Emelie
Franzen

As a psychologist, I love being able to connect with people and make proactive changes in the workplace to better support employees in their daily lives.

I grew up in Sweden where corporate workplace culture is more intense and formal. Having moved to New Zealand in 2019 to explore this side of my family’s heritage (my Mum is a Kiwi), I love the relaxed, friendly atmosphere and commitment to work life balance that Cooneys offers.

I joined the firm in late 2024 as the People & Culture Manager and am responsible for the end-to-end employee experience from recruitment and onboarding to learning and development, performance management and remuneration. I pride myself on being approachable and I support both employees and managers within our firm.

The ideal workplace culture is one where we can work together. Where people are respectful but also able to challenge one another in order to improve. If we can show up as our genuine selves, we’re then able to have the good conversations and the tough ones as well.

Cooneys has a strong reputation as being a good employer and are a progressive company to work for. I’m proud to help protect that legacy and help shape the future direction of our firm’s culture as well.

Outside of work I like to stay active. Fitness is a huge part of my life and I was lucky enough to represent Sweden at the championships in synchronised ice skating as a teenager and young adult. In 2023 I became a mum, so “me-time” looks a bit different these days. But when time allows I enjoy mountain biking, trail running and refuelling with friends over coffee and treats!