PledgeMe Appoints Cultivate Mentoring Lab’s Founder Jessica Venning-Bryan As Newest Board Member

Following the long search for PledgeMe’s new board member, CEO of the New Zealand crowdfunding platform, Anna Guenther, announced on Monday that it has appointed Jessica Venning-Bryan to the vacant spot.

According to Guenther, Venning-Bryan has spent nearly 15 years advising organizations on how to engage customers with products and services. She has worked with Lion, the Electoral Commission, Seafood NZ, Saatchi & Saatchi Global, and the Sustainable Business council. She has delivered projects in New Zealand, the U.S. and the UK. She is currently general manager at Flick Electric Co. and is also the founder and trustee of non-profit Cultivate Mentoring Lab.

Speaking about the new appointment, Guenther stated:

“We are excited for Jessica to join the board of Team PledgeMe, and bring her experience which ranges from beer to wine farms, elections to employment. This varied experience will help us leverage off our existing brand and help us engage with our ever expanding crowd in better ways. Jessica’s limitless energy, deep experience in marketing and branding, and her values aligned with our approach to business (and life). We think having her voice around the board table will make us a strong brand and better people.”

Jessica went on to comment:

“I’ve known Anna for some time, and have always admired her relationship-centric approach to business. Getting to know Nick, Breccan and Anake through the appointment process has been really inspiring, and I’m looking forward to working with them to help grow PledgeMe. I completely believe in democratizing access to capital, so being part of a platform that supports all New Zealanders to realize their aspirations is a great privilege and responsibility. And I love the thrill of building businesses and brands. There’s nothing quite like growing a young idea into a flourishing, sustainable, impactful business.”

She then added:

I deeply believe in PledgeMe’s approach to helping New Zealanders fund the things they care about, and I want to see the business become the most successful crowdfunders down here. I’ve always worked with highly-regulated industries, where building a consumer brand or story needs particular care. I love the challenge of these environments. I’m really looking forward to supporting the PledgeMe team to build their story – especially around new products – while maintaining the high levels of integrity that financial regulations demands.”