PGF Management Team
Graeme Ramsey - Chief Executive Officer
Graeme Ramsey was appointed CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) on July 1 2008.
Graeme has previously worked in the corporate, not-for-profit and local government sectors as a CEO and in senior management positions.
Graeme developed an understanding of problem gambling when he was Mayor of the Kaipara District Council. He met a PGF worker at a health hui and later worked with them to facilitate one of the first sinking lid policies.
He has been a member of a number of health, environmental and community organisations involved in social change.
Graeme has a Masters of Business Administration from Warwick University and a Bachelor of Arts from Auckland University.
Contact Graeme on graeme.ramsey@pgfnz.org.nz .
Arohanui Hawke - Cultural Director
Arohanui Hawke was appointed Cultural Director of the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) in April 2008. Arohanui has come out of semi-retirement to work in a part-time capacity for PGF.
Arohanui previously worked as Head Of Department for Te Wananga O Aotearoa (TWOA) Student Support Services for their Northern Regional sites and satellite offices. Prior to this appointment Arohanui enjoyed an active, long and varied career with the then Ministry of Housing as a Tenancy Mediator located in Auckland and latterly as a Cultural Relationship Manager located in Wellington.
Arohanui has a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Waikato, Hamilton and has yet to complete two papers of a Masters of Public Policy from Victoria University, Wellington.
Among her passions is the continual learning of Te Ao Maori and the wonderment of such knowledge. Without prejudice, the passing on and exploring of Te Ao Maori with peers and colleagues of PGF, has made the transition back into the work place a time of worthwhile endeavour.
Contact Arohanui on arohanui.hawke@pgfnz.org.nz
John Skelton - Chief Financial Officer
John has been Chief Financial Officer at the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) since March 2004.
Prior to joining PGF he was employed in the private sector in a number of roles as CFO and General Manager. John spent nearly 20 years in the technology sector working for various multi-national companies.
John has been active in the community sector doing work for the Tindall Foundation and is Treasurer for the Queen Street Cricket Club, a charity raising money for disadvantaged children. He was also a convener for three years of the Not-For-Profit Special Interest Group for New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA).
John has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland and is a member of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Contact John on John.skelton@pgfnz.org.nz
John Wong - Asian Services Director
John Wong had a business and management background when he migrated to New Zealand in 1992.
John was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Education in Counselling (Honors) degrees.
He has more than sixteen years of counselling experience and has been elected to Governance Boards of Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers and the Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand. John is the Asian Services Director at the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand where he has extensive involvement with different community groups.
John has a strong interest in problem gambling and is committed to help new migrants in their settlement process.
Contact John on john.wong@pgfnz.org.nz
Laurie Siegel-Woodward - National Operations Director
Laurie has been with the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) since October 2008. She is a qualified counsellor with over 15 years experience.
Laurie worked for six years in an inpatient psychiatric facility in the U.S.A. That included the treatment of addictions, and three years experience as a counsellor at Petersgate Counselling Centre.
Laurie has an interest in depression, self-esteem and relationship issues with individuals, couples and families. She spent seven years with the Salvation Army OASIS Centre managing the Christchurch Centre for three years.
Laurie has a Bachelors degree in Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin with a double minor in Educational Psychology and Spanish, a Masters degree in Education with a Certificate in Counselling from The University of Christchurch and a Certificate in Supervision from Wel-Tec.
Contact Laurie on LSWoodward@pgfnz.org.nz
Graham Aitken - Business Systems and Quality Director
Graham has worked in the health sector for 35 years. Most of this time has been spent working in, and consulting to, organisations like the latter day District Health Boards (DHBs). Earlier work included marketing and industrial engineering roles.
Graham has managed large organisations and consulted on issues of structure and efficiency. His background in operational research has helped him develop a practice in computer modelling and statistical analysis.
At times Graham has accepted roles that included advising Cabinet Ministers, DHB Board members and senior Ministry of Health (MoH) staff.
His major learning experience in working with the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) is that greed is alive and well in the international gambling industry, and that lateral thinking is required to deal with the widespread problems this causes.
Graham is on the board of Kidney Kids and has an M Com from Auckland University.
Contact Graham on graham.aitken@pgfnz.org.nz
Phil Townshend PhD - Research Director
Philip Townshend is a registered psychologist with a clinical scope of practice and has been involved in the problem gambling area since 1998. He has produced a treatment interventions guide for Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF) counsellors and completed and published a number of research projects in the gambling and addiction fields.
In 2008 he was granted a Winston Churchill Fellowship which allowed him to present a paper at the European Association for the Study of Gambling in Slovenia, study Internet Gambling in the UK and observe the gambling experience in Macau. He is a reviewer for the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction and holds a voluntary position on the Board of the St Marks Trust, which operates a residential Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) treatment service in Blenheim.
Contact Phil on phil.townshend@pgfnz.org.nz
Cynthia Orme - Director of Clinical and Public Health Services
Cynthia Orme is the Director of Clinical and Public Health Services for the Problem Gambling Foundation (PGF), the largest organisation of its kind in Australasia.
She has a Masters degree from the University of Houston Clear Lake, in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Cynthia has been a family therapist for over 20 years and has experience in both the U.S. and New Zealand working with a variety of mental health issues. Since moving from Houston to New Zealand her focus has been on problem gambling for the last eight years at PGF.
As Director of Clinical and Public Health Services, Cynthia has been actively involved in integrating a public health approach into PGF's counselling services. This national position is a strategic role overseeing anything to do with PGF clinical services. An additional part of Cynthia's role involves planning and organising an international conference every other year.
Cynthia is currently working on developing and implementing competencies for an integrated approach to working with gambling problems, integrating counselling and public health.
Contact Cynthia on cynthia.orme@pgfnz.org.nz