Meet Our Executive

Wayne Christensen – Author

Club President

Wayne joined Toastmasters a long time ago, when he was a young copywriter in an advertising agency and suffered from extreme nerves when presenting creative concepts to clients.Wayne credits what he learned Toastmasters with helping him build one of New Zealand’s most successful advertising agencies. His suggestion to improve your presentation skills: “Don’t wait trying to find the confidence. Just find the courage to have a go.You’ll learn that the more you do, the easier it gets. You’re not stuck where you are, unless you decide to be.” Wayne stays involved, he says, “Because, like the gym, you get no benefit unless you keep going.”

Scott Donaldson – Lawyer

Vice President Education and Immediate Past President

Scott says when he had to make a speech at an event he realised he needed to improve. “I’d like to be relaxed when speaking. I still get quite tense and self-conscious. It gets better the more I practise. After being with Queenstown Toastmasters for less than a year, I made a very good speech to get voted onto the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce Board. The odds were stacked against me but I managed to pull it off.”

Scott says the secret to success is to just get up there, talk, and try to learn. “As with everything worth learning, you have to be prepared to look like a fool first and just laugh at yourself when things go wrong. You can learn more from your failures than you can from your successes.”

Hannah Henderson – Marketing Accounts Manager

Vice President Membership

A born and bred Scot, Hannah has been a proud Scottish Kiwi (Sciwi) for 6 and a half years. She started her Toastmasters career over 4 years ago at Auckland Toastmasters and has since held roles both as VP Membership and President of the club.

Making the move to Queenstown in 2021, she has loved getting involved in a different club and is a total Toastmasters advocate wherever she goes. When she’s not preparing for the next speech Hannah is an outdoors junkie spending most of her free time hiking or packrafting with her loyal hound, Koa.

Emma Ferris – Health & Wellness Coach

Vice President Public Relations

Emma’s journey to concur her fear of speaking started when she was 12. After struggling with a speech impediment she learned the power of her voice through Speech & Drama training. From then on she was hooked. Emma’s lofty dream of being an international speaker required her to take her skills to the next level which is why she joined up with Queenstown Toastmaster in 2016. 

Toastmaster has been a pivotal place where Emma has grown her skills which have tranferred over into her online business and career. As a breathing coach and Physiotherapist she has been able to lauch her business The Breath Effect and now runs retreats, runs online courses and business leadership trainings. 

Emma has now launched a true crime podcast called Conning The Con and is due to launch her new wellbeing podast The Link very soon. 

Emma says “Toastmasters isn’t just a public speaking gym. First and foremost it is an inclusive, safe community that makes you feel connected”.

Jaroslav Jarek Jelinek – Civil Engineer 

Treasurer

I cannot believe that I have discovered toastmaster by accident. I was not looking for a place how to learn public speaking. At first, I joined toastmaster to improve my English but what I have discovered in Toastmaster went far beyond my expectation. I always thought that great communication skill is something that you have to be born with rather than something that you can learn. It sounds like a cliche but thanks Toastmasters! In one year my confidence to speak has risen which help in all areas of my life. I still consider myself a bad speaker but now I know where I want to get to. It is a joy not to be afraid. 

Lenny Ng – Hotel Duty Manager

Sargeant at Arms

Being a fresh member of Queenstown Toastmasters, my initial intention was to improve leadership and public speaking skills. I still vividly remembered the first time I joined the Club meeting as a guest, I absolutely love the professionalism, friendliness and humour surrounding it. The club has taught me the power of speeches, actions and presentation skills. Being born and raised in Malaysia which is a multination and cultural country, complement with work experience in difference countries and visited to over 25 countries, and now reside in NZ, I finds it easy to adapt and align with the Club’s objectives, values and the multicultural learning environment provided. I am looking forward to my growth with the Club, challenging myself to improve my public speaking, enjoy the social side and embrace Leadershift – “Suck it up and Just Do it”.

Paddy Turnhout – Personal Trainer & Coach

Secretary

From travelling different parts of the world to tiki touring around New Zealand in a van I have always loved public speaking but never known how to improve. When moving to Queenstown early 2021 I was told about toastmasters and since then I have learnt much more than just how to feel comfortable on stage. With this great community I have made friends, mentors and networked with a variety of different people which I don’t think would have happened otherwise. 8 months in and I can’t wait to be around longer.