| Actionheroes
Find the best team to work with and you’ll accelerate the journey to goal achievement. Life has a funny habit of putting the right people in your path at the right time.
MEET THE TEAM THAT DELIVERS TRAKTION
Our people offer a compelling mix of financial, legal and business development knowledge, ensuring the best tax, performance and business advisory services for our valued clients. On top of that, they’re great at working out what’s stopping you and how to help you form an effective plan of action. Then they’ll stick with you through thick and thin to make sure the action happens.
GARETH YAXLEY
Founder, Director, Actionhero
BCom, CPA, PPC
Life is about kicking ass, not kissing it.
As a founding director of Traktion, Gaz harnesses his experience of playing financial wingman to some of Australasia’s most powerful business performers to help business owners ‘do what they love and love what they do’.
What gets Gareth bouncing out of bed each day is the joy of giving business owners the clarity and focus they need to get ahead and kick ass. He does this by combining his passion for new technology and solutions with innovative business strategies.
Like all good actionheroes, Gaz has a softer side. Outside the office you’ll find him playing on the beach with his kids and German Shepherd dog, or watching the sunset with a beer in hand. He’s also as adept at dribbling a hockey ball as he is at helping his clients to slam dunk their business goals.
Monique Hope-Pearson
Founder, Director, Actionhero
LLB, BA, IRM Cert, Lawyer
Mauri mahi, mauri ora (do the work, get the treats)
A founding director of Traktion, Mon sharpened her teeth at a Sydney law firm specialising in precise advice and clever manoeuvres for business owners and high net worth individuals. These days she’s an essential resource for Traktion clients who want to become a proud tall poppy in a business world of droopy daisies.
What Mon lacks in stature she makes up for in speed and insight – think Yoda, but quicker and better looking. Her other superpowers include killing exotic plants with a single glance and reading between the lines of a restraint of trade clause while mashing an avocado.
For Mon, taking it easy is out of the question when there are companies to structure, trusts to establish and 80s music to dance to. She can also speak fluent German Shepherd and walk faster than many people can run.
Gina Ferkins
Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.
With 16+ years in accounting and a sturdy farming background, Gina’s rock-solid in her expertise.
Outside of the office, she finds solace fishing or plotting her next adventure. But beneath her calm exterior lies a thrill-seeker who relishes spine-tingling movies and cherishes art, especially in the form of collecting her daughter’s tattoos.
With her experience and adventurous spirit, Gina brings excitement to finance and tackles numbers with style.
Lisa Glenister
Client Manager, Actionhero
Bachelor of Accountancy
Helping others is the secret sauce for a happy life.
A team player who loves to cheer our clients on to victory, Lisa has a work history that’s rich with gravitas and grandeur. Big names like BNZ and IRD are scattered around her CV like parsley on a cobb loaf (her favourite food).
Lisa certainly enjoys a challenge, whether that be a house renovation, F45 fitness workout or 1,000-piece puzzle. When she’s not digesting numbers, Lisa loves camping in summer, a red wine by the fire in winter and hanging out with her dog Muzzy in any season.
Ashley Kirk
Client Manager, Actionhero
Bachelor in Business (Accounting)
You have to be odd to be number one.
To quote Bruce Springsteen, Ashley was born in the USA. But we would argue that she was optimised in Gisborne, where she’s been happily ensconced since 2012.
As well as a head for business, Ash has a nose for numbers. The joy of helping our clients to understand the inner workings of their own personal economy is what gets her out of bed in the morning (although chances are she was already up with young kiddos).
A lover of tacos, espresso martinis and F45 workouts, Ash’s favourite weekend treat is shopping for good buys at the Gisborne Farmers’ Market followed by a lazy afternoon calculating how many grains of sand there are on Wainui Beach.
MEGAN DAMIRIS
Client Success Manager, Actionhero
Bachelor of Design
Surround yourself with good people.
Megan has a killer combination of strengths – real-world experience from running her own businesses (baby wear and delicatessen), design flair from working in the architectural and design sector, and people skills gained in a range of client-facing roles. As actionheroes go, she really packs a punch (in the nicest possible way). We reckon Megan’s spirit animal is the unicorn; she’s truly a rare beast.
You’ll meet Megan the moment you step into Traktion, because as client success manager she’s across everything we do and everyone we work for. Her ability to juggle multiple missions without ever dropping the ball ensures Traktion’s wheels roll smoothly.
Gizzy-born Megan loves kid time, friend time and beach time – preferably all at once. Having married into a Kiwi-Greek family, she periodically escapes to the other side of the world to bask in Mediterranean sunshine, spanakopita and ouzo on the rocks.
KATELYN GRIMSON
Assistant Accountant, Actionhero
Studying Bachelor of Accountancy
P: +64 6 863 0446 (ext.1669)
E: katelyn@traktion.co.nz
You get what you work for, not what you wish for.
