Stephen Jacobi, NZIBF Executive Director, speaks to the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership Summit in New Delhi about The Future of Multilateralism.
Chair, Chief Executive, NZ Winegrowers
Philip Gregan is the Chief Executive Officer of New Zealand Winegrowers Inc, the national industry organisation that represents, researches and promotes the interests of New Zealand grape growers and wine makers. Philip has been with New Zealand Winegrowers and its predecessor, the Wine Institute of New Zealand, since starting as a Research officer in 1983. He has held the role of Chief Executive Officer since 1990. Philip has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts (Hons) degrees, majoring in Geography, from the University of Auckland, and has also completed a strategic leadership course at Oxford University in the UK. Philip is married to Robyn McGregor and they live in Auckland with their three daughters
Chief Executive, Meat Industry Association
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).
Chief Executive, NZ Food and Grocery Council
Raewyn is an experienced and successful senior leader who has worked across and within government for more than 20 years, 6½ of them in chief executive roles at various industry associations.
Before becoming the CE of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council, she was one of five Deputy Chief Executives at Fire and Emergency NZ for three years, where she was responsible for leading the Office of the Chief Executive. Before that she spent two years as General Manager Governance, Communications and Stakeholders, and three years as Region Director Central New Zealand at Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency).
Chief Executive Officer, TradeWindow
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.
General Manager Institutional & Business Banking
Reuben Tucker is the General Manager Institutional & Business Banking in August 2022. In this role, he oversees Westpac New Zealand’s business banking sector – incorporating Institutional; Corporate and Commercial; Agribusiness; and Small Business.
Reuben is a senior banker with broad and deep experience in Institutional Banking having worked for almost 25 years in New Zealand, Australia and the Asia Pacific, in a career that has included financial markets, debt capital markets, relationship management, and transactional banking.
Head of Global Public Affairs, Zespri International Ltd
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.
Chief Executive, Business NZ
Kirk Hope is Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy body, advocating for New Zealand’s success through sustainable market-led growth. Kirk previously led the New Zealand Bankers’ Association and Financial Services Federation after holding a range of senior positions at Westpac, including Head of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs. A barrister and solicitor with a master’s degree in law focused on regulation of financial services, Kirk also holds a post graduate honours degree in political science. For five years he was a member of the Commercial and Business Law Committee of the New Zealand Law Society..
Partner, Minter Ellison
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.
General Counsel and General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Sealord Group Ltd
Tim is Sealord’s General Counsel and General Manager Corporate Affairs. As part of his role, Tim is the senior legal adviser and company secretary to the Sealord Group. Tim is also responsible for sustainability, corporate communications, government relations and insurance. Before joining Sealord in 2010, Tim was a lawyer at a number of major law firms, including Russell McVeagh in Auckland and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. Tim’s practice focused on corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions and securities law.
Director, Global Stakeholder Affairs, Fonterra
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.
Chief Executive Officer, Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Sam has been CEO of Beef + Lamb New Zealand since April 2016. He is also the CEO of the New Zealand Meat Board, the organisation that manages and administers sheepmeat and beef export quotas on behalf of the New Zealand industry. Sam has a career spanning the agri-food sector from farm to retail. Prior to joining B+LNZ he was the CEO of Preston Corp Ltd a logistics, meat processing, wholesaling and retailing company and CEO of industry good organisation New Zealand Pork.
Non-Executive Chairman Kraft Heinz ANZ (Heinz Wattie’s NZ)
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.
Ko Tāua Ltd & Māori Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated
Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Maniapoto
Amy owns and operates her own consultancy company Ko Tāua Ltd and is the General Manager for Māori Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated. Amy has been working in the kiwifruit industry for 10 years most recently working for Zespri International as the Māori & Community Relations Manager and has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the kiwifruit and horticulture industry spanning the entire supply chain through offshore markets to consumers. In her time at Zespri, Amy coordinated the establishment of the Māori Kiwifruit Growers forum and led multiple Māori grower delegations into global markets throughout Asia, Americas, Europe and the Middle East
Amy has a key focus on improving outcomes for Māori and strongly advocates for increasing the skills and capabilities of Māori in both business and the Primary Industries.
Director of Advocacy BusinessNZ
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.
Stephen Jacobi is managing director of Jacobi Consulting, a consultancy offering strategic advice in international trade, government relations and industry development. Stephen is a former diplomat, ministerial advisor and chief executive. Read an interview with Stephen here.
Stephanie Honey is an international trade policy consultant, drawing on over 25 years’ experience in the public and private sectors. Stephanie is a former trade negotiator and diplomat. She runs an independent trade policy consultancy, Honey Consulting, as well as a business that provides executive education in trade, Global Trade Insights.
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.
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Stephen Jacobi, NZIBF Executive Director, speaks to the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership Summit in New Delhi about The Future of Multilateralism.
Perhaps a cyclone was after all a fitting backdrop for the meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) which was held in Auckland on 12-14 February – the global environment against which the meeting took place is decidedly stormy.
Members of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) met in Auckland, New Zealand this week to develop a work plan that calls on policymakers to leverage trade and economic policies to address the region’s sustainability and economic inclusion challenges.
Equity, sustainability and opportunity are key themes of one of the largest gatherings of senior Asia-Pacific business leaders held in New Zealand for some time.
Executive Director Stephen Jacobi offers his annual end of year round up. Amidst some challenging times, he reports some light in the tunnel.
The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) will meet in Auckland from 12 to 14 February to discuss key themes of sustainability, digitalisation and resilient, inclusive trade.
Following his recent visit to India our Executive Director Stephen Jacobi penned this article advocating a more strategic approach to the further development of the relationship. The article was published by the NZ Herald on 9 December.
Aiming to provide tailwinds for member economies to strengthen recovery and resilience, as well as advance broad-based economic growth, the United States rolled out its theme and priorities for when it hosts APEC in 2023.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2022 CHAIR’S REPORT I am pleased to present my second report on the activities and achievements of the NZ International Business Forum (NZIBF) for 2022-23, our fifteenth year of operations. At the outset I would like to thank Members for...
The Leaders of the 21 APEC member economies issued the 2022 Leaders’ Declaration following the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha.
