Meet the 2023 board

Nelson has been on the MYC board since 2021. He is the founder and CEO of Precycle NZ, a cleantech development and environmental consultancy company. He has a background in chemical bioprocess engineering, working with small and large businesses, councils, as well as roles in community organizations such as Manawatu River Source to Sea, Repair Cafe Aotearoa NZ, Palmy's Plastic Pollution Challenge, Engineering NZ and Young Engineers. Through his startup journey Nelson was a winner of Massey University Grand Ideas & Pitch.ME competitions and Innovate Manawatu 2022

 Kellie joined the MYC board late 2022. She has recently completed a BSc in Microbiology minoring in business management. She has been involved in the Manawatu business ecosystem since 2018, working with others to help grow startups and working within one - Earshots. She has been involved in other community organisations, Chiasma Manawatū and the national program Young Enterprise Scheme. Specializing in customer support, CRM systems, communications, event and project management. She is looking to use these skills to help others to succeed and upskill their businesses customer experience. 

Sonja joined the MYC board late 2022. She completed a BSc in Earth Sciences and an MSc in Environmental Technology in The Netherlands, then came to New Zealand/Aotearoa in 2017. Here she conducted doctoral studies in Environmental Engineering while becoming actively involved in driving policy changes in the tertiary education sector around sexual violence. This in turn inspired her to take on further postgraduate courses in Public Policy.

During her MSc in The Netherlands, she became passionate about environmental startups, and both in The Netherlands as well as in NZ participated in several courses and workshops around entrepreneurship and innovation. Now on the MYC board, she looks to inspire students and young professionals to elevate their dreams and expand their ideas of what is possible. Through MYC events, she wants to help them build their skills and networks so they can turn their dreams into goals and careers that benefit themselves, as well as the Manawatū and NZ as a whole.

Chouly joined as a board member of MYC in 2023. Chouly is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Contemporary International Studies at IPU New Zealand. With her passion for creative problem-solving, she founded the Social Issues' Solutions Club in 2017, which landed her as a winner of the Rise Challenge, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, and is described by Forbes Magazine (2021) as “one of the 100 most promising teens in the world”. She is also a co-founder of an EdTech startup in Cambodia in 2022 with the aim to provide quality personalized online tutoring. She believes that she can achieve the set clear goals and visions with the right amount of curiosity, creativity, and courage to take action. 

 Danilo joined as a board member of MYC in 2023. With a background in business and IT, he has been involved in various start-ups and has gained extensive experience in the business world, currently working as a business strategist for a creative agency. As a board member at MYC, Danilo is committed to utilizing his expertise to help shape the future of the organization. With a keen interest in professional development, Danilo believes that MYC provides an excellent environment for nurturing skills and gaining knowledge for all young professionals. 

 Ashlee joined as a board member of MYC in mid 2023. She is studying business psychology at Massey University and is interested in Human Resource management. With her passion for people and being involved within the community she is the student ambassador for the HRNZ Manawatu branch for 2023 and event executive for the Massey university enterprise club. She is looking to use her passion for people and the community to help young professionals develop and network to expand their skills and capabilities.