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Auckland, September 21, 2021
Auckland lawyer Anchali Anandanayagam has won an Emerging Director Award from the Institute of Directors (IoD) Auckland Branch.
A Partner at Hudson Gavin Martin, a leading corporate and commercial law firm specialising in technology, media and intellectual property, she is an expert in all legal aspects of tech, media and telecommunications.
In the last 19 years, Ms Anandanayagam has advised public and private clients and their suppliers on the adoption and commercialisation of technology, media and telecommunications products and services.
About the Emerging Director Awards
The IoD presents its Emerging Director Awards annually. Each recipient receives a financial contribution towards IoD governance development courses, a year’s complimentary membership of the Institute and mentoring from an experienced director.
In selecting Ms Anandanayagam for the 2021 award, the Judges said: “Her professional experience, in both commercial and for-purpose organisations, and her knowledge across media and technology, are skills that will add value to any board. Anchali’s approach to preparing for a governance career, and the governance experience she has already accumulated, has set her on a path that will make a valuable contribution to, in Anchali’s words, ‘help purpose-driven organisations in New Zealand to thrive’.”
Cultural perspective
Ms Anandanayagam brings a unique cultural and professional perspective to her governance roles and is a keen advocate of “not just for profit” business models.
She has actively contributed her time and skills as a member of the Asylum Seekers Support Trust board, a charitable organisation supporting asylum seekers and refugees. As Vice-Chair, she has had the first-hand experience of how critical it is to have a board that is dedicated to, and passionate about, the organisation’s purpose.
“I began my governance journey in 2015 when I joined the Asylum Seekers Support Trust as a volunteer board member. I wanted to repay the generosity that my family was shown when we arrived in New Zealand and thought that contributing my time and skills to the trust would be a good start. It was in this role that I learnt how critical it is to have a board that was dedicated and passionate about the organisation’s purpose. I also learnt how important it is to have a clear separation between those who steer the organisation and those who manage it,” Ms Anandanayagam said.
She holds a joint degree in law and psychology from the University of Otago and is a member of the Institute of Directors, the New Zealand Law Society, Auckland Women’s Law Association and Women in Film and Television New Zealand.
She has received global recognition for her work and expertise from internationally renowned legal directories, Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Media Law International. Her open and measured approach means clients often seek her out to work on complex transactions and to represent them in difficult negotiations.
Chambers & Partners said: “Anchali is an experienced lawyer with amazing technical skills,” but also “a relationship builder who can deal with people at all levels both within and between organisations.”
About the Institute of Directors
The Institute of Directors is a not-for-profit organisation and New Zealand’s leading professional body for directors, at the heart of the governance community.
We believe in the power of good governance to create a strong, fair and sustainable future powered by best practice governance. Our role is to drive excellence and high standards in governance. We provide governance resources and tools to support and equip our members who lead a range of organisations – listed companies, large private organisations, state and public sector entities, small and medium enterprises, not-for-profit organisations and charities. Please visit www.iod.org.nz
