Jo Blair

Jo Blair is the founding director of Brown Bread, a brand and connections agency bringing communications and marketing, events and partnership to create change for organisations and their customers.

Following a career in events and festivals, founded her company in the wake of the Canterbury Waitaha earthquakes with innovative engagement solutions for not-for-profits in the health, education and arts sectors.  Kicking off with Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, she led a unique and innovative strategy to not just re-build the gallery community but to grow their funding streams using a combination of crowdfunding, major corporate giving, philanthropy.

Brown Bread has since worked with most NZ arts organisations including Auckland Art Gallery, Black Grace, The Dowse Art Museum, Objectspace, Creative New Zealand. Her company now runs all services for the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year, as well as brand and communications projects for clients such as iwi, service firms in architecture and law, wine brands and government.