Andrea Blair
{{Short description|New Zealand geothermal consultant}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Andrea Blair
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZM|size=100%}}
| image = {{#statements:P18}}
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| caption = Blair in 2024
| birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|42|2017|07|26}}
| birth_place = {{#statements:P19}}
| death_date = {{#statements:P570}}
| death_place = {{#statements:P20}}
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| occupation = Geothermal consultant
| employer = {{ubl|GNS Science|Upflow}}
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| alma_mater = University of Waikato
| known_for =
| awards = WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award (2023)
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Andrea Jane Blair {{post-nominals|country=NZL|ONZM}} (born {{Birth based on age as of date|42|2017|07|26|noage=1}}) is a New Zealand geothermal consultant. She was president of the International Geothermal Association for three years, and co-founded the international association Women in Geothermal. In 2024, Blair was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the geothermal industry and women.
Early life and education
Born in {{Birth based on age as of date|42|2017|07|26|noage=1}},{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/taupo-woman-finalist-in-women-of-influence-awards/ERTCQKZMBGO3GUM5KQF7T47AQ4/ |title=Taupo woman finalist in Women of Influence Awards |first=Dee |last=Wilson |date=26 July 2017 |work=Rotorua Daily Post |access-date=16 October 2024}} Blair was educated at Tauhara College in Taupō, and went on to study forestry at the University of Canterbury and the University of Waikato.{{Cite web |title=Andy Blair: education |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-andy-blair-97a5b913/details/education/ |website=LinkedIn}} She later completed a Diploma of Arts at Massey University in 2019.{{Cite web |title=Massey Professors receive ONZM for pioneering work in health psychology and ageing studies |url=https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/massey-professors-receive-onzm-for-pioneering-work-in-health-psychology-and-aging-studies/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=www.massey.ac.nz |language=en-NZ}}
Career
After completing her forestry degree, Blair worked in the forestry industry before becoming the general manager of Kiwi Experience and then chief executive officer of Great Lake Skydive in Taupō. She later worked as a business development manager at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences.{{Cite web |date=15 October 2024 |title=Taupō's Andrea Blair recognised in King's Birthday Honours |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/kings-birthday-honours-2024-taupos-andrea-blair-onzm/UKQS3FRFZNGD7ETNFBEO5JMZV4/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}{{Cite web |title=Andrea "Andy" Blair |url=https://newenergyevents.com/geolac2019/speakers/andrea-blair/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=6th Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean |language=en-US}} In 2017, she co-founded geothermal consultancy Upflow.
In 2013, Blair co-founded Women in Geothermal (WING), an international organisation aimed at empowering women in the geothermal industry. The organisation is the largest geothermal association internationally, with more than 3,400 members. Blair was chair of WING until 2020.{{Cite web |title=Andrea Blair |url=https://newenergyevents.com/geolac2021/speakers/andy-blair/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=8th Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean |language=en-US}}
Blair campaigned to create a change in board membership on the International Geothermal Association, and female membership of the board went from 17% to 61% by the time Blair was elected president of the association in 2020. She served a three-year term, during which she represented the association at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference.{{Cite web |date=18 May 2020 |title=New leadership team for IGA Board 2020–2023 – International Geothermal Association |url=https://www.lovegeothermal.org/new-leadership-team-for-iga-board-2020-2023/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |language=en-GB}}
Blair is a board member of Global Women, a non-profit organisation in New Zealand aimed at diversifying leadership.{{Cite web |date=18 July 2022 |title=Andrea Blair |url=https://globalwomen.org.nz/about/board-members/andrea-blair/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=Global Women |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=16 October 2018 |title=Our Dream for New Zealand |url=https://globalwomen.org.nz/about/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=Global Women |language=en}}
Honours and awards
Blair was a finalist in the 2017 New Zealand Women of Influence Awards. In 2023, she was awarded a WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award for the Asia-Pacific region. Only five recipients are awarded each year.{{Cite web |title=2023 Awardees – WE Empower UN SDG Challenge |url=https://globalfutures.asu.edu/we-empower/2023-awardees/ |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=globalfutures.asu.edu}} Blair was selected as one of Forbes magazine's "5 Female Founders Leading The Charge For A Sustainable Future".{{Cite web |last=Fox |first=MeiMei |title=5 Female Founders Leading The Charge For A Sustainable Future |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/meimeifox/2024/05/29/5-female-founders-leading-the-charge-for-a-sustainable-future/ |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Andrea Blair |url=https://www.newzealand.womenleadersummit.com/speakers-1/andrea-blair |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=Women Leadership NZ |language=en}}
In the 2024 King's Birthday Honours, Blair was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the geothermal industry and women.{{Cite web |date=3 June 2024 |title=King's Birthday Honours 2024 – Citations for Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit {{!}} Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/kb2024-onzm |access-date=15 October 2024 |website=www.dpmc.govt.nz |language=en}}
References
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External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2e_yupll-w Growing the vision – Andrea Blair], 5 July 2022, via YouTube
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Category:University of Waikato alumni
Category:University of Canterbury alumni
Category:Massey University alumni