Andrea Jane Blair (born ) is a New Zealand

geothermal Geothermal is related to energy and may refer to: * Geothermal energy, useful energy generated and stored in the Earth * Geothermal activity, the range of natural phenomena at or near the surface, associated with release of the Earth's internal he ...

consultant. She was president of the

International Geothermal Association The International Geothermal Association (IGA) is an international non-profit, non-political, non-governmental association representing the geothermal energy sector worldwide. The organisation works for the promotion and worldwide deployment of ...

for three years, and co-founded the international association Women in Geothermal. In 2024, Blair was appointed an Officer of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

, for services to the geothermal industry and women.

Early life and education

Born in , Blair was educated at

Tauhara College Tauhara College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Taupō, New Zealand. Serving Years 9 to 13, the school has approximately 600 students. Tauhara College is one of three high schools in Taupō; the others are Taupo-nui-a-Tia ...

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town located in the central North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the edge of Lake Taupō, which is the largest freshwater lake in New Zealand. Taupō was constituted as a borough in 1953. It h ...

, and went on to study forestry at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury (UC; ; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in 1873 as Canterbur ...

and the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

. She later completed a Diploma of Arts at

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

in 2019.

Career

After completing her forestry degree, Blair worked in the forestry industry before becoming the general manager of Kiwi Experience and then chief executive officer of Great Lake Skydive in Taupō. She later worked as a business development manager at the

Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences GNS Science (), officially registered as the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute. It focuses on geology, geophysics (including seismology and volcanology), and nuclear science (partic ...

. In 2017, she co-founded geothermal consultancy Upflow. In 2013, Blair co-founded Women in Geothermal (WING), an international organisation aimed at empowering women in the geothermal industry. The organisation is the largest geothermal association internationally, with more than 3,400 members. Blair was chair of WING until 2020. Blair campaigned to create a change in board membership on the

, and female membership of the board went from 17% to 61% by the time Blair was elected president of the association in 2020. She served a three-year term, during which she represented the association at COP26, the

2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, coun ...

. Blair is a board member of Global Women, a non-profit organisation in New Zealand aimed at diversifying leadership.

Honours and awards

Blair was a finalist in the 2017

New Zealand Women of Influence Awards The New Zealand Women of Influence Awards are an annual set of awards which recognise women who make a difference to everyday New Zealanders' lives. The Awards were first made in 2013 and were initially sponsored by Westpac Bank. In 2016, Stuff NZ ...

. In 2023, she was awarded a WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award for the Asia-Pacific region. Only five recipients are awarded each year. Blair was selected as one of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine's "5 Female Founders Leading The Charge For A Sustainable Future". In the

2024 King's Birthday Honours The 2024 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part o ...

, Blair was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the geothermal industry and women.

References

External links

*
Growing the vision – Andrea Blair
', 5 July 2022, via YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Andrea 1970s births Living people University of Waikato alumni University of Canterbury alumni Massey University alumni Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Geothermal energy in New Zealand