Meet the team

The 2013 Rotary GSE team from District 9930 comprises five members and our fabulous team leader.

Leonie Tisch (team leader)
As a Local Government politician in my third term and a Director of two property-owing companies, my areas of interest are local government legislation, land subdivision and development. I am also a director of a community health facility.

I am married to Lindsay and live in Matamata. Lindsay is the Member of Parliament for Waikato. We have two children Andrea (33) a chartered accountant and Karl (31), owner of two pubs in London.

Outside of work, I am interested in international travel, golf, walking and the arts.

Nadia Burborough (team member)
Working a Business Analyst/Project Manager for the Information Systems department at Lakes District Health Board, I use a lot of my psychology/change management background, as well as understanding the technical side of the projects to hand.

My husband Darren owns Speedy Signs and EmbroidMe in Rotorua – both are worldwide franchises (Speedy Signs is known as Sign-a-rama in the rest of the world). We have two children – Grace (6 going on 16!), and Oliver (2 1/2 ) who is the clown of the family. We have a lot of fun together.

Outside of work, my biggest involvement is with my children. They are both at such a fun age, and I really enjoy being a mum to them.

Dan Phillips (team member)
I work as an OperationsEengineer in the project services team at the Rotorua office of Opus International Consultants Ltd. Opus is primarily an engineering consultant although specialises in other areas such as architecture and planning. The team I work in focuses on capital projects in the region where we design and manage construction of the various projects.

I have a younger brother who lives in Western Australia. My parents, both teachers, live in Rotorua. I live with my girlfriend of three years, Jenha, who works for the Rotorua District Council as a Trade Marketing Co-ordinator.

Outside of work, I have a keen interest in sports and the outdoors. I get involved in mountain biking in the local forest where there is a sophisticated trail network. I also enjoy water sports such as wake-skating, wakeboarding and surfing. In the winter I enjoy snowboarding.

Stephen Thomson (team member)

I am a consultant for AgFirst in Gisborne. I produce business plan for properties and closely with farm managers make sure business plans are implemented. I am responsible for driving income for the business and facilitate a number of groups and events including the annual Farmer of the Year which involves around 300 people.

Bruce Togia (team member)

I work as a Claims Supervisor at the Hamilton Processing Centre, Earthquake Commission (EQC). EQC provides insurance cover for insured homeowners in the event of a natural disaster causing damage to contents, building and land. I manage two teams, each comprising a team leader, a technical claims advisor and up to 15 claims advisors.

I am the youngest of three siblings. My own three children (James, 12;; Dante, 10; Taledzha, 7) live in Samoa. I live with my partner, Candice and her son, Tyrone (10). My interests include outdoor exercise and weight training.

Simone Walker (team member)

I work as a Communications Advisor in the Marketing and Communications team at Scion. Scion is a Crown Research Institute that specialises in research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood product and wood-derived materials and other biomaterial sectors. I work across the areas of internal communications, event management and sponsorship.

I have two younger sisters, Sarah (25) and Brittany (21). My father is a logging contractor and my mother a nurse. I live with my boyfriend of seven years, Brendan, and our dog Shaun. Outside of work, I have a keen interest in acting, reading and music.