Career Ready NZ: Practical Insights for CPA & CIMA Members

Relocating to New Zealand is exciting, but building your career in a new market can be challenging. Many internationally qualified accountants arrive with excellent experience and professional qualifications, yet struggle to understand what New Zealand employers are really looking for.

Supported by CPA Australia's Migrant Committee, join specialist accounting and finance recruiters Kelly Lloyd and Rachel Cattanach from Cultivate Recruitment for a session designed to help you better navigate the New Zealand employment market.

Together with experienced CPA/CIMA members who have successfully built their own careers in New Zealand, we'll explore the practical steps that can help you become more market-ready and stand out to employers.

Topics will include:

Understanding the New Zealand accounting and finance market
Translating international experience into local relevance
What hiring managers are really looking for
CV and LinkedIn tips that make a difference
Interview expectations and common pitfalls
Building local credibility and professional networks
Understanding Kiwi workplace culture
Practical advice from finance professionals who have successfully made the transition themselves

Whether you're actively looking for your first New Zealand role or wanting to better position yourself for your next opportunity, you'll leave with practical strategies, local insights and greater confidence in your job search.

If you need help registering, contact nz.events@cpaaustralia.com.au or call 0800 571 001 (NZ) or +64 9870 7716. We look forward to welcoming you.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the key features, trends and expectations of the New Zealand accounting and finance employment market.
Apply practical techniques to strengthen their CV and LinkedIn profile to improve visibility and job prospects.

In collaboration with:

Imported from South Africa, localised through hard work and dedication now proudly a Citizen of New Zealand Annelize join us to share her personal and professional transformation journey for a night of challenging self-reflection, light humour and immense reflection offered from global experience and global cultures.

Across her 20 year career in finance she will share some observations from industries she has worked in like fleet at scale & FMCG and how her observations, learnings and reflections could help other members in their current or future journeys.

Prasanna Samarakoon is a strategic finance leader with over 15 years of international experience across New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, and the Pacific, spanning FMCG, manufacturing, logistics, media, education, and financial services.

He began his career with Big Four firms Ernst & Young and PwC, building a strong foundation in audit, advisory, and financial governance before progressing into senior commercial finance and FP&A leadership roles across organisations including Fonterra, Sanford, DGL Group, Sky TV, the University of the South Pacific, and Alexander Group.

Prasanna specialises in FP&A, strategic finance, reporting transformation, and data-driven decision support, with a proven track record of partnering with CEOs, CFOs, and executive teams to drive performance, optimise capital allocation, and enable faster, insight-led decision-making. He has led large-scale finance transformation initiatives including data warehouse and Power BI implementations, ERP optimisation, automation, and governance uplift programmes, helping organisations transition from fragmented reporting environments to trusted, real-time business insights.

Throughout his career, he has played key roles in IPO readiness, capital raising, M&A, and enterprise-wide performance improvement initiatives, combining commercial acumen with strong technical and governance expertise.

Prasanna is a Fellow CPA Australia member, Fellow of CIMA (FCMA, CGMA), and currently serves on the CIMA Australasia Committee representing New Zealand.

Kaela has been working with job seekers for over 25 years. Originally from the UK, her recruitment career began in Australia where she lived for 10 years before migrating to New Zealand in 2011. During her recruitment career, Kaela worked with CA/CPA/CIMA qualified Accountants, placing them into finance roles at all levels. She has spent the last 10 years working as a Career Coach.

In her current role, Kaela works with job seekers across all professions and levels to help them gain clarity on what they want to do, where they’re strengths lie and how they can communicate their value to hiring Managers through their CV, LinkedIn profile and during an interview. This enables them to go to the job market with impact, giving them the best opportunity to achieve successful job search outcomes.

Luis Hernandez III is a finance professional with over 12 years of experience across accounting, financial analysis, banking, credit risk, and financial operations in the Philippines, the United States and New Zealand.

Originally a Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines, Luis has built a diverse international career and, since relocating to New Zealand, has gained local experience across accounting, commercial property services and payments technology.

He is a CPA Australia Associate Member and is progressing through the CPA Program, having achieved High Distinctions in Strategic Management Accounting, Ethics and Governance, and Financial Reporting. In 2025, he received a Certificate of Achievement for achieving the highest score in New Zealand for Strategic Management Accounting in Semester 2.

Having personally navigated the transition into the New Zealand employment market, Luis is passionate about sharing practical insights on adapting international experience, building local credibility, understanding workplace culture, and successfully developing a career in New Zealand.

Kelly is an Associate Director and Shareholder at Cultivate Recruitment, with more than 20 years’ experience specialising in Accounting & Finance recruitment across the New Zealand market.

Across her career, Kelly has recruited at all levels of the finance profession, including leading teams, with her focus in recent years transitioning into in senior finance recruitment. Working closely with finance leaders and hiring managers, she brings strong insight into what influences hiring decisions beyond technical capability — from communication and commercial thinking to stakeholder presence and cultural fit.

Earlier in her career, Kelly spent several years living and working across South East Asia and the Middle East, giving her a genuine appreciation for different cultures, perspectives and ways of communicating. She brings this experience together with more than two decades in recruitment to help finance professionals understand what New Zealand employers are looking for, articulate the value they bring and position themselves effectively in the market.

Rachel is Cultivate Recruitment’s most experienced senior Accounting & Finance specialist, with close to 20 years dedicated to recruiting and partnering with senior finance professionals and leaders across the New Zealand market.

Over that time, Rachel has developed an extensive network across the finance profession, and a deep understanding of how the market has evolved, what organisations value in their finance leaders and the capabilities that create long-term career opportunities.

Rachel is also the driving force behind Cultivates Senior Women in Finance network, which brings senior finance professionals together to connect, share experiences and support one another. Her depth of market knowledge gives her a valuable perspective on career progression, changing employer expectations and what genuinely differentiates finance professionals in the New Zealand market.