Our Stories: Kylee Newton

Written by Holly Algie. Posted in Our Stories.

Kylee NewtonA few years ago, I heard whispers about someone selling that magical fruit - the feijoa - at a stall near Broadway Market in Hackney, east London. It turns out that someone was none other than Kylee Newton, the lovely lady behind chutney, jams and preserves brand Newton & Pott and recently published author of “The Modern Preserver” recipe book.

Fittingly, we meet on Broadway Market – a place that is near and dear to Kylee’s heart – as she has lived and worked in Hackney since her arrival in London 15 years ago, and has been coming to the Saturday market since it began 10 years ago. Kylee tells me it is her favourite market in London for the variety of food and craftsmanship (mine too) and it is where the Newton & Pott brand really came to life.

Originally from New Plymouth, Kylee graduated from art school and worked in hospitality in Auckland before moving to London where she worked as an analogue printer for photographer Wolfgang Tillmans for ten years until he relocated to Berlin.

Our Stories: Leah Rodrigues

Written by Eleanor McIntosh. Posted in Our Stories.

Leah croppedSiem Reap, Cambodia...home to the splendour that is Angkor Wat, the enigmatic Khmer people, and Leah Rodrigues' studio: a local training and production facility designing and manufacturing beautifully crafted women’s coats.

Founded in February 2014, Holi Studios has sought to bridge the gap between the sewing programmes run by Siem Reap-based charities, and the lack of stable employment following their completion, the idea for which came whilst Leah was working for a charity in Siem Reap in 2011. Leah observed that the limited availability of long term work (or even skill-based training), combined with “no questions asked” charity hand-outs, meant that a new generation of Cambodians were appearing to develop a "sense of entitlement", something which she struggled to reconcile with her “hard working” Kiwi upbringing and wanted to set about righting.

Our Stories: Dale Murray

Written by Susan Pratchett. Posted in Our Stories.

Dale MurrayChatting with Dale Murray, CBE reminds me of that quote about “Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day – the difference is how you use it”. I have a sneaking suspicion that Dale might just fit more into a single hour, than I do my 24.

As a phenomenally successful tech entrepreneur, awarded ‘Angel’ investor, active champion of women in business, one of Debrett’s 500 Most Influential AND a married mother of three young boys – it’s an inspiring, if somewhat intimidating CV. But Dale herself is the very opposite of intimidating. Frank, charming, disarming and funny – she’s everything you’d hope for in a Kiwi success story.

A born and bred Aucklander, Dale was part of the management team that founded BellSouth NZ (for anyone who can’t remember BellSouth and the glorydays of the Nokia 6110... it was one of the two original mobile networks in New Zealand, and has subsequently turned into Vodafone NZ). But the travel bug bit – and Dale found herself setting out on her OE. She was drawn to London and the UK, and like so many of us, once she arrived, she found it hard to leave.