Women of Meridian - Helen Peters

Meridian Energy’s Group Financial Controller can’t be accused of doing things by halves.

For example, despite being a supremely fit multi-sport athlete who had completed the iconic Coast to Coast race multiple times, Helen wasn’t a great swimmer.

The way she puts it, she couldn’t really swim at all. So, she hired a coach and set them a challenge: “I said ‘you’ve got 12 months to get me to finish the swim leg in Ironman New Zealand’.

For the record, that’s 3.8km swim, followed by a 180km cycle and a marathon.

The coach wasn’t at all daunted.

“If I can teach you to swim 100m, then you can swim five kilometres,” he told Helen.

“The rest is just fitness.”

Helen learned to swim 100m. Then she did Ironman. Then she did another seven.

“I always said I’d do 10 Ironman New Zealands. I have two to go.”

With that challenge drawing to a close, Helen has already embarked on the next – running the full set of the world’s great marathons: London, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and, of course, New York, which she completed in November last year.

“Just being outside gives me my why and purpose,” says Helen of her passion for endurance racing.

“It’s one of those things where once you do one you can get hooked. It becomes a way of life. That’s very much our household. It is what we do.

“I just get so much drive and enthusiasm from exercising. If I start getting stressed and I’m not exercising, then that’s a sign that things aren’t going well.”

“Stress is totally manageable when you have an incredible team behind you,” says Helen.

“I am very fortunate in the places that I have worked that not only have I worked with great leaders I have also had incredible people in the teams that I have led.

“It is a real team effort, and everybody does the hard yards.”

Helping colleagues make the most of their career opportunities is a key focus for Helen.

“I always try to empower people – make sure they know that they can have the career they want.

“I always say to people that the job description is the bare minimum. If you are willing to do bit more and step outside your lane a little bit, you can work on some incredible projects and programmes that really drive your career forward.

“You can really get to where you want to get to if you are strategic in taking some of those opportunities to drive your own progression. You are in the driving seat with your career so drive it!”

Helen strongly advocates a values-led approach to leadership and management.

“A big part of my why and my purpose has always been about making a positive impact to businesses.

“I guess that stems from your core values. For me that is respect – creating that respectful environment for your team and yourself; integrity – always doing the right thing even though it might not be the favourite decision; and then always helping people.

“Across our business that means helping our businesses units to do what they need to do.

“When I talk to the business, I am always like ‘I know I am from finance, but I am not here to tell you ‘no’. I am here to learn what you are doing and what I can do to help you achieve that goal.”

Helen encourages members of the finance team to develop a strong understanding of and connection to the business’s core operations.

“It’s about getting excited about what we are doing in the business.

“If you can create that environment where people are passionate about what we are doing and the part they play in that it really helps drive a positive work experience.”

A major recent success Helen takes pride in was the migration of the company’s core finance platforms to Oracle.

“We have done it right,” she says.

“We are one of the few organisations globally that have delivered on time and on budget, which is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved in the project.

“It was really important that it was a positive experience for Meridian because this is just the start of the technology journey we need to make.

“It was important to show that you can have disruption with technology that will ultimately lead to a better work experience.”

And, of course, outside of work Helen is lining up her next major undertaking – the Berlin Marathon in 2026.

“I’ve always felt very privileged that you can enjoy what you do in your job but that it is not your whole life,” she says.

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