Profile
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Simi Sethu,
Kripa Financial Solutions
Rachael Alexander built her career with intention long before she launched her own business. Drawn to finance for both its analytical rigour and its influence on people’s lives, the managing director of Max Money Group has earned a reputation for focused leadership and independent thinking, qualities that secured her place on NZ Adviser’s Elite Women 2026 list.
From the outset, she saw finance as a tool that could expand security, opportunity and quality of life. What intrigued her most was the subtlety behind financial decisions and how choices made today shape outcomes years later. While opportunities shaped her journey, the direction was always deliberate. Her focus remains on translating complex financial connections behind the scenes into practical strategies that help clients move forward with confidence.
That mindset proved decisive when Rachael stepped away from senior corporate roles to build her own firm. Fast career growth had brought professional success, but it also revealed a common trap. Leaving a secure, high-paying role carries a perceived cost that can stall even ambitious leaders. Choosing otherwise marked a defining point.
“Being able to push myself beyond that comfort zone, to take the leap and build my own business, was a defining moment,” she says. “It was about fully trusting myself, my skills and my judgement and not being afraid to create my own path.”
Today, her challenge centres on exercising restraint, as ideas often move faster than available resources. Entrepreneurship demands constant judgement about where to focus energy and what to defer. By building in stages and concentrating on what delivers long-term impact for clients and the business, she has developed a leadership style that is decisive and measured.
Resilience anchors that approach. Rachael is comfortable with uncertainty and adjusts quickly when conditions change. Rather than dwelling on disruption, she refocuses and keeps moving. That adaptability guides how she builds strategy and culture.
Her professional philosophy took shape early in her career at BNZ, when a handwritten note inside a gifted business book left a lasting impression: “Success doesn’t come the way you think it will — it comes from the way you think”. The idea continues to influence how she approaches risk and responsibility.
Rachael is deliberate in how she frames professional challenges. She resists viewing her experience primarily through gender, instead placing emphasis on capability, integrity, work ethic and judgement. Credibility, she believes, follows consistent performance and high standards.
“I think it’s important to show that people don’t have to follow a predefined path. Careers don’t need to be linear, and success doesn’t have to look a certain way,” she says. “What matters is having the confidence to make deliberate choices and stand behind them.”
That conviction shapes her perspective on progress within the industry. In her view, opportunity grows in environments that reward accountability and sound judgement.
The legacy Rachael hopes to leave is grounded in integrity and independent thought. She wants her work to endure, treat people fairly and encourage others to take ownership of their decisions. If her career demonstrates anything, it is that shaping your own destiny begins with the willingness to think for yourself and act on it.
Unit D1, 27/29 William Pickering Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632
0800 ASK MAX (0800 275 629)
rachael.alexander@maxmoneygroup.co.nz
linkedin.com/in/rachael-alexander-753817148
maxmoneygroup.co.nz
Rachael Alexander
Managing Director
Max Money Group
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Simi Sethu,
Kripa Financial Solutions
1993–2006
2006–2017
2017–2020
2020–2025
Present
1993-1994: Project Executive and Business Analyst (Business Banking) at BNZ 1996-1998: MBA (Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Chicago, USA) 1995-2000: Management consulting roles at Booz Allen Hamilton and A.T. Kearney 2000-2006: Senior roles at Westpac in Sydney, Australia
1993–2006
Director at Helensville Group PTY Limited
2006–2017
2017–2020: Managing Director at Max Loans
2018: Launched Max Mortgages
2019: Launched Max Insurances
2020: Launched Max Businesses
2017–2020
Managing Director, Max Money Group 2020: Finalist Astute Diversification Award 2020: Finalist Astute Business Leadership Award 2023: NZA's Elite Women 2024: NZA's Elite Women
2020–2025
Managing Director at Max Money Group since 2020
2026: NZA’s Elite Woman
Present
Milestones
Milestones
ELITE WOMEN 2024 JUDGE
Before founding Kripa, Sethu held key sales roles with global travel leaders Emirates and Travelport, where she sharpened her client relationship, communication and strategic sales skills. These experiences gave her a deep appreciation for diverse client needs and the importance of tailored, human-centred solutions.
Sethu is also a sought-after speaker on topics such as homeownership pathways, business funding, financial literacy and smart borrowing in evolving markets. Her engaging, down-to-earth style makes financial education accessible and actionable.
Driven by a genuine passion for community empowerment and financial wellbeing, Sethu is dedicated to helping people take control of their financial futures with clarity, confidence and long-term vision.