Our Team

Gaylene’s career began as a bookkeeper for a carpet fitting company in South Africa. More than 20 years later, she has come full circle - back in the financial services sector, doing what she loves: helping people.

She has always been drawn to roles that make a difference. Her journey includes 13 years as a paramedic in Johannesburg and Melbourne, followed by a decade in medical sales across Melbourne, Perth, and Christchurch. That same desire to support others led her to join the CIC Financial team.

In 2019, Gaylene relocated from Perth to Christchurch to be closer to family. She brought her Thoroughbred horse, Griffin, with her, and together they compete in eventing - a triathlon of dressage, show jumping, and cross-country, with cross-country being their favourite.

A lover of the outdoors, Gaylene is passionate about animals and not easily surprised - after all, her handbag has been known to double as a mobile nursery for a baby bat and bottle-fed baby rabbits.

Kerstin joined the New Zealand insurance industry in the 1990’s after working as an underwriter in South Africa. Her passion for helping people through life’s most challenging moments led her to become a Financial Adviser, where she spent many years guiding clients through important financial decisions.

Over the years, Kerstin built and ran two successful insurance firms. Today, she brings that experience into her operations-focused role, where she thrives on supporting people and teams. With more than 25 years of experience across sales, operations, and strategy, Kerstin is known for her practical, people-first approach.

Outside of work, Kerstin and her husband, Dave, enjoy paddle surfing, foiling, and exploring the Port hills and have just welcomed their first grandchild.

Kieran is a Financial Adviser and Chartered Accountant with a Business Degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Canterbury. He works with individuals and families who want to take control of their financial lives so they can focus on what truly matters to them.

He enjoys having wide-ranging conversations with clients-helping them define where they’re heading and what steps they need to take to get there. These conversations often lead to lifelong relationships, built on trust and shared goals.

All his advice is grounded in personal wellbeing. He believes our financial, mental, and physical health are deeply connected, and when aligned, they help us live happier, more fulfilling lives.

His background working internationally as a Chartered Accountant gives him a unique perspective when analysing financial situations. He specialises in helping business owners and families understand the link between their business and personal lives, and what’s most important to them.

One area he’s particularly passionate about is ensuring businesses and their owners have solid plans in place-so wealth can transfer smoothly, and operations can continue or wind down efficiently if something unexpected happens. He also helps self-employed clients navigate the complexities of ACC to ensure it works when they need it most.

Outside of work, he’s married to Kristy, and together they have a daughter, Pia. He loves exploring Canterbury’s great outdoors-whether it’s hiking, biking, swimming in the bays and lakes, or kayaking down the river.

Alex works with clients to help them achieve their property goals-whether that’s buying their first home, building an investment portfolio, or gaining financial flexibility for their families.

With over six years of experience in commercial sales, he has transitioned into mortgage broking to make a more direct impact. Alex enjoys guiding people through the home-buying journey and helping them make confident, informed decisions.

Alex supports clients with residential lending, investment property purchases, and commercial property finance for business premises. He particularly values helping clients incorporate property into their retirement goals. Seeing clients reach milestones that once felt out of reach - and knowing he played a part in that journey - is what drives him every day.

Alex also works with individuals and families to design insurance solutions tailored to their needs and budget. He advises businesses on strategies and products that help reduce financial risk, including protection against the impact of business debts and expenses, the premature death, temporary disability, permanent illness or injury of key personnel, and employee benefits.

Outside of work, Alex plays cricket and golf when he is not running around after his one-year-old. Ideally, time away from work is spent being active and enjoying family time.

Originally from the UK, Sue is proud to now call New Zealand home-especially the stunning South Island.
Her career has always centred around helping people through challenging times. With a strong background in insurance, she has spent much of her time advocating for clients during the claims process, ensuring they receive the support and outcomes they deserve. For her, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a claim accepted and knowing the right policy made all the difference when it mattered most.

Naturally organised and detail-oriented, she enjoys working with systems and procedures—but what truly drives her is being part of something that makes a real difference in people’s lives.

Outside of work, she and her husband are proud parents to four grown-up children and grandparents to six adorable grandchildren. They love travelling to Central Otago to enjoy the region’s incredible food and wine and often escape for long weekends to soak up the sun and relax.

Much of my experience has revolved around insurance, advocating on behalf of clients for a successful claim and providing support throughout the process. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to see a claim accepted and paid in full, and knowing the initial decision to put the right policy in place makes all the difference when it’s needed most.

Being a naturally organised person, I quite enjoy systems and procedures, but luckily my role also allows me to be a small part of ‘making a difference’, which is very important to me.

In my ‘non-office’ life, my husband and I are lucky enough to have four grown up children and three adorable grandchildren, which gives us the perfect excuse to travel to Central Otago and sample the food and wine as often as we can.

We’re generally kept busy with day to day life, but like most, it’s always good to escape for long weekends, and enjoy a bit of sun.

With over eight years of experience in the financial advice industry, Alisha is passionate about helping people achieve their financial goals-whether it’s buying their first home or growing a property investment portfolio.

As a qualified Financial Adviser specialising in mortgages, she takes pride in guiding clients through one of the most exciting (and sometimes challenging) decisions of their lives. After years of working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly, stepping into an advisory role has allowed her to make a more direct and meaningful impact.

She’s proud to be part of CIC Financial-a family-oriented firm that genuinely values each client and takes the time to understand their unique needs.
Outside of work, you’ll usually find her chasing after her spirited six-year-old or trying to keep up in a Reformer Pilates class. She’s also a Formula One enthusiast and is happy to be up in the early hours watching races.