“I attended my first Teulo Talks LIVE in Auckland last August and fell in love with the whole event,” says Kim Blackler-Wong, who joins Teulo in 2026 to support event coordination and client relations.
“Janelle [Wynyard, Teulo Founder] is a very dear friend, and she needed a spare hand, which I’m never shy to provide,” Kim says. “The truth is that I didn’t really know what Teulo was all about before that first event, but I was absolutely mesmerised by the keynote speaker, Brian Wickersham, who talked about his work designing spaces within the context of the California wildfires.”
A few months later, Kim supported the next Teulo Talks LIVE event, and from there she says she was hooked. “Watching what the Teulo team did just blew my mind, and learning from the Teulo community was so inspiring to me. The speakers were talking about sustainability in building and creating safe spaces for women’s refuge. I realised that the industry is about more than building big, expensive projects; it’s about trying to do good and protect the environment. The other thing that really struck me was how two visions came together: suppliers and partners and architects and designers meeting in the same space. If I look at the industry through the lens of a buyer, I know that I want an architect who has the best relationships with their suppliers. That’s exactly what Teulo is facilitating.”
A business owner herself, Kim brings to Teulo a background that spans client-facing roles and industries including hairdressing, live events, and account management. “I’ve owned a successful salon for more than 25 years. I’ve been an air hostess, hosted and MCed live events, and worked for Courier Post managing multi-million-dollar accounts. I’ve learned that, ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you do - we’re all here providing a service and trying to get the best results for our clients. The same skills apply whether you’re cutting hair or finding a solution for an architect.”
As Kim looks to sell her salon and move into her next chapter, she’s excited to transfer her creative talents and passions to the architecture and design industry. “The thing I love most about hairdressing is making people feel good about themselves. If a new client walks in the door, my creative side kicks in as I imagine what I could do for them. But I know that it’s time for my next challenge. Working with Teulo gives me the opportunity to exercise my creativity in a way that offers me better health and lifestyle balance. I’ve started slowly at 15 hours per week, with about 10 hours on the event side of the business and 5 on the client relations side. When the salon sells, I’ll scale up".
Kim’s first big Teulo project will be the upcoming Teulo Talks LIVE in Wellington and Queenstown in June, featuring Tom Chung, Leers Weinzapfel. “I’m working with the team behind the scenes on that now, and I’m really looking forward to heading down to the Wellington and the Cargo Collective to help deliver it later this year.”
Since first venturing into Teulo’s live event space last August, Kim says her whole perspective on the built environment has changed. “I’ve really fallen in love with the industry. Where I live in Milldale, north of Auckland, I’m surrounded by show homes, and I’ve been fascinated watching everything that’s going up around me. I slow down now when I’m driving past amazing buildings and really look at how they’re put together. Just thinking about how an architect imagined that and then a group of suppliers and contractors made it happen is pretty phenomenal to me.”
Kim hopes that the energy and curiosity she brings to Teulo will translate into meaningful relationships with architects, designers and suppliers across the industry. “It’s always intimidating stepping into a new environment, but when I approached people at Teulo Talks LIVE, they all told me how grateful they were to have this space to meet and connect with others in the industry. Just because you’re a smaller practice or supplier doesn’t mean you should lack access to an inspirational network. That’s what Teulo is providing. I’m in awe of the platform and community that Jay has built; it really is one-of-a-kind.
“I’m so excited to be a part of this incredible team, continue meeting new people, and see Teulo thrive. I want the community to know that I can’t wait to learn from them; I’m prepared to listen and grow alongside them. If you tell me how Teulo can make your life easier, I’ll take your advice to heart. My door is always open.”
To learn more and connect with Kim, get in touch with her directly at kim@teulo.co, and connect with her via Teulo’s LinkedIn.
