Panelist: Sarah Mitchell – Head of Employment and Youth Transition at Blind and Low Vision NZ

Sarah MItchell a blonde female smiling at the camera

About Sarah

Sarah is Head of Employment and Youth Transition at Blind and Low Vision NZ

Sarah is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years experience in employee/employer advocacy, recruitment, diversity, inclusion, professional development, facilitation, mentoring and career development pathways. She believes every individual can reach their potential, by working from a strengths-based model, removing the barriers and by society working collaboratively.

Sarah has a particular interest in inclusion and diversity and embraces every opportunity to walk alongside businesses to support corporate change.

Her first role out of university was working for the Department of Labour as a Labour Inspector and then relocated to Hong Kong where she spent a decade living and working for PricewaterhouseCoopers as an operations and HR manager.

After returning to New Zealand in 2013, Sarah joined Be.Accessible where she co-designed the Be.Employed Internship programme facilitating hundreds of employment placements for disabled persons.

Sarah joined Blind and Low Vision New Zealand in March 2022 where she heads up the Employment and Youth Transition programme, this role draws on all areas of Sarah’s professional and personal experience and is focused on developing a 21st century employment programme that will deliver sustainable employment outcomes for its working-age clients and breakdown the barriers that still exist within the modern workforce for blind and low vision citizens.

In addition to her professional work experience, Sarah holds a number of business qualifications, but most recently has been developing her passion for advocacy and personal development of others. She has an advanced Certificate in Family Mediation from the Hong Kong Law Society and is a certified Clifton Strengths Coach. Sarah approaches life with a "can do" attitude and has a passion for encouraging and promoting the same philosophy amongst others.

Sarah is a proud Aucklander having been born and raised in the City of Sails.

She spends her precious free time with her two teenage children and naughty but very handsome Pomapoo, Sebby.