Andrea Jane Blair ONZM (born 1974 or 1975) is a New Zealand geothermal consultant. She was president of the International Geothermal Association for three years, and co-founded the international association Women in Geothermal. In 2024, Blair was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the geothermal industry and women.
Andrea Blair | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Blair in 2024 | |
| Born | 1974 or 1975 (age 49–50) |
| Alma mater | University of Waikato |
| Occupation | Geothermal consultant |
| Employers |
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| Awards | WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award (2023) |
Early life and education
editBorn in 1974 or 1975,[1] Blair was educated at Tauhara College in Taupō, and went on to study forestry at the University of Canterbury and the University of Waikato.[2] She later completed a Diploma of Arts at Massey University in 2019.[3]
Career
editAfter completing her forestry degree, Blair worked in the forestry industry before becoming the general manager of Kiwi Experience and then chief executive officer of Great Lake Skydive in Taupō.[1] She later worked as a business development manager at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences.[4][5] In 2017, she co-founded geothermal consultancy Upflow.[6]
In 2013, Blair co-founded Women in Geothermal (WING), an international organisation aimed at empowering women in the geothermal industry.[6] The organisation is the largest geothermal association internationally, with more than 3,400 members. Blair was chair of WING until 2020.[6][7]
Blair campaigned to create a change in board membership on the International Geothermal Association, and female membership of the board went from 17% to 61% by the time Blair was elected president of the association in 2020.[4] She served a three-year term, during which she represented the association at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.[8]
Blair is a board member of Global Women, a non-profit organisation in New Zealand aimed at diversifying leadership.[9][10]
Honours and awards
editBlair was a finalist in the 2017 New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.[5] In 2023, she was awarded a WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award for the Asia-Pacific region. Only five recipients are awarded each year.[6][11] Blair was selected as one of Forbes magazine's "5 Female Founders Leading The Charge For A Sustainable Future".[12][13]
In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, Blair was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the geothermal industry and women.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Wilson, Dee (26 July 2017). "Taupo woman finalist in Women of Influence Awards". Rotorua Daily Post. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ "Andy Blair: education". LinkedIn.
- ^ "Massey Professors receive ONZM for pioneering work in health psychology and ageing studies". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Taupō's Andrea Blair recognised in King's Birthday Honours". NZ Herald. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Andrea "Andy" Blair". 6th Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "King's Birthday Honours 2024 – Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit | Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)". www.dpmc.govt.nz. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Andrea Blair". 8th Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "New leadership team for IGA Board 2020–2023 – International Geothermal Association". 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Andrea Blair". Global Women. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "Our Dream for New Zealand". Global Women. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ "2023 Awardees – WE Empower UN SDG Challenge". globalfutures.asu.edu. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ Fox, MeiMei. "5 Female Founders Leading The Charge For A Sustainable Future". Forbes. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ "Andrea Blair". Women Leadership NZ. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
External links
edit- Growing the vision – Andrea Blair, 5 July 2022, via YouTube