2026 Awards Judges

Aaron Marshall
Co-founder, Zethos & Ternary

Prof. Aaron Marshall is an internationally recognised electrochemist with a strong track record of translating research into market-ready solutions that tackle global challenges.

He has co-founded cleantech spin-outs Zethos (formerly Zincovery), advancing sustainable metals recovery, and Ternary, a zero-emission hydrogen energy company. A champion of research commercialisation, he has taken multiple technologies from lab to market while inspiring and mentoring others across the innovation ecosystem.

Aaron was the recipient of the 2025 KiwiNet Researcher Entrepreneur Award and has been awarded the Pickering Medal.

Bridgit Hawkins
CEO, Humble Bee Bio

Bridgit Hawkins is a technology commercialisation leader working at the intersection of science, sustainability and business.

She founded Regen, an agritech company developing decision-support tools to improve farm profitability and environmental impact, and led it through to acquisition by CropX, where she served as Chief Sustainability Officer.

Now CEO of biotech startup Humble Bee Bio and a board chair across several agritech and life sciences companies, Bridgit brings deep experience in building and scaling companies from startup through to scale and exit.

Hanie Yee
Health-tech Commercialisation Leader

Hanie Yee is a champion for Aotearoa’s medtech sector with over 25 years of international experience across commercialisation, biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. She has built her career on taking health technologies from early-stage innovation through to global markets, including leading global strategy and operations for Alimetry.

Through STR Consulting, Hanie partners with founders and investors to accelerate innovations to commercial reality. She also chairs the Medtech & Surgical Investment Committee for Return on Science and holds a board role at Te Tītoki Mataora.
A committed mentor and advisor, she supports emerging entrepreneurs through KiwiNet, Momentum and Velocity, and women founders through ArcAngels and SheEO.

Melissa Yiannoutsos
Innovation Fund Manager, Booster NZ

Melissa leads venture capital investments at KiwiSaver provider Booster NZ, where she manages the Booster Innovation Fund (BIF). The first of its kind on the NZX, BIF helps retail investors back early-stage companies advancing innovation in healthcare, climate tech, deep tech and more. Since listing in 2022, BIF has invested in over 40 companies, most originating from publicly funded research.

A recognised leader in science commercialisation, Melissa received the KiwiNet Commercialisation Icon Award in 2024 and was welcomed into the Life Sciences Hall of Fame. She brings both investor and entrepreneur experience, having built companies, invested in startups and played a pivotal role in establishing Aotearoa's first Angel Investment Network in 2002.

Thomas Bryan
Momentum & Return on Science Committee Member

Thomas Bryan is an engineer with a passion for building ventures that create value for people and the planet. He holds a Master of Aerospace Engineering from the University of Auckland and brings a multidisciplinary background that helps bridge the gap engineers face when moving into entrepreneurship and business.

Thomas serves on Auckland UniServices’ Momentum and Return on Science Committees. He is a founding member of FlatMate Ventures, New Zealand’s only student-run venture capital firm, connecting ambitious student entrepreneurs with industry and investment.