People are
the point.
FORTY YEARS, ONE BELIEF:
For almost four decades, businesses across New Zealand have trusted us to build and run their loyalty programmes because when you work with Circle, you're not just signing up to a platform, you're getting people. People who learn your business, know your name, and stay for the long haul.
Four values. Operational not aspirational.
Every hire, every client decision, every product call gets weighed against these.
OUR VALUES
People-centric
01
People at the heart of every decision. Relationships over transactions always. And a human touch behind every interaction.
Do right
02
Always fair, always honest, no shortcuts. If you'd be better served somewhere else, we'll say so.
Be bold
03
Quiet, persistent boldness, because we embrace new ideas and are not afraid to take smart risks.
Balance
04
Our best work is done when we prioritise our people. The result is an optimistic, and proactive team committed to our clients’ success.
Members redeeming every single year - not just a launch spike.
FORTY YEARS RUNNING
640M +
points redeemed by members over the years.
161,000 +
reward redemptions fulfilled.
37,000+
members have claimed rewards.
The Circle Story
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![A bright sunny view looking down a street in Christchurch NZ where Circle Loyalty began as Incentive Motivation.]()
Where we began.
We started in 1989 as Incentive Motivation Limited - a family business, back when loyalty had barely arrived in New Zealand. The shoulder pads were large, the moustaches full, and business was done on a handshake. For nearly four decades we've worked alongside some of the country's biggest names, helping shape the loyalty industry into what it is today.
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![A portrait of Vicki one of the founders of IML Group.]()
Built by family.
A decade in, Vicki Rusbridge brought her marketing and sales experience across from corporate travel, and the next chapter began: IML Group. Our Christchurch IT and operations team were building ecommerce before Shopify or Squarespace were even a whisper, and the thing we cared about most never changed: our relationships. The client still with us after fifteen years. The handshake that mattered more than the contract.
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![A soft focus image of one of the Circle team members walking down the street holding an umbrella.]()
Where we are now.
The shoulder pads have changed. The values haven't: people first, relationships first. Somewhere along the way, loyalty got harder to understand than it needed to be, the language got bigger, the platforms louder, the dashboards busier. But our work had quietly outgrown the name. We weren't only running loyalty programmes anymore; we were building the relationships underneath them. Circle is what we always were: a relationship company. The name simply gives it a clearer shape.
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![Victoria the General Manager of Circle Loyalty NZ.]()
Meet Vic.
Vic joined IML Group in 2010, fresh out of university, studying industrial psychology and business. She moved fast from the operations floor to Ops Manager to GM, and now shareholder. She's as comfortable in an ANZ boardroom as she is on site with Freeman Roofing or ITM. She reads the data, knows the trends, and tells you what they mean for your business in plain language, no jargon. A homegrown Nelsonian who's lived right across the country, she never confuses busyness with progress, and no problem is too big or too small.
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![Two of Circle Loyalty's key members sitting and chatting over coffee.]()
The next era.
We're still family owned and that family now includes people who've been here the better part of two decades. Vic is leading the next era of loyalty, where businesses don't just reward behaviour but invest in the long-term wellbeing of their people and communities. Nearly forty years in, we still believe the thing we started with: the future of business is relational.
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![A woman browsing the Circle Loyalty NZ website on her laptop.]()
Want in?
We hire the smartest people we can find, make sure they feel valued, and get out of their way. It's not complicated. It's just rare.
Full circle and
forward.
We're not done building. The future of Circle is an ecosystem, our services, connections and tools help any New Zealand business grow on relationships, not just transactions.
Nearly forty years in, we still believe the same thing we started with. The future of business is relational.