Stroke Foundation Of New Zealand Appoints New Chief Executive

The Stroke Foundation of New Zealand is proud to announce the appointment of Jo Lambert as their new Chief Executive, who will take over the role on Monday 31 May.

Jo has a wealth of leadership and NGO experience and joins the Stroke Foundation from Barnardos, New Zealand's largest children's charity, where she was the GM of Early Learning. Prior to that she was CEO at the consulting firm Maven, where she worked primarily with clients across the health and disability sector.

Jo has a strong relationship and considerable experience with the Stroke Foundation, having been a member of their Board for the last two years.

“Stroke has had a profound impact on my life through my parents, and I now have an opportunity to make a difference for others,” explains Lambert. “I have incredible respect for the vital support the organisation provides and the leadership it shows in the health sector. New Zealand is at a critical juncture, with much work required to prevent a projected increase in the number of strokes, and to increase the services needed to support the growing number of stroke survivors.“

Stroke is New Zealand's second single biggest killer and the leading cause of serious adult disability. Over 11,000 strokes are experienced each year – that’s one every 45 minutes – and this figure is projected to increase by 40% over the next decade. The current economic cost of stroke to New Zealand is estimated to be $1.1 billion per annum, and projected to increase to $1.7 billion by 2038.

The Stroke Foundation is the national charity solely dedicated to the prevention of and recovery from stroke. For over 40 years, we have actively promoted ways to avoid stroke and dedicated ourselves to working closely with stroke survivors, their whānau and carers.

The Stroke Foundation would like to offer its sincere thanks to retiring Chief Executive Mark Vivian, who has led the organisation for the past 15 years. Mark oversaw the amalgamation of four of the five regional organisations, and revolutionised the Stroke Foundation’s outpatient support for stroke survivors and commitment to stroke prevention.

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