Purposeful time

Time is a finite resource. Live a purposeful life.

Gilligan Sheppard invites you to hear from three great business leaders; Leslie Preston founder of Bachcare, Stefan Preston from Rose & Thorne and Joshna Mistry from Gilligan Sheppard. Listen to some of their behind the scenes stories and sharing lessons of how, where and when to spend your time in a purposeful manner.

This is by personal invitation only, please contact marketing@gilshep.co.nz if you would like to attend. Thank you.

Leslie Preston

Originally from New York, Leslie Preston founded Bachcare Holiday Homes in 2003. Bachcare has grown to become the leading full-service holiday home rental management company in New Zealand and the largest in Australasia, and was named one of The World’s Top 20 Vacation Rental Companies in 2019. In early 2019, Bachcare was successfully sold to UK private equity backed Sykes Holiday Cottages. Having completed the handover, she stepped down as CEO at the end of last year.

Previously, Leslie had a successful corporate career, including KPMG Peat Marwick and Bankers Trust in NYC, and Boston Consulting Group and BellSouth / Vodafone in New Zealand. Senior management roles included GM – Marketing, GM – Customer Operations, GM – Corporate Development, and Head of Strategy.

Her educational background includes an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BA from Franklin and Marshall College (Phi Beta Kappa and Cum Laude).

Leslie thrives and adds the most value when she is involved in companies that are guided by clarity of purpose and values, operate with an ethos of getting shit done, and strive to continuously make a difference.

Stefan Preston

Stefan is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished CEO’s and is interested in consumer-oriented businesses operating with a high level of design and leveraging digital technologies.

Graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering, Stefan worked in the heavy construction industry before going on to complete an MBA at Stanford. He then worked as a strategic management consultant in San Francisco.

Completing several successful turn-around CEO roles with Whitcoulls, Pacific Retail Group, Bendon, as well as an active non-executive director in companies including Magic Memories, Carpet Court and the Sleepyhead Group, Stefan has worked within a range of companies with a $150M – $600M turnover.

In 2011, Stefan co-founded the lingerie company Rose & Thorne, where he is now non-exec director. He firmly believes in designing every aspect of the company around user insights, commercial viability and future-focused vision.

Stefan has also been on the NZTE Beachheads Advisory Board for 13 years and is the lead designer of its successful Fresh Thinking program. Beachheads is a global network of experienced growth-business leaders assisting New Zealand companies to grow more efficiently and effectively.

Meaning Technology was co-founded by Stefan in 2017. It has a bold vision to use data-centric technologies to consolidate data at the enterprise level to enable businesses to significantly reduce their marginal costs and deliver seamless customer experiences.

Stefan is the recipient of the 2015 Fuji Xerox/ AUT Business Leadership Award.

The Prestons

Ingenio is the Preston’s private investment and consulting business founded in 1998.  It has become a platform that the Prestons work in together, combining their talents to blend the worlds of creating strategies and then executing them.  Ingenio endeavours to stay on the leading edge in business thinking, continuing to deliver high-quality work to their clients.

Leslie and Stefan have been married for 27 years and have two children, both in university.

Joshna Mistry

Joshna has over fifteen years’ experience in Chartered Accountancy, is the newest partner of the Gilligan Sheppard firm and leads the Value Added Services team specialising in transactions, strategies and forensics.

Joshna’s specific skills and passion are in business and share valuations. She also provides litigation support, including forensic analysis. Litigation culture always involves time pressure while having to remain at peak mental performance.

With her advanced analytical and financial modelling skills, she is also a passionate strategist, providing support for businesses with strategic and operational review work as part of the wider team.

Tasked with leading and working within the Value Added Services Team requires constant management of time which includes both that of her team, that of her clients which sometimes includes managing expectations, and of course her own time working both in and on the business.

As important to Joshna as all of the above is growing and supporting talent and contributing to the success of the “whole”, her personal and professional growth, and quality time with her family and friends.