Sustained Leadership award winner - Debbie Wilson Sustained Leadership award winner - Debbie Wilson

Debbie Wilson is the winner of the Sustained Leadership award from the Travelwise Choices Awards 2020.

Debbie Wilson accepting the Sustained Leadership award.

After 2020, many of us will be feeling uncertain and uneasy about change. Our 2020 Individual Sustained Leadership Award winner shows us that shouldn’t be the case, and that sometimes change is exactly what we needed all along. Debbie Wilson teaches us all that small changes add up and shows us just what 10 years of hard work and perseverance can do.

Until June 2020 Debbie Wilson had worked as the Sustainability Manager at Counties Manukau District Health Board for the last ten years. Besides her time and boundless energy Debbie gave the team a chance to explore opportunities they never would have dreamed of previously and most importantly, she helped her team to think differently.

As most of us will know, it's easy to get stuck in a routine and keep using one mode of transport, especially if there is nothing wrong with it.

With Debbie's help, her colleagues realised that they could not only save money, but also adopt a healthier lifestyle too. Debbie quickly made those around her into cycling enthusiasts when she successfully campaigned to have a bike shed with lockers, showers and cycling tools installed at the Middlemore site. And she didn't stop there, Debbie also worked with Auckland Transport to coordinate several bicycle workshops and e-bike trials.

Public transport was encouraged too, with Debbie advocating for everyone to use Middlemore train station, or ride-share to work. Perhaps her biggest win was her success in promoting Auckland Transport's Give it a Go public transport trial.

Debbie's natural leadership and communication skills lead to 361 cards being issued and an estimated 16,000 public transport trips taken through the Give it a Go trial over the previous 5 years.

Debbie's relentless energy and drive to create positive change is why she is the Individual Sustained Leadership Award winner of 2020.

You may also be interested in:

• Read more about other Travelwise Choices Awards 2020 winners.
• Find out more about the Travelwise Choices programme.