Francine Stevens – Wildlife Photographer, Wildlife Advocate, Corporate Innovation Guru

In this pod I talk to Tauranga-raised, France-based corporate innovation guru, wildlife photographer, and wildlife photography tour guide, Francine Stevens, about her life since leaving New Zealand in 2007.

Our conversation tracks Francine’s career from leading digital innovation teams with a multinational corporation, to eventually working with start-ups, and in a B Corp in the United Kingdom, before she escaped the UK just before the Covid lockdowns to work in NEOM, one of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious giga-projects.

Francine’s personal and professional journey took a twist in the trail when, in 2020, she committed to five years of training, with the goal of being able to work professionally as a wildlife photographer. I first met Francine in late 2025 while she was scoping out potential destinations in NZ for a small-group photography tour with UK-based clients looking to head Down Under.

In the pod we also touch on why she didn’t pursue a career in opera, how companies with 60,000 staff innovate, and the ethical call of the wild I suspect all wildlife photographers have to answer, namely whether getting ‘the shot’ is prioritised over the wildlife, or vice versa.

This was yet another inspirational and uplifting conversation with a Kiwi Flee. My huge thanks to Francine for joining me on the pod. It’s not hard to see how, yet again, a commercial and creative member of New Zealand’s diaspora is lifting and promoting our country’s profile internationally. More than that, Francine is now working to ‘import’ visitors to NZ to celebrate what our country has to offer, photographically speaking.

Please check out Francine’s work: Instagram.com/fstevens_artist/ and francinestevens.com

On behalf of the team at OFNZ, thank you so much for listening.

My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations and to my sound-meister, Robbie, at Matrix Digital (Wgtn) for his commitment to the craft. Thank you too, to Team Kea for promoting the pod.

If you’re a Kiwi Flee or know someone who should be, please get in touch at: kiwiflees@onlyfromnz.co.nz

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