Our Team & Culture
Our team of globally experienced financial professionals are passionate about creating a world where everyone has the same access to the best financial tools. Our approachable, friendly team bring world-class financial expertise with a local focus.
We’re growing a great team behind the scenes...
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🙌 We’re passionate about diversity
Behind the scenes, we are a growing, dedicated and diverse team that shows deep respect for everybody we engage with. We carry ourselves with integrity and this is reflected in how we engage with you as our investor. Kernel is committed to providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive workplace for all staff. We respect and value the characteristics that make individuals unique including gender, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion and socio-economic background.
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🤝 What diversity means to us
To us, diversity doesn’t mean tokenism, photographic diversity or bias. It means during recruitment, internal discussion and career progression considering more than skills and experience, as to how the new perspective, personality and background might complement our team and mission. We believe a team that supports and represents the diversity within our communities makes our organisation stronger. It also makes us more capable of understanding our broad-ranging investor needs, ensuring we respond effectively to them.
Proud supporters of the pride community
One of our core values is to foster thinking differently – because not all investors are alike. We empower them to express their individuality. We’re proud to be members of and support the rainbow community during Pride Week and every other day of the year.
Meet our Leadership team
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Dean Anderson
Chief Executive
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Stephen Upton
Chief Operating Officer
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Catherine Emerson
Chief Customer Officer
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Sam Williams
Chief Technology Officer
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Armin Svoboda
Head of Digital Product
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Helen Skinner
Head of Distribution and Sustainability
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Andy Havill
Head of Marketing
Our values
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Trust at the core
We start with recognising that a customer’s trust is hard to win, and easy to erode. We pay attention to our competitors, but we obsess over customers and enhancing the trust they place in us by depositing their money and sharing their personal information and aspirations.
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We’re Running a Marathon, Not a Sprint
While we move at pace, we think long-term. We understand that lasting impact comes from making smart, scalable decisions today that serve us tomorrow. We balance speed with stamina, supporting each other's growth as we build for the future.
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Think Different, Think Together
We value diverse perspectives and bold ideas. Our strength comes from the mix of backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking across our team. Collaboration is at the core of how we work, with people sharing knowledge freely, challenging assumptions, and tackling complex problems together to create meaningful impact.
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Never Stop Iterating
We're builders and problem solvers at heart. Our team thrives on curiosity and continuous improvement, always asking "what if?" and "how can we make this better?" We embrace imperfection, and learn from our mistakes. When obstacles arise, we take initiative to find solutions and support each other to maintain momentum. -
Say it Like it Is
We value transparency and direct communication within our team. We call a spade a spade, no hidden agendas - just honest, clear, and respectful dialogue. We give and receive feedback openly, share information freely, and aren't afraid to have difficult conversations when needed.
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Choosing Right over Easy
We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards in everything we do. Our team makes decisions based on what's right, not what's easy. We take ownership of our actions, admit our mistakes, and always prioritise doing the right thing over short-term gains.
About Kernel Wealth
Kernel is on a mission to help everyone become wealthier. We’re a platform offering a range of investment products and innovative tools and technology to grow wealth - with ease and all in one place.
We’re passionate about leveraging technology and our financial expertise to create the best way to grow and manage money. Our trusted passive investment approach takes the guesswork out of creating a diversified portfolio while remaining cost-effective and accessible.
We help busy and ambitious Kiwis including families, individuals, iwi groups and charitable trusts achieve their goals, gain financial stability and unlock more opportunities.