Claire Szabó

Her father came to New Zealand as a refugee from Hungary in 1956 following the Hungarian Uprising, her mother was a nurse. She grew up in Papakura in a council house.{{cite news |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/business/job-market/4214885/Young-executive-makes-her-mark |title=Young executive makes her mark | work=Stuff |access-date=18 December 2019 |date=14 October 2010}}

After finishing her high school education at Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland, she studied music at the University of Auckland and later gained degrees at Trinity College Dublin in Education Management, Victoria University of Wellington in Commerce and Administration,{{Cite thesis |last=Szabo |first=Claire |title=The Not-For-Profit Chief Executive: An Insider View |date=2010 |degree=Master of Commerce and Administration |publisher=Open Access Repository, Victoria University of Wellington |doi=10.26686/wgtn.17011577.v1|doi-access=free }} and Harvard University in Public Administration.

In 2006, aged 27, she became the chief executive officer of English Language Partners New Zealand. In 2013, she became the chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity New Zealand. In 2010, she was both named young executive of the year and won the New Zealand Institute of Management award.

Szabó joined the Labour Party in 2007 and stood as the Labour candidate in the electorate of {{NZ electorate link|North Shore}} at the {{NZ election link|2014}}, and was number 38 on the party list. She was defeated by the incumbent, Maggie Barry of National Party by a margin of 16,503 votes.{{cite web |url= http://electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/electorate-33.html|title=Official Count Results – North Shore (2014)|publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=14 April 2016 |date=10 December 2011}} On 30 November 2019, she was elected President of the Labour Party following the resignation of Nigel Haworth earlier that year.{{cite news |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/117826850/labour-elects-habitat-for-humanity-ceo-claire-szab-as-party-president |title=Labour elects Habitat for Humanity CEO Claire Szabó as party president |work=Stuff |access-date=18 December 2019 |date=30 November 2019}}

In 2021, Szabó was appointed to the board of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, alongside Chris Finlayson.{{cite web |last1=Ministry For Culture And Heritage |title=Hon Chris Finlayson And Claire Szabó Appointed To The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Board |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU2108/S00025/hon-chris-finlayson-and-claire-szabo-appointed-to-the-new-zealand-symphony-orchestra-board.htm |website=Scoop |publisher=Scoop Media |access-date=7 November 2021 |date=3 August 2021}}

On 17 June 2022, Szabó announced that she will not seek re-election to the Labour Party presidency at the November 2022 annual conference, and will end her tenure then. She told The New Zealand Herald that she has reflected on standing for Parliament again at the 2023 general election, but said "I know definitively it's too early to make a decision."{{cite news |last1=Neilson |first1=Michael |title=Labour Party president Claire Szabó to stand down, won't rule out running as an MP |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labour-party-president-claire-szabo-to-stand-down-wont-rule-out-running-as-an-mp/6VPV6ZNL7RPONNOSKYSXFJWORE/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |work=The New Zealand Herald |publisher=NZME |date=17 June 2022}} She was succeeded by Jill Day, the former Deputy Mayor of Wellington, at the party's conference in November 2022.{{cite web |last1=Coughlan |first1=Thomas |title=Wellington councillor to become Labour President |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ex-deputy-mayor-jill-day-to-become-labour-president/V3KXJCREVCBHALDWRA2WPPSAHU/ |website=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en-NZ}}

In February 2023, Szabó was one of four candidates vying for the Labour nomination in {{NZ electorate link|Wellington Central}} for the {{NZ election link|2023}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/former-president-claire-szabo-vs-sitting-mp-ibrahim-omer-in-race-to-replace-grant-robertson/IMHBA4I4VNEFJJ2YMAOZ7F5C6U/ |title=Former president Claire Szabó vs sitting MP Ibrahim Omer in race to replace Grant Robertson |date=27 February 2023 |work=The New Zealand Herald |first=Thomas |last=Coughlan}} She was unsuccessful with list MP Ibrahim Omer winning the selection contest.{{cite web |first=Adam |last=Pearse |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/wellington-central-electorate-labour-chooses-candidate-to-replace-grant-robertson-in-hotly-contested-seat/SABCMFBKEREV7A27VVNRSFTLDA/ |title=Wellington Central electorate: Labour chooses candidate to replace Grant Robertson in hotly-contested seat |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=19 March 2023 |access-date=19 March 2023 }}

She is married to Rowan Johnston, a choir conductor, and has two children.{{cite news |url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/women-of-influence/103703376/having-it-all-still-a-struggle-for-women-in-2018 |last=Manson |first= Bess |title='Having it all' still a struggle for women in 2018 | work =Stuff |access-date=18 December 2019 |date=27 May 2018}}

Szabó speaks fluent Hungarian, the mother tongue of her father.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_IJjTjfVyA |first=Péter | last = Erdélyi |title=20 éves korában megtanult magyarul, ma ő vezeti az új-zélandi kormánypártot |publisher=444.hu | lang = hu |access-date=20 May 2020 |date=4 May 2020}}

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{{s-bef|before=Nigel Haworth}}

{{s-ttl|title=President of the Labour Party|years=2019–2022}}

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{{NZ Labour Party}}

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Category:Living people

Category:New Zealand people of Hungarian descent

Category:University of Auckland alumni

Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni

Category:New Zealand chief executives

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 2014 New Zealand general election

Category:New Zealand Labour Party politicians

Category:21st-century New Zealand women politicians

Category:New Zealand feminists

Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin

Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:People from Papakura