Di Jennings

After a successful career as a fashion designer, Di completed a degree in social practice, with a major in community development. Subsequently, Di worked at the grass roots on a community revitalisation programme in Ranui, Auckland.

The Ranui experience inspired a need to explore financial sustainability for community development work – and in 2006, Di moved to Scotland where she became immersed in the social enterprise sector and worked on a range of projects with the Development Trust Association for Scotland, the Social Entrepreneurs Network for Scotland ,and Fablevision, (a Glasgow based community arts organisation), where she carried out a Social Return on Investment on a community based cultural planning project.

Di returned to New Zealand in 2009 and co-hosted the Community Economic Development (CED) Conference that was held in Waitakere in February 2010. Di is currently convening the national network for CED in New Zealand including organising the CED Conference 2011. www.ced.org.nz