Heidi Gillingham

Program Director, Go With Tourism

Heidi Gillingham is one of New Zealand’s up-and-coming tourism leaders.

Having been in the industry in one way or another since leaving high school, it’s no surprise that her path in life led her to the adventure capital of the world. Originally from the UK, Queenstown was her home for seven years before relocating to Auckland in 2022.

Heidi progressed to the role of Programme Director for Go with Tourism after spending 18 months as a regional coordinator for the initiative, managing the Education Programme and other youth-oriented initiatives. Her previous work experience includes human resource management, and training and development with Taco Medic, AJ Hackett Bungy and Queenstown Resort College. In 2019, she won the HR New Zealand Emerging Practitioner of the Year Award.

Heidi’s motto is “work hard, play hard”. While she is a strong believer that good results come directly from hard work, she is equally adamant that success is found when one can switch off at the end of the day and enjoy life outside of the ‘office’.