Today on the podcast I speak to Jen Jones - founder of New Zealand Design Week. She’s also a construction manager by profession, entrepreneur, and speaker. Jen is a woman who wears many hats.

Jen has spent almost 15 years delivering complex commercial and infrastructure projects, managing builds up to $300 million, while also carving out a voice in sustainable construction and considered living.

In 2023, alongside her construction work, Jen founded Auckland Design Week, which has now evolved into New Zealand Design Week. Created to give designers a platform to connect, collaborate, and be seen, NZDW has quickly evolved into a nationally recognised event.

In this conversation we talk about Jen’s journey from construction into events, the realities of building something from scratch, what it takes to scale an idea, and the bigger ambition behind New Zealand Design Week. This is a conversation about vision, resilience, commercial thinking and backing yourself, even when the market is tough.

Jen makes me feel motivated. She backs herself. She is not afraid to put herself out there. There is an incredible drive and capacity for work, but also real clarity about why she is doing it. She is a true example of “just start” - even when the goal feels massive.

I loved my kōrero with Jen and I know you will too.

After this conversation, find NZ Design Week at nzdesignweek.com and @nzdesignweek on Instagram.

Right, let’s get on with the show.

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