Kerry McLeod is Head of Philanthropy and Engagement at the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand, where she leads fundraising, marketing, supporter care, education, engagement and partnerships.

In plain terms, her job is to help bring more money, more people and more belief into neurological research. Some days that means shaping strategy and investment cases. Some days it means working through board papers, donor conversations, campaign plans, team structures, researcher stories, risk discussions and the occasional idea that seemed beautifully simple until the spreadsheet arrived.

She is particularly interested in the real machinery behind fundraising growth: how ideas get support, how trust is built, how risk is talked about, and why some promising opportunities fly while others disappear into the polite fog of “let’s come back to that”.

Kerry brings a warm, practical and candid approach to leadership, with a strong belief that fundraising works best when ambition is matched with clear thinking, good evidence and a bit of courage. As one half of “Glitter and Spreadsheets”, she brings the glitter, the momentum, the donor lens and the occasional beautifully simple idea that may or may not yet have a fully costed plan.