Abbie Blacktopp

Abbie’s career spans senior people, talent, and leadership roles across financial services, government, professional services, and not-for-profit organisations. She began her career in executive recruitment in London with the Royal Bank of Scotland, before returning to New Zealand to lead recruitment, organisational development, and leadership capability at ANZ, including roles based in Singapore and Hong Kong. Most recently, Abbie led the Talent and Capability function at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, overseeing recruitment, early careers, leadership development, learning, and capability across the organisation. Across her career, Abbie has led large, multi-location teams and partnered closely with senior leaders on culture, leadership, and performance in complex environments.

Abbie is known for her ability to quickly understand organisations and see the patterns that sit beneath people, systems, and behaviour. She brings a rare mix of calm presence, deep listening, and evidence-informed thinking, helping leaders make sense of complexity and gain clarity on what matters most. She is often described as a trusted advisor who brings confidence, perspective, and grounded advice, particularly when leaders are navigating change, growth, or uncertainty.

One of Abbie’s proudest pieces of work was modernising the graduate and early careers programme at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. By listening closely to what graduates were actually looking for and redesigning a legacy programme, applications tripled year on year and diversity across gender and ethnicity improved significantly. For Abbie, the real impact was long-term, contributing to a more diverse future workforce and better outcomes for New Zealanders. She has also supported leaders across complex, multi-location environments to lift performance, strengthen leadership capability, and build healthier, more effective cultures.

Abbie believes leadership is the single biggest lever for culture, performance, and long-term impact. Supporting leaders to lead well has a ripple effect across teams, organisations, and the wider economy. She is motivated by seeing ideas and intent turn into tangible improvements in people’s experience of work, and by helping leaders create environments where people can do their best work.

Calm, relational, and thoughtful. Abbie invests time in building trust and listens deeply before offering advice. She is future-focused and pragmatic, with a strong performance lens and a commitment to evidence-based practice. Clients and colleagues often say they leave conversations with Abbie feeling clearer, more confident, and more grounded in what comes next.