International Women's Day

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we are reminded of the extraordinary women who inspire us every day with their brilliance, confidence, and success.

Today, we are especially proud to celebrate Tracey Ryan, Aurecon's Chief Executive, in New Zealand.  Tracey's leadership, dedication, and impact embody the spirit of this important day. Her achievements reflect the strength and resilience of women everywhere.

Happy International Women’s Day!

I grew up in rural Ireland in a small village, Cleariestown, near the coast in Wexford. My father was a land surveyor with Department of Agriculture who, despite never going to university himself, placed huge value on education and getting ahead. My mother was an Irish immigrant to New York (from Limerick) who returned to Wexford with my father (after a whirlwind romance following meeting in Gaelic Park in New York whilst my father was there on a GAA tour arranged through the local parish priest).

I studied at University College Galway, before moving to Birmingham to undertake my Masters in Hydrogeology. From there, I worked across Europe delivering infrastructure projects, through the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  

I met my Kiwi husband at an Ireland vs All Blacks game in Landsdowne Road in 2001. He always had a desire to return home to New Zealand (after 10 years on his OE!!!); fortunately, the career opportunity came up for me through the company I was with at the time. We relocated here in 2008 with our eldest Niamh who was 5 months old at the time.

Moving to the other side of the world was challenging both personally and professionally. I’d only been to New Zealand three times on holiday before I moved (and only to the South Island).

In some ways, the personal aspect was even harder. Arriving here with a young family, without those support networks, I worked full-time and travelled a lot with my role, so wasn’t exposed to the coffee groups and school runs where many women meet.

I love it here, but as anyone expat knows, it remains tough.

The other aspect is the sense of belonging. I haven’t lived in Ireland for 30 years now, and even the Irish don’t think I am Irish anymore! But Kiwis see me as Irish, so it can be challenging for your sense of identity at times.

Something I really value about Ireland is that it has held on to its Celticism and leveraged that to help transform into a small, advanced economy. I see a lot of parallels for Aotearoa New Zealand with Māori culture and its emphasis on long term thinking and sustainability.   

There are two pieces of advice I would give to my 21-year-old self: The first, to trust your instincts as they are usually right and the second is to remain true to yourself – it's ok to be your authentic self (you are good enough).