The Interview

Rising to a wild new challenge

After living much of her working life overseas to date, Lisa Friis has now taken on a new challenge as CEO for WildTomato magazine and WildMedia. Editor Lynda Papesch finds the company’s new chief is a determined DIYer who lives by the creed that women can do anything.

PHOTOGRAPHY AIMEE JULES

Experts say that to understand the child, one should look to the parents. WildTomato’s new CEO Lisa Friis is an excellent example of that. Full of praise for her upbringing, she credits her parents, especially the example from her mother, with helping to shape her into the strong, successful individual that she is today.

Along the way she faced numerous challenges such as learning to live and work with dyslexia and in male-dominated working environments. With no university qualification to her name, she has risen high in investment banking internationally in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Now she’s using her considerable skills to continue the success of Nelson Tasman and Marlborough’s only local lifestyle magazine WildTomato and its marketing and social media arm WildMedia. Born in Auckland to Danish parents, Karen Elisabeth Friis – aka Lisa – is a first-generation Kiwi, unashamedly proud of

her birth country. Indeed, wanting her daughter Charlotte to have a ‘Kiwi kid’ upbringing is what brought her home to New Zealand and specifically to Nelson Tasman after decades of working abroad.

She grew up in Auckland after mum Vibeke married her dad Peter and migrated there from Scandinavia. “Mum arrived in New Zealand aged 21 and pregnant, ready to start a new life. Mum and Dad have always been such hard workers, they don’t do I can’t. They thrived and so did we.”

Her mother, she explains is Danish but grew up in Sweden where she went to an elite photography school, notwithstanding the fact it was a male-only domain. In Auckland, Vibeke and Peter ran their own business with Lisa and her siblings helping out and learning valuable skills along the way. “Slave labour,” laughs Lisa fondly.

A move from Titirangi to a four hectare lifestyle block at Kumeu when she was nine brought new impetus for Lisa and the start of a life-long love affair with animals. “I loved it; I’d spend all my spare time on the farm with Dad, such a great childhood; I was a complete tomboy.”

In the meantime she struggled through school because of her dyslexia, until her mother came to the fore, helping with special tutorial sessions during the day.

“I remember saying to my mother a few years back that I would give my right arm not to be dyslexic; that if I could spell I could rule the world. Her answer was that if I had been able to spell, I wouldn’t have had the challenges that I overcame to be the person I am today.”

With no university qualification to her name, she has risen high in investment banking internationally in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“It’s really important to accept and appreciate your imperfections; to know your strengths and weaknesses and to accept who you are. If you can do that then there are no limits to what you can achieve.”

She admits that life is not always easy being dyslexic, but adds “while that is part of who I am, it has never held me back”. Both her parents were enablers, which helped develop her own do anything philosophy, DIY attitude and strength of character. “They’re fantastic; I am no longer young but they still have my back.”

From her mother she learned that she could reach for the stars and she decided from a young age that she wanted to either be just like her photographer mother or to work with animals. “Mum was capable of doing anything and everything, and I cannot imagine not having animals in my life.”

It was her father’s love of geography, history and travel however that shaped her first career move. “He travelled a lot and it rubbed off on me.” Lisa first took to the skies on her own aged 11 when she visited cousins in Los Angeles. “I worked for my parents and around the neighbourhood for a year to pay for the airfare,” she recalls.

Seeing the world A few years on she got a job as receptionist in a travel agency and dived headfirst into seeing the world. “I moved from reception into wholesale travel, looking at destinations, putting tours together. I loved it.”

While at high school she’d met her future husband Graeme Peacock and in 1988 they left for Europe on their OE. “We went for one year; I came back 27 years later in 2015!”

During that time the world was her proverbial oyster. A selfconfessed ski fanatic, she’s skied all over Europe, backpacked around Africa and spent time in Italy learning Italian. Eastern Europe and South America are still on her travel bucket list. Graeme and Lisa spent 13 years in the UK where they were married then a further 14 in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. The first decade was spent in the travel industry in a variety of roles, including one of her favourites in sales and marketing for Air New Zealand in London. While in London Lisa also discovered a knack for IT, eventually signing on as Trading Floor IT support with internationally renowned Deutsche Bank.

Above: Clockwise -Lisa at the helm; below - Lisa and her cousin Kate Wilton, visiting from the UK, with Kate’s grandson Noah Wilton

Opposite page: Clockwise - New WildTomato CEO Lisa Friis; sisters AnneMarie, left and Lisa, centre with their mum Vibeke

“For some reason IT just makes sense to me. I became the first female IT support person on the trading floor at Deutsche Bank, traders are an interesting lot !”

Again she credits her upbringing and her parents with her success. “They empowered me; encouraging me to ‘give it a go’ and to use my initiative. The result is a hard-working Kiwi ethos with problem-solving fundamental to who I am.”

Rising up the Deutsche Bank promotions ladder, Lisa became IT manager for money markets trading group, then branched out into IT project work for the bank, helping to develop systems that were rolled out all around the world.

That included Sydney, Australia, where the family moved in 2001 and where daughter Charlotte was born. After six years in Australia, the family headed for Singapore then Hong Kong when other Deutsche Bank job opportunities arose for Lisa. “We stayed four years in Singapore then almost five in Hong Kong where I was COO of corporate finance Asia for Deutsche Bank, one of my most exciting roles.”

Wrapping up 17 years with the bank, she decided it was time to “come home”.

