Chris Coromandel

Chris Coromandel (Ngati Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngati Maniapoto, Tainui) has found meaning and fulfilment advocating on behalf of children from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them thrive in life. 

As the Advocacy and Relationships Manager for UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand, Chris heads UNICEF’s work helping to increase the awareness of children’s rights, lobbying government on social policies, and building partnerships that will benefit children here in New Zealand and abroad.

“Our goal is to empower and mobilise the people and government to invest in the positive transformation of every child’s future,” says Chris, who sadly lost his father at the age of 16.

At the age of 21, Chris moved to Australia and began working as a labourer “to make some fast money”, but soon realised he wanted more out of life.

Initially he had some doubts about whether he was “sharp enough” for university, yet he still decided to make the life-changing decision to enrol in a Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) at the University of Waikato in 2013.

“I had big dreams of becoming a CEO one day; I wanted to work for Google because I enjoyed working with technology and I knew they had really nice offices with good perks for staff. This inspired me to study digital business and computer science,” he says.

Chris believes the well-rounded content of the BMS degree gave him a solid foundation for building business acumen and the ability to succeed in organisations both small and large.

What motivates me is that I can see myself in many of the young people we work with. I’ve been given opportunities in life to help me follow my dreams, and I want to play a part in helping the new generation achieve their dreams as well.

Chris Coromandel

It was during his studies at Waikato that Chris discovered his passion for business strategy and entrepreneurship.

In 2016, he and some friends formed their own start-up business and developed an agri-tech prototype product designed to speed up the honey-making process for bees.

They took the prototype to Fieldays, where it drew plenty of interest from TV and print media.

The next year, Chris was selected for a commercial graduate role at Vodafone New Zealand. His talent for leadership quickly emerged, and he was entrusted with leading Vodafone’s start-up accelerator.

Within a few months, Chris was promoted into a senior role as an Innovation Manager, managing all of Vodafone’s Startup programmes and Innovation Labs.

“My role was to find and develop commercialisation opportunities with start-up ventures that would become products for Vodafone’s enterprise customers,” he explains.

With the rollout of Vodafone’s new 5G mobile network, Chris moved into a new role as Digital Innovation Partner Lead, working on enterprise projects for 5G alongside companies such as Microsoft and Nokia. He also launched and managed Vodafone NZ’s first 5G Business Lab.

Chris receives his award for Emerging Leader in Digital Technology in 2020.

In his free time, Chris became involved with philanthropic work for the Vodafone Foundation, which aims to halve the number of disadvantaged young people in Aotearoa. His passion was to create pathways for young Māori and Pasifika to succeed in the tech sector.

In 2020, Chris was nominated for the Broadband Compare Awards, where he received the award for ‘Emerging Leader in Digital Technology’, given to a person in the first 10 years of their career who shows leadership beyond their role.

In 2021, Chris took up his current role at UNICEF Aotearoa New Zealand, working closely with government on policy objectives that aim to positively transform the lives of children.

“What motivates me is that I can see myself in many of the young people we work with. I’ve been given opportunities in life to help me follow my dreams, and I want to play a part in helping the new generation achieve their dreams as well.”