Rewired Consulting Podcast

In this podcast we were very excited to finally get Peter Muggleston as a guest.

Peter most recently was the Chief Digital Officer at Mitre 10 and brings an impressive executive career, having held leadership roles across Mitre 10, Tower Insurance, Foodstuffs North Island, and ASB Bank.

His experience spans retail, financial services, insurance, and the energy sector, giving him a unique perspective on leadership, digital transformation, and innovation.

In this episode we learn more about Peter’s career journey, from leading technology and transformation initiatives to driving digital transformation and AI adoption at Mitre 10.

We'll also dive into his perspective on the future of technology, the evolving role of AI, and what business leaders should be thinking about as the pace of innovation continues to accelerate.

We are back after an extended break with our first episode of season three and guest of 2026, Stephen Aitken.

Stephen is a technology and business leader with more than 25 years of experience across consulting, digital transformation, data, and AI, including scaling and leading high-growth technology businesses both in New Zealand and internationally.

Stephen began his career in technology here in New Zealand before moving to the UK, where he stepped into senior leadership roles and gained international experience that helped shape his career and leadership style.

He’s now the founder of Manuka AI, helping Kiwi businesses understand and adopt AI in practical ways as we move into the next phase of rapid AI transformation.

In today’s conversation, we’ll talk about Stephen’s early career journey, the lessons from his time in the UK, the vision behind Manuka AI, and how he sees the New Zealand technology industry evolving over the coming years.

In our final episode of 2025, we were thrilled to be joined by Peter Goodman, one of New Zealand’s leading engineering executives. With a career spanning several innovative global product companies, Peter now serves as SVP of Engineering at Auror, where he’s helping shape the future of retail crime intelligence. Originally from Derry City in Ireland, it was a real pleasure to have him on the show.

In this episode, Peter reflects on his early career, his transition from hands-on technical work into people and organisational leadership, how AI is already transforming productivity in engineering teams, and the emerging roles he expects to rise in prominence in the years ahead.

In Episode 18 of the Rewired Consulting Podcast we sat down with Abhishek Bedi.

Abhishek is a seasoned technology leader with experience spanning digital platforms, web and mobile development, embedded systems, and artificial intelligence.

Over the years, he has partnered closely with executive teams to build high-performing groups, identify growth opportunities, and deliver meaningful business outcomes.

For the past seven years, Abhishek has been part of one of New Zealand’s most well-known brands — Mitre 10.

In his current role as Applications Manager for Digital Channels, he and his team are leading the company’s AI strategy and DevOps transformation, driving Mitre 10’s broader digital evolution and enhancing customer engagement.

In this episode, we’re chatting with Abhishek to learn more about his career journey and his path as an entrepreneur, his passion for people leadership, his work in advancing AI adoption, and his perspective on the future of technology in New Zealand.

In this episode of the Rewired Consulting Podcast, we are excited to welcome Anna Cupples.

Anna is currently the Head of Engineering at Trade Me, one of New Zealand most iconic businesses.

More than that she’s also a former triathlete, and an Ironwoman—and she brings that same energy and competitive spirit to the way she leads and grows high-performing teams in tech.

In today’s episode, we explore:

- Her beginnings and how she found her way into engineering

- The incredible opportunity she had to work in the United States with Orion Health, and what it taught her about ambition, perspective, and grit

- Her passion for Ironman training and how that endurance mindset shows up in her leadership

- And her experience building strong teams, mentoring others, and stepping fully into her role as a leader and culture-shaper

This was a great chat, hope you enjoy the show.

In Episode 15 of the Rewired Consulting Podcast we speak to Graeme Jackson, General Manager of Data and Analytics at Vector, New Zealand’s largest distributor of electricity and gas.

Originally from Scotland, Graeme made the move to New Zealand back in 2020.

Graeme is an experienced data, analytics and AI expert with significant experience across the energy and utilities sector. Graeme has deep functional and technical expertise in data transformation, data governance and management, advanced analytics, AI and deep learning.

