Loren Rutherford

Folktale is a fast growing tech start-up harnessing the power of community stories to help organisations monitor, evaluate, and communicate their impact

• Improved operational planning, business frameworks and refined value proposition to align with current market trends across Global Development landscape.
• Established, initiated and optimized business development strategies based on company targets, product specifications, market data and budget factors. Leveraged networking skills to initiate and expand influential working relationships.
• Implemented refreshed pricing model to deliver on business development, and scalable product-led, growth.

Government to Government Partnerships (NZG2G) is a joint venture between two Crown entities: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)

• Leveraged a relationship-driven consulting approach to successfully expand international and multilateral business development opportunities for three public sector areas of focus - Sustainable Food Systems, Educating for the Future, and Government Effectiveness and Innovation.
• Worked collaboratively with team to identify areas of public sector expertise, permission, and willingness to engage internationally, developing detailed sector specific value propositions, case studies, and collateral.
• Cross-trained existing and new team members on understanding of multilateral and global development needs, approach, policy, and funding models.
• Managed business development, stakeholder engagement and commercial negotiations of ten active deals. and 15 early-stage prospects with values of NZD 4 to 10 million.
• Researched, designed, pitched, and implemented a new non-financial Partnership Impact Measure KPI, aligning to NZTE and MFAT bilateral policy objectives and SDG17.
• Developed and maintained influential relationships with MFAT. Managed the deal negotiation, budget, and performance frameworks for multi-stakeholder co-funded partnership activities using a New Zealand Aid funded grant of NZD 3-million.
• Worked with Legal team to develop two new commercial contract templates for multi-stakeholder deals.

VSA is one of New Zealand's most well known volunteer focusse international development organisations working to improve lives across the Pacific. It is a NGO primarily funded through the New Zealand Aid budget.

• Researched and implemented the 5-year Timor Leste Strategic Plan including desk research, analysis, consultation, and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, I drafted the Vanuatu and Tonga documents.
• Managed all aspects of USD1-million operational budget for Timor Leste Country office including capital expenditure, tax requirements, reconciliations, salaries and accounts.
• I managed stakeholder management, partnership development, and capacity building with Government and NGO organisations in Timor Leste.
• Collected and reviewed volunteer performance data to monitor and measure progress against results management framework for development outcomes and assignment success.
• Recruitment of volunteers including assignment identification, negotiation and documentation. Loading assignments to JobAdder, reviewing candidates, sitting on selection committees, and making selection according to criteria. Onboarded new volunteers and staff with training and new hire documentation, orientation planning, language training and pastoral care.
• Demonstrated success managing over thirty complex in-country volunteer placements, juggling competing priorities, pastoral care, operational challenges, medical evacuation, and deadlines
• Covid-19 Emergency Response - I managed the repatriation of the VSA program to New Zealand in March 2020, including decision making, communication, and all travel logistics for 17 volunteers. Thereafter collaborated on a 60-page strategic vision for VSA's pandemic response.
• Critical review of VSA's Results Management Framework for NZD9-million New Zealand Aid Grant.

While completing postgraduate studies I worked as an academic tutor on three undergraduate courses

• Delivered online academic tutorials for up to 80 students per semester covering: Aotearoa/New Zealand's colonial past, Te Tiriti, climate change, conflict, poverty and inequality, citizenship, Bill of Rights, citizen responsibilities, UN conventions, SDGs, and actions/responses
• Helped students prepare for assignments and tests using timely feedback and pastoral support as required. Evaluated assignments using rubrics for course and learning outcomes.

Established in 1997, Nomad is a large tour operator that designs and operates adventure tours across 14-countries in Southern Africa.

• Built business to over ten-thousand passengers per year over 15-years by implementing effective sales, marketing and customer success plans.
• Brought in consistent revenue through expanding agent base across Europe and beyond, promoting business expansion and foreign currency income.
• Oversaw the creative design, architecture, sales portal, financial system, social media integration, and success of commercial website for direct and wholesale sales of tours and add-ons
• Set organizational mission, business vision and employee expectations for growing adventure tourism company.
• Sourced, trained, and managed top-quality candidates to fill key roles.
• Negotiated price and service with suppliers and tourism wholesalers to decrease expenses and increase profit.
• Cultivated and strengthened lasting client relationships using effective cross-cultural communication and partnership approach to ongoing business relationships.
• Conceptualised and founded the Nomad Africa Trust to support community development, wildlife and environmental protection. Researched and implemented the Green Seats carbon offsetting program.
• Set company culture, facilitated communication and built cohesion between team members.
• Managed the forecast input for the Company's sales and operations planning process, including identifying and responding to risk events.
• Extensive travel experience (67 countries)