Beyond the Award: Scaling the Legacy of Project Ikuna with Sarah Leo
Join us as Sarah Leo shares the inside story behind the award-winning Project Ikuna and its next evolution.
In this 40-minute (ish) session, Sarah will reveal the core enabling factors behind the project's massive success and detail how recent strategic initiatives are cementing these gains through the end of FY26.
What you will learn:
- The Blueprint: Key success factors of delivering an award-winning economic development project.
- Actionable Strategy: How remaining Alo Vaka funds are bridging the gap between MBIE/Auckland Council research and tangible economic results.
- Future Impact: Cross-agency integration and frameworks designed to future-proof Pacific economy resilience in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Discover how to extract maximum ROI from regional investments and maintain powerful operational momentum.
The Speaker:
Sarah Leo is an award-winning economic development practitioner dedicated to shaping an equitable future for Auckland. As the Manager of Economic Development Pacific at Auckland Council, Sarah leads the strategic Teu Le Vā work programme, focusing on strong partnerships, economic insights, business convening, and leadership.
With 14 years’ experience in economic development, Sarah has specialised in Pacific-focused initiatives since 2018. Sarah’s achievements include leading the transformative work on Project Ikuna—an Auckland Pacific in-work skills-shift programme, recognised by bestowment of the prestigious Supreme Economic Development New Zealand Award 2025.
Sarah has championed inclusion by leading the corporate partnerships for Auckland’s iconic cultural festivals, including Pasifika, Lantern, Diwali, and Tāmaki Herenga Waka, drawing on her advertising and television foundational skills.
Sarah’s inherent motivation is "By 2043, one in five Auckland workers will be of Pacific descent - my role is to ensure Pacific people are visible, heard, and given every opportunity to thrive so they have true economic choice."
A passionate Aucklander, Sarah is a proud, born-and-bred "Westie" who loves spending time with her husband and parents.
