Ms van Heerden is one of the growing number of younger Bay of Plenty business people who have moved into the area in the past decade, but in her case it's been a homecoming.
Born in Wellington, she grew up from the age of 11 in Tauranga, where her father Graeme Boyd served as chief executive of Paengaroa-based honey and health products company Comvita for seven years until 2005. She attended Otumoetai College, then completed a combined BA LLB (with honours) at Auckland University.
Ms van Heerden started her career with leading law firm Bell Gully in Auckland in early 2005, but by mid-2006 had moved to take up a new role as a solicitor at Sharp Tudhope when the firm opened its Auckland office.
The following year, to gain the experience of working with the larger Sharp Tudhope practice, she moved back to Tauranga, where her parents still live. There she has been mentored by senior partner John Gordon in a career that has focused on commercial law.
"I've always had an interest in business," she said.
"Being a regional firm, Sharp Tudhope is fairly broad-based and we don't specialise so much within departments as you might in a large corporate firm. I focus on commercial law, which includes sales and acquisitions, finance, entity structures, capital raising and a broad range of contractual matters. The parts of commercial law I enjoy the most are largely related to mergers and acquisitions and exporting, namely international supply arrangements."
She has particular expertise advising clients in the manufacturing, exporting, logistics and horticulture industries, advising on a variety of corporate and commercial matters, including company compliance and governance matters.
After joining the firm as a solicitor in 2006, she became an associate two years late and was named partner in 2010 at 28.
One of her major clients at the firm is Comvita where she was encouraged to take a lead role by senior Sharp Tudhope partner John Gordon, who has been an important mentor. She was appointed under the Institute of Directors' Future Director programme for a one-year term on Comvita's board from 2014-15.
Her current governance roles include directorships of two Craigs IP subsidiaries: Craigs Investment Partners Superannuation Management, which manages clients' KiwiSaver funds; and Custodial Services, which provides nominee services for investors.
She has been on the executive committee of ExportNZ Bay of Plenty since 2011, and is a past director of Mainstreet Tauranga.
"I intend to maintain my legal career, but would like to supplement it with complementary governance roles," she said.
"There's a lot of talk nationally about how boards are very much an old boys club, but I haven't had that experience myself in the Bay. The people I've dealt with locally are very supportive and encourage diversity both in terms of gender and age."
Her most recent appointment came this week when she was appointed to Priority One's board.
Chief executive Andrew Coker noted Ms van Heerden would bring to Priority One a solid background in commercial law, including advising across a range of industries such as manufacturing, exporting, logistics and horticulture.
"Her commercial knowledge base provides her with an appreciation of the legal challenges and issues that many businesses face, which will add value to Priority One's strategic direction."
