Who we are

Meet Jane

As the founding Director and Principal Consultant at Yarnell, Jane is hands-on and passionate about providing strategic marketing advice, delivering true value for money, and building long-term, trusting relationships with her clients.

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts (USA), Jane moved to New Zealand with her husband in 2011. With over 15 years of practical marketing experience spanning key markets including USA, ANZ, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, Jane has worked for a variety of organisations ranging in size from small start-ups through to large corporates.

Having worked in both B2B and B2C marketing and e-commerce roles, Jane is a commercially-minded senior leader with retail, FMCG and trade experience across the full marketing mix. She specialises in marketing strategy, Go-to-Market execution, brand planning, and international marketing.

Jane’s goal is to help organisations understand their customers and what differentiates their brand from their competitors, and then use that knowledge to create meaningful engagement opportunities and brand moments across marketing channels. She thrives on helping organisations break free from the thinking that good marketing means big budgets, and believes that her role involves working with each organisation individually to create tailored marketing solutions to suit their objectives and budget, while ensuring a return on investment.

Contact Jane today to discuss your marketing needs and how you can work together to grow your business.

Jane Macdonald, director at Yarnell Consulting, with blonde hair wearing a blue and white striped shirt sitting against a neutral background.
Shirley Yarnell, the inspiration behind Yarnell Consulting, sitting on a patterned couch with a small sleeping pug on her lap.

What’s in a name?

The name Yarnell is a tribute to Jane’s grandmother, Shirley Yarnell, who, back in America, was one of the first women to attend university in Pennsylvania. Intelligent, kind, and full of grace, Shirley instilled in her grandchildren the simple but powerful belief: treat others as you’d like to be treated. She led with compassion, strength, and integrity—values that are at the heart of everything we do at Yarnell.

Our commitment is simple: deliver real value, do great work, and approach business with the same honesty and respect that Grandma Shirley brought to life. We’re here to get things done, stay true to our values, and have a bit of fun along the way. We can’t wait to work with you!

Contact us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!