“Graeme and I had separated – although we remain really good friends – and I wanted Charlotte to live a Kiwi life.

“My parents retired to Nelson Tasman 16 years ago, my older sister Anne-Marie (marketing manager for foodservices at Ōra King) has lived here for about 20 years and I have an older half-brother John who lives at Marahau. I’d visited often and love the region so it was an obvious choice, family and a beautiful place.”

The move proved a huge change from an expat life with amazing holidays, exotic locations and live-in home help to Nelson Tasman and a Kiwi lifestyle. “My sister Anne-Maire was amazing, she introduced me to the joys on living in Nelson, there is so much to do here.

“Initially there was a level of re-connecting with family, enjoying Kiwi summers and Christmases etc and no real plans. I needed some down time.”

Above: Clockwise - Lisa with Søren Jensen (Lisa’s uncle) and Rebecca Sheppard on a weekend cruise on Hong Kong harbour; with George her horse

Opposite page: Clockwise - From left, Jacquai Patchett, Mel Neilson, Lisa Friis and Ang Kondo at Huka Falls during their road trip; Lisa and her daughter Charlotte having a laugh; Bella playing fetch at Tahunanui Beach

Six months after moving back, she bought a home and started looking for something she could ‘sink her teeth into’. “I didn’t want to work in finance; I wanted something I could believe in, build up and be proud of.” That’s when Lisa came across Plantae Certified Organic Skincare which wanted to expand into the overseas market. She invested, joined the board and after six months stepped in as CEO for the company until the brand was sold to new owners. In the meantime living in Nelson Tasman enabled the family to embrace its fondness for animals, adding George, a thoroughbred horse, Bella, a border collie/blue heeler dog and latterly a new border collie/husky/staffy puppy Codie for Charlotte to the mix.

A call from a friend, former WildTomato manager Laura Loghry, proved the opening for yet another career change.

“WildTomato is such a quality product and there is nothing else to match it in the Top of the South.

“Laura was taking on a new challenge herself and looking for someone to fill her role. She asked me if I’d be interested. I’m not one to say ‘no’ to an opportunity especially if it is a challenge so I talked with Laura and WildTomato owner Jack Martin and became really excited about it. Now here I am as CEO.”

New challenges New to the magazine industry, Lisa sees some irony in her being dyslexic and working in the print/media industry, but also knows that although spelling is a challenge dyslexics are visual thinkers, which is great graphically and subscribes to the ‘get on with it’ business ethos and is fast becoming familiar with the magazine and its social media/marketing off-shoot WildMedia. “Luckily I’m part of an excellent team with an experienced editor and a proofreader. “WildTomato is such a quality product and there is nothing else to match it in the Top of the South. I’d previously flicked through it regularly so when I came on board I was already a big fan. I love its quality, the feel of the magazine and its uniqueness.”

While it’s early days and too early in the job to complete the vision of where the company will go, Lisa’s already working on several ideas for both WildTomato and WildMedia. “The magazine is already very successful, well read and a quality product so initially I’m familiarising myself with it and its demographic and then we’ll start looking at how we can improve on that. And the WildMedia offering is exciting and is such a great opportunity. I’m always out to conquer the world! A single parent for over four years now, she’s determined to empower daughter Charlotte Peacock (15), a year 11 student at Nelson College for Girls, in the same way she was by her parents. “Charlotte’s my best friend and my child; she has amazing empathy and is fun to be with. We work well together and she genuinely likes me as a friend and her mum.”

One of people’s biggest limiting factors, Lisa believes, is a lack of belief in themselves. “It’s really important to accept and appreciate your imperfections; to know your strengths and weaknesses and to accept who you are. If you can do that then there are no limits to what you can achieve.”

Life in Nelson Tasman Her return to New Zealand and life in Nelson Tasman was another challenge to be overcome, but more than four years down the track Lisa couldn’t be happier with her decision to return and put down Kiwi roots.

“I didn’t actually think I would ever come back to New Zealand to live and without a doubt I miss Hong Kong, my friends and my life there. Now I am so appreciative of my life in New Zealand, especially when I see the terrible pain that Hong Kong has been going through with the riots and now the coronavirus threats.”

Nelson Tasman, she says, is a great place to live. “We have the best dog beach; I get such joy out of taking Bella down there. And if I’m tired of the beach there are some great runs you can do with your dog.”

Since her arrival she’s added netball to her sporting repertoire. “I’m very proud to be part of the Rival netball club. I joined in 2016 and just love my netball family. We moved up to Senior 1 last season; an awesome achievement from the most lovely team.” The team is always out to win, she adds, yet the members are all great friends and very supportive of each other on and off

Photo: Vibeke Friis Photo: Ana Galloway

“We have the best dog beach; I get such joy out of taking Bella down there. And if I’m tired of the beach there are some great runs you can do with your dog.”

the court. “I can’t wait for the winter season to start. I love the fact that I am still playing at this level and secretly a bit proud that I have so many years on the rest of the team.”

Family and friends Having family so close after living overseas for so many years is a huge blessing in her life, she says. And so too is making new friends!

“Living closer to my parents, my sister and brother and their families is fabulous, especially now that I am not just an occasional visitor to New Zealand.

“I also have some crazy new friends who really make me laugh and we have such good times together. I’ve just been on a fantastic road trip with the girls to Tauranga for the Cold Chisel concert in early February; what amazing memories.”

Now she’s looking forward to many more happy memories with family, friends and the team at WildTomato!