Dr Chellie Spiller, (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa), is a professor at the University of Waikato Management School. Chellie is a passionate and committed advocate for Māori Business development. Her vision is to create relational wellbeing and wealth across spiritual, environmental, social, cultural and economic dimensions. Creating transformation in people, enabling them to claim their rightful place in the world, and to embody their sense of self. She has extensive corporate experience, holding senior executive positions in New Zealand and abroad, and brings this experience to her academic work and leadership development programmes.

Chellie is a prolific and widely cited author. She is a co-author of the highly popular ‘Wayfinding Leadership’, and her Ted Talk on the subject has been viewed over 20,000 times. Her most recent book ‘The Catalyst’s Way’ has received wide acclaim. This is the product of her work as a Leader-in-Residence at the Atlantic Institute, based at Oxford University. 

Chellie’s leadership qualities are nourished by her academic achievements. Chellie was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Arizona, a recipient of a Research Excellence Award, Dame Mira Szászy Māori Alumni Award and National Māori Academic Excellence Award.

Chellie brings extensive corporate experience to her academic work and leadership and management development programmes. Key influencers include her grandmother Wikitoria Atkinson, Jane Marsden (Ngā Puhi), Pereme Porter (Ngā Puhi), and her mother Monica Stockdale. They mentored and guided Chellie to embody humility, generosity, grace, wisdom, humanity and service. Her father Tony was an explorer of the universe and imparted his love of cosmology and philosophy to Chellie. Her husband Roger Spiller is an advocate for responsible investment and business ethics has been a supportive foundation.