As the daughter of the late New Zealand environmentalist and businessman, Sir Rob Fenwick, it’s only natural that Izzy Fenwick would inherit a love for people and the planet. Wanting to honour her father’s legacy, Fenwick founded the innovative platform Futureful in early 2023, a recruitment tool that matches employees and businesses based on shared values — one of which is climate action. When she’s not developing Futureful, the entrepreneur spends her time guest lecturing at AUT and sitting on the board at The Aotearoa Circle, which is an organisation that brings together public and private sector leaders to solve systemic issues around New Zealand. As a female founder and trailblazer, we took the opportunity to ask Fenwick for her tips for fellow business owners, those looking to change careers, and what she’s hoping to achieve with Futureful in the coming years.
In conversation with Izzy Fenwick:
Please tell us a bit about you, your background, and your career to-date:
Well, I’m a neurodiverse LGBT millennial with a beautiful wife and glorious White German Shepherd, Moose. I am the founder of Futureful – the most disruptive recruitment tool on the planet – which I launched earlier this year. I also sit on the board of The Aotearoa Circle; an organisation that brings together public and private sector leaders to solve complex systemic issues around Aotearoa New Zealand.
By trade, I’m a human-centred designer which means I am fascinated by human needs and what drives behaviours. I also spend a fair bit of my time speaking at events and conferences, locally and internationally, about sustainable development and the future of work. I was raised by New Zealand environmentalist and businessman, Sir Rob Fenwick. He passed away a few years ago after a long dance with cancer, which is where my passion for sustainable development came from.
What inspired you to create Futureful? And what did you seek to do differently?
Looking at our traditional recruitment methods and tools – like CVs and job ads. I saw them as being so out of touch for modern society and our workforce today. The industry didn’t just need something ‘new’ it needed a complete redesign. And as a designer, I thought ‘I could do that!’
I wanted to totally recreate how organisations and talent connect. Currently, that connection starts with a job ad and a CV. That is such a transactional and shallow way to start a relationship. I wanted to create something that tapped into human needs, expectations, preferences and values – as well as their skills for the job of course, but that is a given!
Without relying on traditional resumes and cover letters, how does Futureful assess the compatibility and potential success of job candidates, and how do you ensure successful matches?
Futureful uses a framework specifically designed to understand what an ideal workplace looks like for people as well as what skills they have. Scanning a CV is hard and doesn’t capture an actual person very well at all. Futureful, on the other hand, provides a scale of workplace compatibility and skill-based capability. We also provide both parties with all the data points that contribute to the compatibility score so there is full transparency around why it’s a good match.
How has your father’s legacy and your commitment to environmentalism influenced the vision and operations of Futureful?
Watching Dad work so hard with New Zealand organisations on their sustainability strategies was one of the first moments when I really realised that not all organisations are created equal. Some have real integrity and care deeply about their people and the environment and some don’t. The challenge is trying to figure out who is who when our job-seeking tools are more focused on the job than the organisation itself. And while Futureful isn’t just focused on organisations with environmental commitments, I had the realisation that some organisations are better than others and New Zealanders deserve to find them and feel proud to work there.
What factors, do you believe, contribute to a productive and positive working environment? Any tips for Kiwi business owners?
According to a recent Deloitte survey, which spoke to 23,000 respondents across 44 countries, nearly 90% of Gen Z and millennials (who now make up over 50% of the global workforce) believe that having a sense of purpose in their work is crucial to their job satisfaction and well-being. And that isn’t just a feel good statistic.
Purpose-driven companies outperform the market by 42% (thanks to another Deloitte report) and I believe that is because purpose does drive productivity.
Purpose comes from that sense that you are contributing to something bigger, so my tip to Kiwi business owners is to think about what contribution you are making to New Zealand beyond your profit drivers.
Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future of Futureful?
Total global domination. We want to bring this more human approach to work to as many countries as we can. We also want to completely remove the need for CVs and cover letters and create a more holistic way of understanding people.
How do you personally manage stress and maintain your own work-life balance?
It is definitely a bit of a challenge at the moment, an early-stage tech start-up is quite stressful but a morning walk with Moo every morning certainly helps! I have also recently discovered Cryo-Therapy at Chill Wellness in Auckland – essentially you spend three minutes at -80 degrees Celsius and it feels amazing! I don’t know why it helps with stress levels but it does. I also genuinely think working in such purposeful work helps combat stress, because it is so rewarding knowing you’re working towards something bigger than yourself.
What kind of feedback have you received from the Futureful community so far?
It has been so positive. The main thing we hear is the acknowledgement that we are flipping recruitment on its head. Instead of the exhausting process of actively looking for a job, you can tell us what an ideal workplace looks like and we do the rest. The other feedback we get a lot is how we are asking the questions that job-seekers are often too scared to ask because they’re worried it will look bad in the interview – like what is the maternity leave policy, what is the flexible work policy, do you offer health insurance.
It’s considered a hugely competitive market for job seekers currently. Based on what you know about recruitment and trends, do you have any advice for those who are actively applying for roles or are considering making a jump?
It is a competitive market right now. The thing I wish more people thought about is finding or fostering opportunities for their next job, while in their current job. By the time you really need a job, you are often in a position where you can’t be as selective as you should. You spend so much time at work and it can play a big role in your wellbeing. This is a big part of Futureful’s offering – helping you find your future opportunities before you’re desperate.
Who inspires you personally and professionally?
There are so many wahine founders in New Zealand at the moment who really inspire me.
Only 11% of New Zealand’s venture capital funding goes to women so if you see a woman-founded business it is highly likely she is hustling hard and that is incredibly inspiring to me.
Quickfire questions:
My go-to place for a coffee near me… The Corner Café in Point Chev. My wife is a coffee snob and she will tell you this is the best coffee in Auckland.
Last book I read… Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. IT BLEW MY MIND!
The next place I want to visit… Seoul. And luckily I am heading there in September!
My style icon is… Paris Mitchell Temple. I have known Paris since we were 14 and she is such an icon.
This season I’m splurging on… A Keely Luna Laptop Envelope. A New Zealand based, female founded company, made with UPPEAL™ vegan alternative to animal leather sourced from apple waste, and padded with 100% recycled PET polyester felt.
Three beauty products I can’t live without… My face ice-block! Frozen block of ice that I roll on my face every morning. I am obsessed. I also love the ‘Bright & Tight Vitamin C Serum’ and the ‘Plump Me Up Hyaluronic Acid’ by Milou Beauty, another Kiwi female founder. Certainly seeing a bit of a pattern!
