Jenny Gill


Jennifer Mary Gill is a retired executive from New Zealand who worked in philanthropy. She was New Zealand's first full-time paid employee working in philanthropy, and the chair of Philanthropy New Zealand.

Biography

Gill was born in Lower Hutt in 1951 and studied at Victoria University of Wellington. She began her career working for the aid agency Council of Organisations for Relief Services Overseas and traveled to visit CORSO projects in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. She was also on the board of the Wellington YWCA. In 1985, Sir Roy McKenzie appointed her the executive officer of his foundation, the Roy McKenzie Foundation.
From 2004 to 2019 Gill was the director of New Zealand's largest community trust, Foundation North.
She was a founding member of the board of the Wellington Regional Community Foundation, the Funding Information Service and Philanthropy New Zealand.  She was on the board of Philanthropy New Zealand for twenty years, and has also been involved with Fulbright New Zealand and the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium.

Recognition

In the 2017 New Year Honours, Gill was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to philanthropy.

Publications