Deb Gilbertson

Background

About Deb Gilbertson

Dr Deb Gilbertson is the director of Te Kaihau Ltd, an innovation consultancy She has been a board member, entrepreneur, intrapreneur, researcher, educator, manager and policy developer in the fields of innovation, management and education. Deb was a Senior Lecturer at Victoria University teaching innovation, management, marketing and economics and was an inaugural board member of the university’s company. She initiated many new ventures at the university including 11 projects to better support Maori and Pacific peoples in commerce. Deb created the Global Enterprise Experience to grow leaders who can innovate to heal our world To date participants living in 136 countries have enrolled as team members, team leaders, leadership coaches and business mentors. The GEE was awarded a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations & BMW Group Intercultural Innovation Award for its global impact on growing cross-cultural leadership. Deb is an innovation and leadership consultant helping organisations to become more innovative. New work is on developing two graduate diplomas - Leading Innovation in the Public Sector, and Leading Social Entrepreneurship. She developed the 200 Day Challenge, which is a resource to learn from the last 200 years to grow leaders to create the kind of world we all wish to live in for the next 200 years. Deb is currently writing a book on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) to provide wide ranging medical, nutritional and educational solutions to tap into the abundant potential of people in this spectrum. Deb was the Corporate Marketing and Innovation Manager at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. She was responsible for rapidly developing the department’s commercial skills to raise non-government revenue fivefold within three years. Her PhD was on commercialising science. She has assisted 2500 new venture developments. Deb has judged the Prime Minister's Public Sector Excellence Awards for 15 years. In 2023 she was awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) and in 2024 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Lincoln University. Specialties: Innovation as it relates to education, coaching skills, leadership, government innovation, new venture development, organisation development and strategy, enterprise education, and ADHD.