Aotearoa Enterprising Women Series | Rewa Willis

Rewa Willis is the co-founder of Sherson Willis, a corporate communication firm focused on helping clients ‘communicate with clarity and confidence’. This week we find out a little more about Rewa’s business journey.

Q𝟏. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 “𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲” 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?

I don’t think you ever feel completely ready. For me, it wasn’t about spotting a perfect moment or having a grand plan; it was about responding to real life. When we started Sherson Willis almost 20 years ago, I had a 3‑month‑old, Trish Sherson had a 6‑month‑old, and we each had a pre‑schooler. In those early years, we worked from home, building the business in a way that felt sustainable for our whānau and true to our values. Trish and I had worked together at another agency and knew our strengths complemented each other. Chemistry is still one of our greatest advantages today.

Q𝟐. 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥?

At that level, communication needs to be clear, calm and anchored in good judgement. Executives and boards need advice they can rely on, especially when the stakes are high, so honesty is critical – even when it’s uncomfortable. Trust builds when people know you understand their world, the pressures they’re carrying and the decisions they’re accountable for. For me, the most effective relationships are those where there’s mutual respect, emotional intelligence and alignment on what matters.

Q𝟑. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 Icehouse 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐚’𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?

What I value most about being involved with The Icehouse is seeing how committed owners and leaders are to growing their businesses and themselves. There’s a quiet determination in Aotearoa’s business community that I really admire – people putting in the work and staying grounded, even in a tough economic climate where many are having to make hard calls and rethink how they grow. The Icehouse has a long track record of lifting capability and building confidence, and it’s a privilege to be a part of that. 

Q𝟒. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭?

One of the biggest challenges has been managing our growth while keeping the quality of our work high and our culture strong. There have been a few times when we got the speed wobbles – things move quickly, expectations lift, and parts of the business can struggle to keep up. We’ve learnt to pause, be honest about what wasn’t working and bring in the people and structure we needed to move forward with confidence. It’s helped us grow in a way that feels sustainable and true to who we are.

Q𝟓. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫?

My advice would be to know yourself well enough to trust your judgement, even when things feel uncertain. That steadiness helps you make more grounded decisions and recognise the opportunities worth taking. Surround yourself with people who lift your thinking and challenge you in the right ways. And remember that some of the most important steps you’ll take will come from saying yes before you feel completely ready. Those moments often shape your path more than any plan.

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in the last three months?

What did you do?

What did you learnt from this challenge?