Sirma joined the Meat Industry Association (MIA) as Trade and Economic Manager in March 2015 following a career in the public sector during which she developed a deep knowledge of trade policy and significant trade negotiations experience.

Prior to joining MIA Sirma was with the Ministry of Primary Industries’ (MPI) trade policy team, where she was involved in progressing the primary sector interests in the negotiations of goods market access and sanitary and phytosanitary provisions in New Zealand’s free trade agreements. Sirma has also worked with the Ministry of Economic Development (now MBIE) in negotiating and implementing New Zealand’s technical barriers to trade obligations.

In addition to a long history of negotiating bilateral and pluri-lateral trade agreements, Sirma has represented New Zealand’s interests at a number of international forums including the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

AJ Smith founded TradeWindow in June 2018, building on a track record of innovation and investment in successful rapid-growth companies in South Africa, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Some of his previous ventures include MediFin, GreenFin, Commonwealth Finance, and Bonds Africa. With a strong belief in building high-performance teams, AJ is an active executive member of the Young Presidents Organization in New Zealand Chapter and studied a B. Comm from the University of Free State and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Supply Chain and Logistics in his spare time as well.

Michael Fox is Head of Global Public Affairs at Zespri. He leads Zespri’s global public, political and regulatory engagement, advocacy and trade strategy as well as its community investment and tours and events programme. He and his team have responsibility for supporting communities and creating an environment to help the industry to fulfill its growth ambitions through positive engagement and advocacy and building the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s reputation as one which makes a positive impact on communities and stakeholders around the world. He was formerly Head of Communications and External Relations.

Michael holds a number of advisory roles including sitting on the New Zealand International Business Forum, the India New Zealand Business Council and Export NZ Advisory Board. Prior to Zespri he advised Prime Ministers Sir John Key and Sir Bill English and Opposition leader Simon Bridges as a Press Secretary and Chief Press Secretary.

Sarah is a Corporate Partner at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts with 20 years’ experience of advising clients on public, regulatory and international trade law matters. She is a leading provider of public law and regulatory advice across a range of industry sectors, including agriculture and fisheries, food and beverage, transportation, postal and distribution, telecommunications, airports and energy. She also specialises in helping corporates to address the challenges of trading goods and services across national borders. She is the only lawyer from a major New Zealand law firm recognised for Trade Law by The Best Lawyers™ in New Zealand 2020.

Simon Tucker is Director of Global Stakeholder Affairs at Fonterra. Simon has spent over ten years in the New Zealand dairy industry including in leadership roles at DairyNZ, the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand and with Fonterra Co- operative Group’s US-based business. During his career, Simon has also spent considerable time working for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He was the Ministry’s Assistant Secretary based in Auckland, and served as New Zealand High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Canada and was concurrently High Commissioner to Jamaica. Earlier diplomatic assignments included postings as Counsellor and head of the trade team at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington DC and three years at the NZ Embassy in Tehran. He also spent several years working in Parliament as adviser to the Minister for Trade.

Mike’s career spans over 30 years in the New Zealand food industry having started in the food sector in the UK as a graduate at Unigate (St Ivel). In NZ he has held key roles at Heinz Wattie’s NZ including six years as the Managing Director and six years as the Marketing, Research and Development Director. He has also held the role of Sales Director and an export role in earlier years. For six years prior to becoming Managing Director, he was Global VP for Heinz Ketchup and Marketing Capability, with an office at HJ Heinz’ WHQ in Pittsburgh.

Mike has been on the NZ Food and Grocery Council since 2017 and is currently the Chair. For the last year and a half, he’s been on the Food & Beverage ITP working group. More recently, appointed to the newly created Plastic Product Priority Scheme tasked with designing NZ’s extended producer responsibility system that improves recycling levels and lifts plastics circularity.

Catherine Beard is Director of Advocacy for BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy network, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes. The BusinessNZ network includes ExportNZ for which Catherine previously served as Executive Director.

Catherine has spent the last 30 years as a lobbyist and advocate for a wide range of industries on a wide range of issues, including climate change issues for the energy intensive sector, the insurance sector and the agricultural sector (dairy focus). Catherine has participated in Prime Minister led trade missions to Indonesia and China and represents BusinessNZ at various international meetings.

Catherine was also a co-founder of a start-up business designing and manufacturing children’s nursery furniture, for which two products won national design awards.

Glen is a communications freelancer with broad experience of working with businesses, government agencies, local government and not-for-profits. He has also spent nearly two decades supporting exporters from diverse sectors.