Meet Us

We're a specialised and passionate team, excited to be making a difference in the world of workplace culture. The traditional approach is not for us; we like to be curious and challenge the status quo, whilst keeping respect, ethics and integrity at the heart of our business.

Our Directors

Mary and Marie are the Executive Directors of Culture by Design (i.e. hands on, running the business) and they're also the creators of the Acentia Workplace Culture Excellence Framework. Combined, they have spent more than 50 years working in leadership, HR, business improvement and culture development and have refined their approach to provide flexible solutions for your individual complex challenges.


Oh yeah, and they're dog people. 

Marie and Mary with silent partners Pearl and Miley

Mary Buckley

Mary has a background in operations, HR and senior management and has worked for many years as part of senior executive teams in global organisations. She specialises in organisational psychology, in particular employer-employee psychology and how this relates to organisational culture. Mary’s particular strengths include working with boards and executive teams to identify strategic core ideology with an envisioned future, then realising that future through the alignment of culture excellence and leadership capability.


Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Masters of Science in Industrial Organisational Psychology, both from the University of Canterbury.


Talk to Mary today on +64 29 963 9654


Email Mary


Connect with Mary on LinkedIn

Marie Webber (formerly Johnston)

Marie comes to Culture by Design from a background largely in HR and organisational development, with a stint in sales in her early days. Marie represents the structured half of the team. This combined with her creativity means that her strengths are in the design side of the business. Also an accomplished facilitator, Marie is accredited in a range of team and individual development tools and methodologies, but is most happy when designing and/or applying tools and solutions herself which are simple, effective and customised to the particular needs of the individual team or organisation. 


Marie completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canterbury, her Bachelor of Business Studies (Honours) at Massey University, and holds the following accreditations/certifications:

 

  • Certified Professional Agile Scrum Master (1)
  • Accredited facilitator - Jung Type Indicator (JTI) profile, Team Management Services range of profiles
  • Accredited Emotional Intelligence Coach

 

Talk to Marie today on +64 27 280 3332


Email Marie


Connect with Marie on LinkedIn

Liliana Braun

Debbie Behrnes

Liliana is our talented Content Creator, bringing her insightful perspective and creativity to the CbD team. With a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience, she is now deepening her expertise as she works towards her Master's degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology.


Her experience in management, neuroscience development, and clinical consulting adds depth to her work, making her content both engaging and informative. Keep an eye out for her posts on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, where she blends academic knowledge with creative flair.



Email Liliana


Connect with Liliana on Linkedin

The People Hub

We are proud to be part of The People Hub, a collaboration of like-minded businesses in Christchurch who are values driven, engaged, energetic and passionate about people. 

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