Karen has been the Chief Executive of Wellington Zoo since 2006 and is a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit MNZM for Business and Animal Welfare. Karen is an elected member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Council and Chairs the WAZA Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee. She is a member of the WAZA Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Committee. She is a past President of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia.
Karen won the 2009 HER Business Wellington award for outstanding business leadership and sustainability and the 2010 HER Business NZ National award for outstanding business leadership. Karen was 2010 Wellingtonian of the Year in the Environment category. Karen was a finalist in both the 2014 and 2015 Westpac/Fairfax Media NZ Women of Influence Awards in the Social Enterprise category and the Board and Management category respectively.
