Diane Shirley Foreman is a New Zealand businesswoman. In 2012 Foreman was appointed a Companion 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 business. She was inducted into the
New Zealand Business Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...
in 2024.
Early life and education
Foreman was born in 1960 or 1961 to a teenage mother, and was adopted into a working-class family. She says that they didn't value education for girls, "I was told that education for girls was unnecessary and all you needed was straight teeth and an ability to type". Foreman left school at 15 and worked as a shorthand typist. By 18 she was married and working as a secretary for Robert Kerridge. By her early twenties the marriage had ended and she had two children. Foreman also worked as a medical practice manager and a real estate agent.
Business career
Foreman married businessman Bill Foreman in 1988, and was his third wife. He was thirty years older than her. Foreman was appointed to the board of Bill's plastics company Trigon Packaging Systems as Bill's representative when he had a stroke. Foreman managed the sale of the company. The couple set up an investment company, Emerald Group, which had real estate, recruitment, hotel, and food components.
In 2015 Foreman published ''In the Arena'', a book on entrepreneurship.
Honours and awards
In 2009 Foreman was named
Ernst & Young
EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...
's New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year. In the
2012 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2012 were announced on 31 December 2011 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand,
Personal life
Foreman says she separated from Bill Foreman around 2006. Foreman had an affair with then-Reserve Bank governor
Don Brash
Donald Thomas Brash (born 24 September 1940) is a former New Zealand politician who was Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the New Zealand National Party, leader of the New Zealand National Party from ...
before the end of his second marriage. Foreman refused to confirm the allegations, but Brash wrote about the relationship in his 2014 autobiography.
Foreman married broadcaster Paul Henry in 2020.