interviews from Brussels to Vanuatu.
Business Canterbury — redesigning services, keeping a 175-year legacy intact. Senior Leadership Team member leading service redesign and new product development, including a self-paced online learning portal, supporting 5,000+ businesspeople through a downturn.
University of Canterbury — enabling a billion-dollar campus development. Support with business cases and capital project reporting across a $1b programme: policy, business cases, quality assurance methodology and full capital reporting, including for the $260m UC Futures programme.
AgResearch — a national platform for research investment. Research Office blueprint and the Open Innovation Portal, delivering portfolio discipline across 200+ funds and $90m+ of funding.
CERA and MBIE — evidencing the outcomes of a city's recovery. Analysis, evaluation and communication of programme outcomes across a $17b insurance portfolio under sustained public scrutiny.
Aspiring Youth Development Trust — chairing a Trust through growth and compliance. Chair: policy development, corporate sponsorship and compliance for a youth Trust.
Habitat for Humanity — mapping the family journey for a housing charity. Co-design workshops across Christchurch communities, full family journey mapping, and recommendations for service delivery and programme design.
National Centre for Research on Europe — bringing the EU into New Zealand classrooms. Professional development for secondary teachers plus an immersive model European Parliament for 200+ students.

A global perspective, grounded in Aotearoa

I have represented New Zealand from Europe to the Asia-Pacific through delegations, keynotes and research, and bring that global lens back to New Zealand organisations — most recently through international partnerships at AgResearch and an international strategy at Business Canterbury.

Contact

Email hello@genevievethornley.com · LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/genevievethornley

STRATEGY | SERVICE DESIGN | PORTFOLIO | IMPACT

Dr Genevieve
Thornley

For the moments when the old way isn't working, and the new one isn't built yet.
I lead organisations through complexity and change to build resilience and drive strategic growth. From portfolio investment decisions to service design, I broker knowledge for the greatest impact.

Get in touch

PhD UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY · MoP & P3O PRACTITIONER · MAKING WAVES FROM OTAUTAHI CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND.

$90m+ research investment portfolio

$1b|$17bCAPITAL AND INSURANCE PORTFOLIOS

21,000+ CUSTOMERS ENGAGED
ACROSS SERVICES

15+ yrs senior leadership

How I can add value

Strategy & Governance

"We're making decisions but not future-proofing our value"

Strategic & impartial advice
Governance
Funding & Business cases (BBC)
Risk & assurance

Portfolio & Product

"We're resourcing activity , but couldn't tell you if it's the right activity."

Investment prioritisation
Portfolio management
Service design
Product & content development

Capability & Impact

"We think we do good work, but can't back it up"

Research & Analysis
Learning & development
Stakeholder engagement
Evaluation & impact reporting

Selected work

⟲ Flip a tile to read more

Strategy | Portfolio — Latest

Turning a strategy into a portfolio of strategic moves

Kotahi Engineering Studio

WHAT WAS NEEDED

To support their growth trajectory, an engineering studio needed to connect their strategy, current and future projects, and long-term goals. This would enable discussion amongst management and board to focus on the right things in order to future-proof their value.

WHAT WE DID

Working with the CEO, I built a multi-year portfolio model, mapping key strategic and operational projects to strategic goals. Leadership now has common ground for decisions on how strategic moves are tracking, and for future moves to reach its long-term vision.

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Impact

Measuring whether investment actually reduces risk

PhD, University of Canterbury

Through my doctoral research, I built a rights-based framework to measure EU funding across the Asia Pacific. The research showed institutional structures and investment decisions undermined outcomes on the ground, and their return on investment.

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Service Design

Redesigning services, keeping a 175-year legacy intact

Business Canterbury

As part of an organisation-wide transformation, I led the service portfolio redesign for the greatest impact whether targeted or at scale, including via the creation of an on-demand online learning portal.

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Strategy

Enabling a billion-dollar campus development

University of Canterbury

A $1b capital programme needed support with business cases and capital project reporting that would stand up to scrutiny. I developed policy, business cases, and quality assurance methodology, along with full capital reporting, including for the $260m UC Futures programme.

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Portfolio

A national platform for research investment

AgResearch

A Crown research institute needed a consistent way to prioritise ideas against $90m+ of funding. I designed the Research Office blueprint and rolled out the Open Innovation Portal, delivering portfolio discipline nationwide.

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Portfolio

Evidencing the outcomes of a city's recovery

CERA & MBIE

The Canterbury earthquake recovery required an ability to evaluate the multi-faceted nature of the $17b insurance portfolio. I worked with stakeholders including the NZ Insurance Council and insurers, leading the analysis and evaluation of fiscal, environmental and social impact of the earthquakes.

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Strategy

Chairing a Trust through growth and compliance

Aspiring Youth Development Trust

As inaugural Chair, I helped establish the Trust, enabling the framework for corporate sponsorship, compliance securing funding, and holding the board to its obligations, and supporting operations to deliver real outcomes for at-risk young people via the Coast to Coast multisport race.

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Service Design

Mapping the family journey for a housing charity

Habitat for Humanity

I facilitated stakeholder engagement workshops across three Christchurch communities, mapped the customer journey, and delivered recommendations to strengthen the not-for-profit service delivery and programme design.

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Impact

Bringing the EU into New Zealand classrooms

National Centre for Research on Europe

How do you make a distant institution meaningful to New Zealanders?
Our co-designed programme driving professional development for secondary teachers with an immersive model European Parliament for 200+ students, turning research funding into classroom capability.

A global perspective, grounded in Aotearoa

I am a firm believer in positioning New Zealand on the global stage. I've represented New Zealand from Europe to the Asia-Pacific as part of delegations, giving keynotes, presented research, or engaging with local stakeholders, and bringing that global lens to our New Zealand organisations, most recently through international partnerships at AgResearch and an international strategy at Business Canterbury.

New Zealand · Australia · European Union, Brussels · UCL, London· UNISDR Geneva · Davos ·
The Netherlands · Barcelona · France · Vanuatu · Tonga · Fiji · Japan · Thailand · Macau