Darren Elmore emigrated from Britain to New Zealand two decades ago after five years as a Ricoh service engineer. Back then, the idea of transitioning to become Managing Director of Ricoh New Zealand seemed about as far away as, well, New Zealand.

However, just as Ricoh itself transitioned from a company mainly known for printers and copiers to today’s digital services multinational, Elmore underwent a transition of his own.

The word “transition” appears often here – and with good reason. It’s a key element of Elmore’s story, with a programme at the University of Auckland Business School – the Transitioning to C-Suite Strategic Leadership Programme – having a marked effect on his professional life.

It is regularly led and facilitated by leading academics and industry professionals including Sir Ashley Bloomfield, who is renowned for guiding New Zealanders through the Covid-19 pandemic, The programme is designed as premier executive leadership development for senior leaders looking to transition into C-Suite roles or enhance their leadership capabilities in complex organisations.

Towards the end of 2022, Elmore enrolled in the programme in his then position as Ricoh NZ Service Manager. “That was three roles ago now,” laughs Elmore, who took up the top job as Managing Director only last month.

Darren Elmore, Managing Director of Ricoh New Zealand. His progression illustrates the point. When he finished in December 2022, he was promoted to General Manager (Service) in February 2023, before ultimately moving into the top job in March 2025.

“I enrolled because I was looking at how I was going to get to the next level, a GM role. I am a great believer in the value of conventional and unconventional thinking and blending the two. I also believe in postgraduate study: the older you get, the less you know, I always say,” says Elmore.

“I was also interested in increasing my ability to coach people better – if I had a weakness then, it was that I was focused more on the here and now and not looking too much into the future.

“I wanted a better understanding of what good leadership looked like and how you measure it – and to grow the ability to take a business to the point where everyone in that business, regardless of their role, knows where we are going to and why and are prepared to follow a trustworthy leader.

“Talent only gets you so far but if you can develop people like that within the business, it is good for the business and good for you. Part of the great value of the programme is that it blended online and in-person learning – and great interaction with diverse people and diverse thinking.

“At some point, you need to be exposed to new thinking and to challenge and be challenged, not just absorb what is being presented – and that is what happens. Interacting with some of the speakers is absolute gold.”


The Transitioning to C-Suite programme takes three months (at two days per month) and its online and in-person nature means it can be done while a fulltime job is maintained – though Elmore often elected to delegate many of his functions to others. “I think delegating and asking people to do what I do is good for the business – and that’s how it worked out, a definite plus,” he says.

The strategic leadership programme targets senior leaders aged 35-plus, with seven or more years’ experience in mid-to-large organisations, non-profits, and government sectors. The aim is for participants to transition from functional to C-Suite roles within the next five years and to enhance leadership skills. The programme also attracts newly appointed enterprise leaders seeking to deepen their capability to lead at a strategic level and create impact across their organisation.

They are interested in high-level leadership development, strategic management, innovation, navigating change, coaching and complex business challenges, and networking with peers from various sectors. Organisations typically pay the $12,500 programme fee so participants can accelerate their leadership development – Elmore found his boss keen to pick up on the idea when he proposed it.


Sir Ashley Bloomfield.

Sir Ashley Bloomfield (who has regularly taught and facilitated on the programme over the past two years, though not when Elmore was there) says: “I have learned a lot about leadership during my career, in particular leading through very challenging times. While my career has been in health, the lessons are widely relevant and contributing to this programme is a great opportunity to share my experience and demystify and humanise that experience.

“I’ve been impressed with how engaged the participants are; they ask great questions based on their experience and where they want to go with their careers. They are leaders who are ready and willing to make the step up to the C-Suite, and they recognise that will require them to have and deploy different knowledge and skills in the organisation.”

The programme, he says, draws on a range of senior university staff and industry experts and has a strong research base to the teaching – kept up to date, so participants are honing their skills and knowledge based on the latest research from around the globe.

While functional leadership is one thing, EQ or emotional intelligence is another. “The thing about EQ is that it can be learned – like leadership, it is not something you are born with,” says Bloomfield.

“It is all about the most important aspect of leadership - leading self, understanding the impact of your behaviours on others and being attuned to your own response to the actions and words of other people. I think of leadership as a lifelong journey in improved self-awareness, and this is relevant to leading in any context.”

Programme details – and how to apply:

  • The deadline for applications is July 20.
  • The next intake begins August 19, 2025.
  • The 2025 fee is $12,500+GST – a temporary reduction from the standard $15,000

Apply or learn more at exec.auckland.ac.nz