The Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust

Kate Milligan Edger 

• First woman in NZ to gain a university degree (in 1877)
• First woman in British Empire to gain a BA degree
• A trailblazer for women's education
• A role model for and champion of the female suffrage movement
• A vocal exponent for women's contributions to public life
• A committed and compassionate teacher, involved in social work, a family person

Margaret has been with the Trust since 2009 alongside her role as Manager of Scholarships and Graduations at the University of Auckland.   On an annual basis, the university administers more than $40M of scholarships to its students.  With the use of scholarships as a recruitment tool, the office has an important strategic role at the University.

Margaret sees students from their arrival at University from school, right up to their graduation - at undergraduate and post-graduate level.  One of the most enjoyable parts of Margaret's role, she feels, is helping students to complete their education with financial support - and reading the success stories as they graduate.

Margaret graduated with an MBA with specialisations in Corporate Governance and Negotiation, both of which have helped in her role as a trust member.

Sonia Pechner  BSc (Hons), MPA, Accounting
Head, Sirdar NZ powered by the Skills Consulting Group

Sonia has been one of The KEECT trustees since 2012, driven by her passion for the higher education sector.  In her current role as Business Development Manager, she works across the wellbeing and consulting teams, identifying solutions and programmes that respond to market needs, embedding strong partnerships with existing customers and leading growth strategies to expand the client base.  She has been instrumental in developing new client relationships across a range of sectors including: higher education; construction; shipping and logistics; manufacturing; finance; and the public sector.

With her background in leading and growing international business, and her nearly 10 years Board experience, she is currently contributing to the development of new governance programmes within the Skills Consulting Group, including a targeted course for Māori leadership and an Applied Directorship Programme.

Professor Linda Bryder  MA (1^st Class Hons) (Auck) DPhil (Oxon) FRSNZ FNZAH

Linda has been a Trustee since early 2021. She has taught in the Department of History, University of Auckland, since 1988 and has been Professor of History since 2005. Originally completing her MA (1^st Class Hons) at the University of Auckland in 1980, she was awarded her DPhil at the University of Oxford in 1985, where she held a Research Fellowship and subsequently a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Queen’s College Oxford. She maintains her links with Britain; since 2007 she has been an Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Since joining the academic staff of the University of Auckland in 1988, Linda has served on many University and Faculty Committees, including Research, Staffing and Library Committees. She has been Head of Department, and has served as Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Arts. She has been awarded a University Research Excellence Award and a Teaching Excellence Award. The latter was based on her successful record of mentoring and supervising graduate students, particularly at PhD level. She has also mentored in the University’s  Women in Leadership programme. She currently serves on the Auckland Libraries Heritage Trust, and is co-editor of the New Zealand Journal of History.

Ru Wilkie  BSc Psychology, BCom Marketing, and Management
Management Consultant

Joining the board in January 2022, the Trust is delighted to welcome Ru Wilkie as its newest trustee. She is an experienced Management Consultant skilled in developing and delivering strategic projects with measurable customer outcomes. Ru’s skill set is a valuable addition to the Trust on the next exciting phase of its journey with the rebranding and upgrading of its digital presence, as well as exploring the growth and diversification of funding sources.

Ru’s past key roles include Acting Director of International Business and Director of Marketing for NZMA, Head of SME Marketing for NZ Post, setting up a Sales Academy for Vodafone NZ, and Account Director for Telecom NZ. More recently she has worked with several vocational colleges creating new brands from inception. This included developing marketing and sales strategies for domestic and international businesses, developing and implementing their digital strategies, and ensuring that strategic planning flowed through into better outcomes across each business.

Ru lives in Auckland with her family and is passionate about community and education. She recognises the role that education plays not only to empower and change the future of the individual, but also on their immediate family and community.