As a data veteran Graeme delivers both the technical and non-technical parts to all transformations.

Graeme holds a Master of Science from the UCL where he specialised in Machine learning and a Master of Engineering from the University of Strathclyde.

We talk to Graeme about his career to date, his passion for Data & Analytics and how it is evolving in NZ, what he sees the future of technology looking like, and the type of work that might become more prevalent as businesses adopt the work of AI.

In Episode 16 of the Rewired Consulting Podcast we speak to Dave Payne.

Dave is a leadership practitioner with over 25 years in the workforce, and he’s spent the last 15 of those in senior leadership roles. Currently, he serves as a Director at Datacom, New Zealand’s largest and longest-standing technology and professional services provider. But his leadership journey doesn’t stop there.

Before stepping into the tech sector, Dave was Chief Operating Officer at New Zealand Football, where he played a key role in guiding the operations of the country’s largest participation sport. Under his leadership, the game—particularly Futsal—saw exponential growth and deep community engagement.

In this episode, we’re diving into Dave’s leadership journey—from the early days of his career and what brought him to New Zealand, to building national sports programs, and now helping lead innovation in the tech industry.

We’ll also look ahead to the future of technology in Aotearoa—what’s changing, where the opportunities lie, and how AI and emerging tools are shaping the next chapter of productivity and leadership.

In Episode 14 of the Rewired Consulting Podcast, we were joined by Paul Stevens.

Originally from Northeast England, Paul’s career had humble beginnings—selling car accessories from a small shop in Whitley Bay, a charming coastal town near Newcastle upon Tyne. But his journey took a big turn when he emigrated to New Zealand after finishing school, diving into the world of banking and finance before making his way into tech.

Paul’s love for problem-solving and people led him to Air New Zealand’s IT Service Desk, a job he adored because it allowed him to chat with people all day and help them out—a theme that has continued throughout his career. With Air NZ investing in his IT training, Paul built a thriving career in project delivery, working across industries to lead complex programs, develop PMOs, and establish successful portfolios.

With over 30 years of experience driving transformation across business and shared service portfolios, Paul brings a pragmatic, results-driven approach to leadership. He’s improved delivery capacity, enhanced efficiency, and built high-performing teams across industries including telco, finance, media, healthcare, insurance, and not-for-profit sectors. Whether it's HR, cybersecurity, health and safety, or cloud transformation programs, Paul focuses on governance, culture, and sustainable success—without losing sight of the customer.

Outside of work, Paul is a dedicated family man—married with a daughter who now calls Sydney home. Once dreaming of a career in music, he played in several bands over the years, and while he may not be selling out stadiums, he keeps his passion alive through an ever-growing vinyl collection.

We hope you enjoy this episode discussing Paul's early career, passion for transformation, leadership and the learnings he has gained through his experiences.

In Episode 13 of the Rewired Consulting Podcast, we are joined by Dr Dani Chesson, who is the Founder & Director of the Design Thinker Institute.

Originally from the United States she is a multi-disciplinary practitioner who leverages human-centered design, behavioral science, and organizational development to help organizations get unstuck and drive impactful outcomes.

She has worked with organizations (Bank of America, HSBC, Westpac NZ, BNZ, AIG NZ, ASB, Fonterra, Stats NZ,Health NZ) in the USA and NZ.

Dani’s work focuses on help HR, Operational, and Tech leaders prove tricky business challenges and drive impactful outcomes.

We chat about her early career and how that led to NZ, the challenges and successes she had on that journey, the genesis and value of proposition of the Design Thinker Institutes and the trends and opportunities she sees for 2025.

We hope you enjoy the episode.

To kick off Season 2 of the Rewired Consulting Podcast, Directors David Ferguson and Sean Patterson talk about how they got into the Recruitment Industry, why they created Rewired Consulting and the value they can bring to the market with their experience and approach.

They also review 2024 and talk about their predictions for 2025.

If you would prefer to watch the video version of the podcast, please visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@RewiredConsultingPodcast