Our People
Passionate, highly-skilled and diverse: Our awesome team deliver mahi that is useful, actionable, and meaningful.
Sara Van der Velde
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She keeps the fluids topped up and the wheels turning. Sara is the strategy behind Nicholson Consulting, the glue that keeps our close-knit team bonded. We have been growing rapidly since early 2019 and Sara has been the driving force behind establishing business processes as we flourish.
She is a creative realist who is solution focussed and caring in everything she does. With over 15 years’ experience working in the IT sector, she has a passion for leveraging technology to drive positive change in business and society. Sara also carries a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration in Marketing, HRIR, and Commercial Law.
All Sara needs to bounce out of bed in the morning is the sun, the birds, and an intense workout to get her blood pumping – if her daughter hasn’t woken her first. She loves being a part of a big family, and is leaning into the ethos that 'each small step we take, can have global impact' - so step wisely. When she isn’t at work or with her family and friends, Sara enjoys finding pockets of time to focus on self-care through yoga, massage or just a good book.
Dr. Todd Nicholson
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Nicholson Consulting literally would not be what it is today without the bloke himself. Fast forward 15 years down the track, he’s outsourced the ‘day to day’ of the business so he can concentrate his efforts on what he enjoys the most – the analytics. Todd is one of our Service Leads by day, and co-director with his wife (Pip Nicholson) by night.
Armed with his extensive knowledge of advanced statistics, machine learning and AI, Todd strives to identify business problems that can be solved in a transparent way using data with the drive to make those solutions as simple as possible. Todd is accompanied with over 15 years of experience delivering transparent and simple solutions to complex business problems across the government, private and charitable sectors. He also holds an award-winning PhD, a Bachelor of Science with honours (Mathematics) and has taught over 100 courses in data science and analytics.
Todd’s most interesting dataset he has worked with was data from underground nuclear weapons tests. He used this data to test a real time, machine learning algorithm that he developed to pinpoint the locations of earthquakes more accurately. Outside of tinkering with data, Todd enjoys spending time with his children, playing games with Andy, baking with Lizzy, and having fun with the family. A message of warning though - you better be careful if you leave the salt and vinegar chips or Maltesers out, they might mysteriously disappear while Todd is in the office…
Conrad MacCormick
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Conrad is one of our highly skilled Analytics Leads who is passionate about exploring, analysing and solving problems using data. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and brings a wealth of knowledge from previous work experience with Statistics NZ, Ministry of Social Development, Social Investment Agency (now the Social Wellbeing Agency) and the Electricity Authority.
Conrad is our one-stop wizard when it comes to building web applications using R Shiny. In addition to R, Conrad is proficient in SAS, SQL and Python.
He is fascinated by the magnitude of information stored in the IDI and enjoys making new discoveries by joining together datasets that have never been joined before. Navigating the nuances of large scale datasets doesn’t faze Conrad as long as he has a packet of gummy worms to keep him going. He enjoys spending time with his wonderful family outside of work and doesn’t even need an alarm – he has a toddler instead!
Jontelle Marino
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With over 15 years’ experience in customer focused roles, ranging from Barista to Facilities Management and Billing Specialists, Jontelle found her passion in Coordination and Projects and joined the Nicholson Whānau as our Project Manager. Jontelle defines herself as someone who is very competitive and can be known as a bit of a perfectionist, so something that bothers her are people not wearing matching socks. Coordination really is her passion in not only mahi, but also in fashion!
Holding 9 years of experience in the telecommunication industry with 6 years in coordination of medium to large projects in the enterprise space, Jontelle is driven to succeed and accomplish anything she puts her mind to.
If it wasn’t an alarm clock waking Jontelle up in the morning, it would be the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. In her spare time, she loves to hit the netball courts or just spend quality time with whānau and friends
Tori Van Loenhout
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Senior Data Scientist Tori brings a range of expertise to our continuously growing team. Tori has done a great deal of awesome work that aligns closely with our vision. Previously, she worked as a Senior Analyst at the Ministry of Health on the BreastScreen Aotearoa funding model to promote more equitable screening throughout New Zealand, along with other work including generating research data for the cervical cancer screening programme.
