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Penny Lawler

Day One - 9am-10.30am
Opening Address - 10 Lessons from 18 years in the Industry

Penny is the founder of Monaco Nail Academy and has been in the nail industry since 2007.

Her career has spanned nail artistry, education, competition and judging, with multiple first-place competition wins, Australasian education awards, Runner Up NZ Nail Competitions Grand Champion, and Runner Up Nail Technician of the Year.

Today, Penny focuses on education, business and helping nail professionals build stronger skills and careers through Monaco Nail Academy, while continuing to share her experience as an educator and presenter within the industry.

Watch the reveal video here!

Parveen Kaur Thakur

Day One - 10.30am-12pm
Watercolour Nail Art

Parveen Kaur Thakur is the owner of Goddess Nail Studio located in Albany, Auckland, with 8 years of experience in the nail industry. Aa a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate from Whitecliffe College of Arts & Design, her artistic background strongly influences her distinctive approach to nail artistry.

Parveen has built an impressive competition portfolio, earning 2 Gold Medals in 3D Nail Art and Natural Nail Photography, 2 Silver Medals in Salon Nail Art and Mystery Tips, and a Bronze Medal in Stamping Art at the New Zealand Nail Competitions between 2024 and 2026. She has also achieved 2nd place in the United Lockdown Theme Nail Art and Kiwiana Theme Nail Art competitions organised by Nail Central.

For the past 5 years, Parveen has proudly represented BrillBird as an educator, mentoring nail technicians and helping students develop their skills, confidence, and creativity. She believes education is about more than technique - it is about inspiring artists to grow and reach their potential.

Parveen continues to work as a salon owner, award-winning nail artist, and educator, and is honoured to be part of this summit, where she looks forward to sharing her watercolour nail art skills with you.

Watch the reveal video here!

Melody Hatch

Day One - 1-5pm
Open Book Gel Manicure Competitions

Melody Hatch has been a Nail Technician since 1995, with more than 30 years of experience across salons, education, competition and brand representation.

She is the owner of two Orly Boutique salons in Lower Hutt and Carterton, MBM Nail Academy, and is the ORLY Ambassador for New Zealand. Throughout her career, Melody has continued to train with leading educators both in New Zealand and internationally.

A highly accomplished competitor, she has earned multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze placings across a wide range of categories, with career highlights including winning Gold against Kenji Kustom Klaws (what an honour!) and being named Nail Technician of the Year 2024.

Watch the reveal video here!

Emma Fraser

Day One - 1-5pm
Open Book Gel Manicure Competitions

Emma Fraser is the owner of Allure Nail Studio in Tauranga, where she has been working in the nail industry since 2006. Originally trained with INM in 2005, Emma has continued to build on her education throughout her career and is now an INM Educator, an NZQA-qualified Nail Technician, and holds both Level 4 and Level 5 qualifications in Adult Teaching.

Alongside her extensive hands-on industry experience, Emma holds a Business Management degree from the University of Waikato and is a HITO Industry Assessor for Nail Technology, supporting the development and assessment of professional standards within the industry.

Emma has also played a significant role in representing and supporting nail technicians at an industry level. She has served on the Executive Committee of the New Zealand Association of Registered Beauty Professionals for seven years, representing Nail Technicians, including five years as President of the Association.

Her experience also extends into the competition arena, where she has been a judge for the New Zealand Nail Competitions for more than four years.

With more than 20 years of experience spanning salon work, education, assessment, business, industry leadership and competition judging, Emma brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to the NZ Nail Tech Summit. She is passionate about supporting high professional standards within the nail industry and helping nail technicians build sustainable, successful careers.

Watch the reveal video here!

Millie Craike

Day One - 6-9pm
The Ultimate Press-On Nail Masterclass

Millie Craike is the creative force behind press-on nail and jewellery brand Gemini Claws and has spent the past 8 years building a distinctive name for herself within the industry.

Known for her highly recognisable style and ability to turn nail art into content people genuinely want to watch, Millie has built a social media community of more than 51,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Her content has attracted hundreds of thousands of views, including more than 217,000 views on a single TikTok video and over 153,000 views on Instagram, alongside more than 260,000 TikTok likes.

Millie’s work has also extended beyond the salon and social media, with commissions to create custom nail sets for film and television productions, as well as nail work featured in an upcoming documentary.