Gizzy born and bred, Katelyn brings a delightful mix of professionalism and personality, adding a fresh and vibrant vibe to our team.
While Katelyn excels in handling spreadsheets and GST returns in between studying for her Bachelor of Accounting, she knows how to unwind, or rev up, with a Margarita in hand.
Beyond the world of numbers, she finds joy in the simple pleasures of life; you’re likely to find her strolling the boardwalk on an early morning walk with friends.
Monique Hope-Pearson
Founder, Director, Actionhero
LLB, BA, IRM Cert, Lawyer
Mauri mahi, mauri ora (do the work, get the treats)
A founding director of Traktion, Mon sharpened her teeth at a Sydney law firm specialising in precise advice and clever manoeuvres for business owners and high net worth individuals. These days she’s an essential resource for Traktion clients who want to become a proud tall poppy in a business world of droopy daisies.
What Mon lacks in stature she makes up for in speed and insight – think Yoda, but quicker and better looking. Her other superpowers include killing exotic plants with a single glance and reading between the lines of a restraint of trade clause while mashing an avocado.
For Mon, taking it easy is out of the question when there are companies to structure, trusts to establish and 80s music to dance to. She can also speak fluent German Shepherd and walk faster than many people can run.
GARETH YAXLEY
Founder, Director, Actionhero
BCom CPA
Life is about kicking ass, not kissing it.
As a founding director of Traktion, Gaz harnesses his experience of playing financial wingman to some of Australasia’s most powerful business performers to help business owners ‘do what they love and love what they do’.
What gets Gareth bouncing out of bed each day is the joy of giving business owners the clarity and focus they need to get ahead and kick ass. He does this by combining his passion for new technology and solutions with innovative business strategies.
Like all good actionheroes, Gaz has a softer side. Outside the office you’ll find him playing on the beach with his kids and German Shepherd dog, or watching the sunset with a beer in hand. He’s also as adept at dribbling a hockey ball as he is at helping his clients to slam dunk their business goals.
NATALIE SCOTT
Client Manager, Actionhero
BCom, CA
Put one foot in front of the other
A fearless member of the Dirty Tramps, a group of outdoor adventurers who laugh in the face of bad weather, Natalie is a financial mystic who adores a juicy Excel formula. She’s known for speaking her mind, developing cunning solutions to awkward business problems and dancing barefoot on the beach at sunrise.
Natalie is also a two-child parent, a negroni sipper and a seriously good listener. After presenting you with a plate of delicious home-baked goodies, she loves to dive deep into a meaningful conversation about things that really matter.
Ashley Kirk
Accountant, Actionhero
Bachelor in Business (Accounting)
You have to be odd to be number one.
To quote Bruce Springsteen, Ashley was born in the USA. But we would argue that she was optimised in Gisborne, where she’s been happily ensconced since 2012.
As well as a head for business, Ash has a nose for numbers. The joy of helping our clients to understand the inner workings of their own personal economy is what gets her out of bed in the morning (although chances are she was already up because baby Noah insisted).
A lover of tacos, espresso martinis and F45 workouts, Ash’s favourite weekend treat is shopping for good buys at the Gisborne Farmers’ Market followed by a lazy afternoon calculating how many grains of sand there are on Wainui Beach.
Lisa Burgess
Accountant, Actionhero
Bachelor of Accountancy
A team player who loves to cheer our clients on to victory, Lisa has a work history that’s rich with gravitas and grandeur. Big names like BNZ and IRD are scattered around her CV like parsley on a cobb loaf (her favourite food).
Lisa certainly enjoys a challenge, whether that be a house renovation, F45 fitness workout or 1,000-piece puzzle. When she’s not digesting numbers, Lisa loves camping in summer, a red wine by the fire in winter and hanging out with her dog Muzzy in any season.
MEGAN DAMIRIS
Client Success Manager, Actionhero
Bachelor of Design
Surround yourself with good people.
Megan has a killer combination of strengths – real-world experience from running her own businesses (baby wear and delicatessen), design flair from working in the architectural and design sector, and people skills gained in a range of client-facing roles. As actionheroes go, she really packs a punch (in the nicest possible way). We reckon Megan’s spirit animal is the unicorn; she’s truly a rare beast.
You’ll meet Megan the moment you step into Traktion, because as client success manager she’s across everything we do and everyone we work for. Her ability to juggle multiple missions without ever dropping the ball ensures Traktion’s wheels roll smoothly.
Gizzy-born Megan loves kid time, friend time and beach time – preferably all at once. Having married into a Kiwi-Greek family, she periodically escapes to the other side of the world to bask in Mediterranean sunshine, spanakopita and ouzo on the rocks.
What do you really want? From life? From business? Give us a call and let’s talk about it.