Tori has a Master of Public Health, with a particular interest in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. On the Data Science front, her skills include extensive knowledge in programming such as SQL and R. In the time-outside-work-front, her skills include devoting time to her dogs, trying to teach them to talk with buttons and dressing them up so they get extra attention and extra treats.
Tori explains herself as a puzzle enthusiast, she likes to move data around her head like puzzle pieces until the puzzle is solved. The things that make her feel fulfilled is the satisfaction of doing a good job on a difficult piece of work and stretching herself to learn new skills and exceed her own expectations.
Pip Nicholson
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Just like any great mother, Pip is the one you can always rely on to keep track of those complex, forgotten tasks. She has been a pillar of the business since day one, when Todd and Pip set up Nicholson Consulting almost 13 years ago. Today, her and Todd are co-directors and Pip continues to manage the financial area of the business while raising her 2 children from the comfort of home.
Pip has a background in research, evaluation, and logistics. Her high attention to detail and strong organisational skills ensure the business is always running smoothly. Prior to establishing the business, Pip studied at Victoria University, worked as a Research and Evaluation officer for the Australian Department of Education and Training in Canberra, and an Advisor at the NZ Ministry of Education among other roles.
Activities that are likely to put a smile on Pip’s face include: Making the most of a sunny day, spending time with her family, and going dancing with her friends. Pip is also a fan of indulging in a wine, cheese or chocolate (or all three at once).
Dr. Hubert Zal
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Hubert is the fourth member of our team to specialise in geophysics at Nicholson Consulting. He spent much of his life in the USA, where he completed a BSc and MSc in Geophysics at the University of Rochester, New York, before moving to Wellington to earn his PhD in Geophysics and Seismology at Victoria University of Wellington. With a strong foundation in research and quantitative analysis, Hubert enjoys making sense of complex data and turning it into clear, practical insights that help people make better decisions. His curiosity and love of problem-solving naturally drew him into the world of Data Science, where he combines coding, statistics, and spatial data to uncover new perspectives.
He describes himself as a ‘DIY kind of guy’; equally at home debugging code, fixing something around the house, or tuning up motorcycles. For him, having the right tools—whether digital or physical—means being ready to take on new challenges. Outside of work, Hubert is happiest outdoors. He often spends weekends riding motorcycles or mountain bikes with his wife and friends, exploring Wellington’s rugged South Coast and enjoying the adventures it has to offer.
Linda Martis
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Optimistic, inquisitive and adventurous, Linda’s openness to new experiences has been a driving force in her life. Originally based in Kuwait, Linda has travelled across the globe, living in India before settling in Aotearoa. Linda’s career too has evolved. Linda has previously worked in accounting and auditing roles for Swiss Re, KPMG, the Ministry of Social Development and the Earthquake Commission, before making the switch to data science.
Before joining Nicholson Consulting, Linda worked analysing breast cancer screening data at Volpara Health Technologies. Linda holds a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics from Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington and qualifications in psychology, statistics, data science, auditing and accounting.
Curious by nature, it comes as no surprise that Linda fills her time with a wide range of hobbies and interests such as reading, cooking, biking, jazz singing and several side projects. However, it is her relationships with her family and friends that bring Linda the most joy. One of Linda’s favourite things to do is call her nieces in Toronto while sipping on a strong cup of tea.
Dr. Sarah Underwood
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Born and raised in England, Sarah came to the land of the long white cloud 20 years ago where she has now settled with her husband, two teenagers and their guinea pigs. Despite being in Aotearoa for over two decades, her love of tea, teacakes and English football reminds us that she is still a Brit at heart.
An inquisitive person by nature, Sarah has worn many hats over the course of her career. Some of her highlights include working as a process development engineer and making active ingredients for anticancer drugs. More recently, Sarah has been working in the public health environment, coordinating information for clinicians from diagnostic testing laboratories and working as part of the COVID-19 response. Sarah holds a Master of Science and a PhD in Biochemical Engineering. For her PhD she looked at processes for making a skin replacement out of proteins from blood.