At the NZ Nail Tech Summit, Millie brings a fresh, creative and commercially savvy perspective to the stage, sharing the thinking behind creating, presenting and selling standout press-on nail sets.

Watch the reveal video here!

Caitlin Hoet

Day One - 6-9pm
The Ultimate Press-On Nail Masterclass

Caitlin Hoet is the creator behind Prim Improper, a New Zealand-made nail art brand specialising in customisable nail transfer tattoos and professional nail foils. Over the past five years, Prim Improper has grown into a widely recognised brand within the nail industry, with more than 1,500 five-star product reviews.

Caiti has built Prim Improper around creative self-expression, original design and making detailed nail art more accessible to both professionals and nail enthusiasts. Her work includes custom collections created in collaboration with Indigenous fashion designers Adrienne Whitewood and Jhana Gray, alongside an extensive range of Māori and Pacific-inspired nail art collections.

Prim Improper has been featured by Whakaata Māori and The Spinoff, and has supported the wider industry as a sponsor of the New Zealand Nail Competitions in both 2025 and 2026.

Caiti has also expanded into nail education as a Monaco Accredited Training Provider for South Auckland, bringing together her experience in product development, design, business and education.

At the NZ Nail Tech Summit, Caiti brings a unique perspective as both a nail industry creative and the founder of a successful product-based brand, sharing the knowledge she has gained from turning original ideas into products used by nail artists throughout New Zealand and beyond.

Watch the reveal video here!

Steph Greville

Day Two - 9am-10.30am
Pricing for Profit

Steph has packed a LOT into a relatively short time in the nail industry.

After qualifying in 2022, she went straight into full-time nail work and quickly discovered that she loved not just doing nails, but the business behind them too. She launched Reverie Nails in 2023, acquired Gel Inc Supplies in 2024, and has continued to grow across both the salon and supply sides of the industry.

In 2025, Stephanie turned her existing experience as an educator and salon owner into her Path to Profit workshop after successfully increasing her own prices by 40%, providing practical advice for other nail techs wanting to earn more without working more.

That same year, Steph completed Light Elegance Educator training at Light Elegance HQ in Oregon, USA, adding another layer to her experience as both a technician and educator.

Steph brings a fresh, practical approach to business, pricing and profitability, with a focus on making the numbers feel less intimidating and helping nail techs build businesses that actually work for them.

Watch the reveal video here!

Abigail Frickleton

Day Two - 10.30am-12pm
Mixed Media Nail Art

Abigail Frickleton has officially been a nail artist for seven years, but really, nails have always been part of her world. Raised around the salon by her biggest role model, her mum, Abigail grew up surrounded by the industry long before she made it her own career.

She has since become a multiple award-winning nail artist, with 11 competition placings across three competitions, including an incredible nine first-place finishes.

Mixed Media is where Abigail really shines. Every level she has competed in within that category has resulted in a gold medal, including a gold at the Oceania Nail Championships in Australia.

Her nail career has also taken her overseas for both training and competition, including professional development in the United States.

More recently, Abigail has stepped into another side of the industry, working alongside her mum to distribute professional nail products through Orly Boutique.

Creative, competitive and deeply connected to the nail industry, Abigail brings a huge amount of experience, passion and personality to the NZ Nail Tech Summit.

Watch the reveal video here!

Chantelle Parsons

Day Two - 1pm-5pm
Advanced Chrome and Cats Eye Techniques

Chantelle Parsons is the nail artist and educator behind Blush Nail Artist, with more than 13 years’ experience in the nail industry and seven years as an educator.

Known for her intricate nail art and attention to detail, Chantelle has won gold medals in both of the nail competitions she has entered and has continued to build her skills through training with leading educators including Get Buffed, Krisztina Újvári, Olya Mogdanova, Yara Nails, GellyFit, Max Estrada, Maddi Cook and Lotte Seymour of Mani Science.

Her creative background extends beyond nails, with a Certificate in Makeup Design and Production from the Design and Arts College, and her work and expertise have been featured multiple times in Scratch Magazine. Chantelle has also written and sold her own social media eBook to nail professionals around the world.

Based in Christchurch, Chantelle combines technical expertise, creativity and a genuine love of education, making her equally at home creating highly detailed nail art or helping other nail techs develop their own skills.

Watch the reveal video here!

New presenters announced every Monday at 7pm!

Click here to Register for Summit 2027!
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