Executive team
Amanda Malu | Chief Executive
Amanda Malu is the Chief Executive of Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ).
Amanda has deep experience in the public sector, education, and marketing, as well as experience across borders and with international education through her past roles. She has held senior leadership roles across education and health sectors.
Prior to ENZ, she was Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery at ACC, and formerly Chief Executive at Whānau Āwhina Plunket, leading the organisation through extensive change over five years in the role. She has also held senior marketing and communication roles, including at the Tertiary Education Commission and in the vocational education sector.
As ENZ’s Chief Executive, Amanda is responsible for leading ENZ in promoting Aotearoa New Zealand as a study destination and helping our country realise the social, cultural, and economic benefits of international education.
Julia Wootton | Group General Manager, Strategy, Capability & Performance
Julia has 25 years of experience in the New Zealand public sector, where she has held senior leadership roles accountable for planning and performance, enabling services, service delivery operations, transformation programmes, and regulators.
Julia leads the ENZ teams responsible for strategy, governance, accountability and performance, business planning, people and capability, information technology, property, security, risk, data and insights, and finance.
She is passionate about using her understanding of organisational architecture and effective enterprise systems to create settings that enable people to thrive and contribute at their best. Her aim is to ensure ENZ has the right direction, capabilities, and enablers to maximise the impact of its activities and support the international education sector to grow and prosper.
Julia values education and continuous learning and holds a Master of Business Administration and an Executive Master of Public Administration from Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.
Sahinde Pala l Group General Manager, International & Sector Engagement
Sahinde joined ENZ in 2016 after 18 years working for a multinational group of English language schools. With a career dedicated to international education, she brought extensive private sector experience in international marketing, stakeholder engagement and student experience delivery to the organisation.
Sahinde has held a number of roles at ENZ working with education providers, government stakeholders, regional groups, peak bodies, students’ associations and community groups. She was heavily involved in developing the International Student Wellbeing Strategy.
Sahinde is based in our Auckland office and spends her time outside of work standing on the sidelines of sports fields supporting her young boys.
Anna Gestro | Group General Manager, International Marketing, Brand & Scholarships
Anna leads the strategy, delivery, and teams behind ENZ's global marketing, brand, and scholarships — focused on connecting students with opportunity and Aotearoa with the world. Her focus is on elevating Aotearoa's global brand, deepening student connection, and driving growth through impactful storytelling and strategic partnerships.
Her career spans over 20 years across marketing, strategy, and executive leadership in both public and private sectors. She has worked across global brand and commercial programmes for organisations such as Lion, Fonterra, and New Zealand Cricket — blending deep consumer insight with strategic delivery. Anna’s experience also includes international roles in Singapore and New York, where she’s helped promote New Zealand’s innovation, values, and capability globally.
Anna is also a board member of Basketball New Zealand, where she brings her commercial and strategic expertise to the development of sport. Across both sport and education, she sees a common thread: the power to unlock opportunity, level the playing field, and connect people across borders and backgrounds.