In the last few years, Sarah has started diving deeper into the world of data science. After reviewing her previous roles, Sarah realised the work she found most rewarding was handling data and using it to draw conclusions and assist in decision making. This led her to pursue a career in data science and complete a Graduate Diploma in Applied Statistics from Massey University. Here at Nicholson Consulting, Sarah is keen to channel her passion for data to deliver mahi that is useful for people and communities.
In her spare time Sarah likes to get outside as much as possible - whether that is tramping, biking, walking, or swimming in the sea. Sarah is a big fan of orienteering (she describes her sense of direction as her secret talent!) and enjoys the combination of physical activity and mental challenge, as well as getting the chance to visit amazing new locations. Sarah also provides navigation coaching for her daughter’s school adventure racing team.
When she is not exploring the outdoors, you may find Sarah hanging out with her family over a board game or keeping an eye on the English Premier League.
Stacey Dobbie
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With 12 years of experience in the data and analytics space, Stacey brings a wealth of expertise to the Nicholson Consulting team. Kind, supportive and analytical, Stacey is passionate about using data to better understand communities in Aotearoa and to create a positive social impact.
Stacey has worked for a range of non-profit, NGO and government organisations over her career, particularly in the health space. Stacey’s previous role was at Manatū Hauora as a Principal Analyst, where she helped monitor and analyse the performance of districts and hospitals across Aotearoa. In 2015, Stacey graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a Master of Science in Statistics.
Outside of work, one of Stacey’s biggest passions is dance. Stacey attends weekly adult ballet classes where she enjoys learning new routines and perfecting her technique. Stacey also volunteers her time for the charity What Dance Can Do (WDCD) New Zealand where she helps set up dance community programmes across Porirua.
When she’s not exploring the worlds of dance and data, Stacey enjoys travelling with friends and family to experience new food, cultures, and landscapes.
Dion O’Neale
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Bursting through the doors of NC after another run is ourAnalytics Lead Dion. Dion can be easily recognised by his fantastic beard which gives even Gandalf a run for his money.
Curious about the world and wanting to understand it, Dion studied Maths and Physics. Over time, this has turned into working mostly in the area of data analytics and mathematical modelling. Dion has spent his career working on a variety of fascinating projects from constructing social networks for pre-European Aotearoa using obsidian artefacts, through to using IDI data on educational enrolments to understand why some groups are under-represented in STEM study. He was also involved in Aotearoa’s response to COVID-19 - He can handle the pressure!
Dion was well known to NC prior to joining, working with several of our staff through different projects: Tikanga in Technology, and the COVID-19 Modelling Aotearoa work. All of our staff can comfortably say he’s great to work with and can tell a great story - ask him about being a drone co-pilot in Antarctica.
Dion spends his weekends as a volunteer coach for the junior athletics at Owairaka Athletics, but in the off season he can be found brewing and drinking the finest craft beer Aotearoa has to offer.
Ed Nugent
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Dynamic, curious and multi-talented, Ed, our Operations Coordinator, can tackle almost any task that comes his way.
Originally from England, Ed arrived on the shores of Aotearoa 7 years ago where he now lives with his wife and young son.
A true career chameleon, Ed has brought his skills to a wide range of domains including project management, stakeholder engagement, transport planning, marketing, analytics, event management – the list goes on! In the UK, Ed was part of the economic evaluation and modelling team that helped bring the first phase of the UK High Speed 2 project to Royal Assent.
Lucky for us, Ed has brought these same chameleon-like abilities to his operations coordinator role, making him our go-to-guy for all our office needs.
In his spare time, Ed enjoys immersing himself in the grim, dark fantasy worlds of tabletop wargaming, particularly Warhammer 40,000. Continuing with the model building theme Ed is also a huge fan of building Japanese robot kits (Gunpla), with a huge half-meter tall kit in his sights if or when the current backlog of 12 is completed.
Koren Rangitutia