Rowena is an experienced commercial leader having worked in the finance and professional services sectors and, for more than a decade, in various governance roles, most notably in rugby.

Rowena’s involvement in the governance of rugby comes from her belief that sport is a great catalyst for empowering people and enhancing communities. Her governance career began when she was the first woman appointed to the Board of the Otago Rugby Football Union, before becoming its Chair in 2019 – the first female Chair of a major Provincial Rugby Union in New Zealand. Since 2022 Rowena has been on the Board of New Zealand Rugby and the New Zealand Rugby Foundation which supports seriously injured players and advocates for player safety.

In recognition of her contribution to rugby governance, on International Women’s Day 2022, she was one of 12 women from across the globe awarded a World Rugby Executive Leadership Scholarship. The scholarship saw her accepted to attend an executive leadership programme, Women Transforming Leadership, at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School in October 2023.