Women of Meridian - Marianne Simmonds

If Marianne Simmonds had stuck to her original plan, she’d be standing at the front of an art classroom right now.

After leaving school, Marianne enrolled at the University of Canterbury to study Fine Arts, with the intention of becoming an art teacher. It wasn’t part of any long-term strategy – it was simply something she loved. The idea was to move into a career that felt familiar and safe, where she knew she had the skills.

“I’ve never really had a grand plan,” she says. “I didn’t map things out years in advance. I’ve always just followed what felt interesting and trusted I’d figure the rest out.”

That comfort with uncertainty became important early in her working life.

One of Marianne’s first roles was in Telecom’s (now Spark) call centre, where she quickly stepped into a Team Leader position. It was a role she could easily have seen herself staying in long-term.

“I would have happily been a lifer,” she says. “I was comfortable, I knew the environment, and I was good at it.”

Then her team was disestablished.

“At the time it felt like everything had fallen over – I genuinely thought I’d be jobless forever,” she says. “But looking back, it was the best thing that could have happened. It pushed me into roles and opportunities I would never have chosen for myself otherwise.”

The experience fundamentally shifted how she thought about careers and growth.

“It taught me that change is actually a good thing. The unfamiliar is good – that’s where you grow and learn new skills,” she says. “It showed me not to just stick with what I know, but to really embrace new opportunities, even when they feel uncomfortable. You don’t have to have it all planned out.”

When Marianne joined Meridian’s Retail team, that mindset stayed with her.

One of her earliest opportunities was establishing a small call centre in Twizel – an initiative that created employment opportunities for partners of staff working on generation sites, while also strengthening Meridian’s operational resilience.

From there, she made a significant leap into leading Meridian’s Auckland-based North Island direct sales team – a role that was unfamiliar both geographically and professionally.

“It was a completely different world,” she says. “Different city, different culture, different expectations – but I loved it.”

What stood out wasn’t just the challenge, but the trust.

“I was based in Christchurch and travelling every week between Auckland and Wellington, and Meridian backed me to lead in a way that worked,” she says. “That had a huge impact on how I think about leadership. It showed me what it really feels like to be trusted and supported, rather than micromanaged.”

When that role ended, Marianne stepped into another new space, leading the Change Delivery team within a transformation programme that saw Retail move onto a new billing platform.

“I didn’t come from that world at all,” she says. “I just learned as I went.”

What was initially expected to be an 18-month role stretched over four years, and as the programme evolved, so did her responsibilities.

“It was extremely challenging at times,” she says. “But it stretched me in ways that really shaped how I work now.”

Today, Marianne is a Way of Working Lead, supporting one of Meridian’s most significant transitions.

“At its heart, my role is about clarity,” she explains. “Helping teams focus on the most important work, understand how what they do connects back to our strategy, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for our customers.”

Outside of work, Marianne still has a strong connection to creativity and design – a thread that traces directly back to her Fine Arts roots. These days, however, most of her time is spent with her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Sylvie.

“Becoming a mum has really changed my perspective,” she says. “It’s made me laser-focused on what truly matters. I’ve got more compassion and empathy, and I’m much more comfortable with not needing everything planned out.”

Looking back, Marianne sees a common thread running through her career – not a master plan, but a willingness to move when opportunities (and disruptions) appeared.

“I used to think you had to have it all figured out,” she says. “But I’ve learned that growth often comes from the unfamiliar – from saying yes before you feel ready.”

For Marianne, that mindset has made all the difference.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned,” she says, “it’s that you don’t have to know exactly where you’re headed. When you back yourself and lean into new experiences, you often find yourself in roles you didn’t even know existed – building skills and confidence you never expected, and carrying that with you wherever you go.”

Meridian is an equal opportunity employer with Advanced GenderTick accreditation. To learn more about working at Meridian, check out our careers homepage.