Gill Greer

Dr. Gill Greer is the former Director General of the International Planned Parenthood  Federation (London) with member associations in over 160 countries. She has held CE positions with New Zealand Family Planning, Volunteer Service Abroad New Zealand, the National Council of Women, and Rare Disorders New Zealand. As well as leadership of organisations and national and international coalitions.  She has wide experience in governance and advisory roles, including with governments and served on advisory groups for three New Zealand Ministers of Foreign Affairs, as well as a number of national and international Boards. These currently include Rare Disorders NZ, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, Transparency International NZ and the International development committee of Family Planning NSW. Much of her work has been with community groups in New Zealand and internationally, with a focus on ensuring that the voices of the most vulnerable individuals and communities, and in particular women, girls, young people, LGBTQI+ and the disabled are heard, and all people have the opportunity to realise their full potential. This has involved leadership of service delivery as well as advocacy in many settings-with the UN in New York, Geneva and Bonn, governments, parliamentarians, communities, and UN agencies bringing together coalitions of cross sectoral groups such as the Asia Pacific Alliance, and the Volunteer Groups Alliance to achieve positive change. She has chaired conferences in Berlin and Beijing, and is a Board member of Evofem Biotech, San Diego -a Nasdaq listed company working in women’s health. She has completed a number of recent contracts including the review of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). She co-edited “The People’s Report” in 2019, an alternate civil society report on New Zealand’s progress on the SDGs. 

 A former teacher, she has written several books on New Zealand women writers. 

In December 2019 Gill was awarded an honorary doctorate by Victoria University of Wellington, where she was previously Assistant Vice Chancellor (Equity and Human Resources), Director Student Services and Liaison Officer 

Gill was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to international health and women’s rights in 2012, and awarded an MNZM previously for her contribution to Family Planning and New Zealand Literature.