Guy Ryan is an entrepreneur who hails from the town of Granity, population 216, on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. He is the 2015 Young New Zealander of the Year, and the founder and CEO of Inspiring Stories, a nationwide charity with a vision to see young New Zealanders unleash their potential to change the world.

5,000 young people have taken part in the organisation’s programmes focused on social entrepreneurship, innovation, and social change since 2011. Initiatives include Live the Dream, an accelerator programme for young social entrepreneurs to develop their ventures, and Festival for the Future, an annual national event that attracts hundreds of young
people eager to create change their communities.

Guy has a Masters degree in Science Communication from Otago University, and his short documentary, Carving the Future, about young New Zealanders’ response to climate change, was a finalist for the BBC’s Best Newcomer Award in the European Wildscreen film festival, and was named best short film at the Colorado Film Festival.

He is an outdoors adventurer who loves surfing and skateboarding, and now lives in Wellington.