New CEO, with sleeves rolled up, for World Vision

December 1, 2006

World Vision New Zealand has a new CEO, Christchurch woman, Lisa Cescon.

Lisa is a highly successful businesswoman who four years ago left the Board Room of Warner Brothers Video UK, where she was Director of Finance and Operations, to head for the developing world to “follow her passion to see transformation in the lives of the disadvantaged without a voice”.

Within months, she had replaced her comfortable London flat with a room above the slums of Phnom Penh, as she rolled up her sleeves to clean out derelict rooms housing dying prisoners.

She went to Cambodia to serve and understand first hand the complexities of development at the front line. It was not long before she made her impact. Within the next four years she helped build an NGO, Prison Fellowship (Cambodia), working in the prisons of Cambodia, establishing various social welfare projects including a rehabilitation centre for released prisoners, a vocational training programme and a hospice for sick and dying prisoners.

World Vision’s Board Chair, Peter McClure says the organisation is looking forward to Lisa joining the team. “With her vision, drive and experience World Vision New Zealand will be moving forward under powerful leadership in its mission to transform the lives of the poor and oppressed of the developing world.”

Lisa says she saw the impact of World Vision on the field in Cambodia. “I was inspired by the excellent work they are doing. It is wonderful to be back home in New Zealand and in a position to contribute to that work. World Vision New Zealand is a powerful voice in the fight against poverty in the developing world. I look forward to bringing my commercial and development experience to help prepare it for the challenges ahead. The poverty in this world is a tragedy. Let’s roll up our sleeves and keep working to fight it”.

Lisa, 40, is also a qualified Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Divinity from New Zealand Bible College.