Out of the Box – Our guest Speakers
10 March – Auckland
Tim Edwards is Managing Director and Global Head of Index Investment Strategy at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). The group provides research and commentary on S&P DJI’s entire product set, including U.S. and global equities, commodities, fixed income, and economic indices.
Prior to joining S&P DJI in 2013, Tim worked for Barclays Capital, initially within fund-linked derivatives and subsequently in exchange-traded products and index-linked derivatives. Prior to that, he worked at the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Tim holds a Ph.D in pure mathematics from University College London.
16 March – Cambridge
Tainui Group has developed a vision for its future and grown its wealth based on a clear strategy and belief they can make a difference for their iwi. It has obtained significant growth in the last 20 years and is an example of what passion and people can achieve.
Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) is the wholly owned commercial entity of Waikato-Tainui with responsibility to protect and grow the commercial assets of their iwi.
TGH was established in its current form in 2003 and began with an endowment of property valued at $179.7 million. TGH now manages a portfolio of assets valued at $1.650 billion, which includes: Real estate (hotels, shopping centres, industrial and commercial property, residential subdivisions), Natural resources (farms, forests, fishing quota), Infrastructure (Ruakura Inland Port), Global equities and Private equity
A significant portion of the 4,000ha owned by Waikato-Tainui is situated in high value strategic locations, and these landholdings provide a pipeline of development for at least the next 150 years.
All profits generated by TGH fund education, health, kaumaatua (elderly), cultural, housing, employment and environmental programmes implemented by Waikato-Tainui (the tribal development arm) and are reinvested into further growing the business for intergenerational wealth.
Chris Joblin has been CEO since mid-2015, after joining TGH in 2009. He leads the 45-strong team that manages a diversified $1.6b portfolio of investments to build intergenerational wealth for Waikato-Tainui. Chris, who was previously CFO at AFFCO Holdings, is a member of the NZ Institute of Accountants (CA) and the Institute of Finance Professionals NZ (INFINZ – CTP). His passion for big picture thinking to support the success of the iwi and Waikato region was recognised with the 2021 CEO of the Year Award in the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
23 March – Palmerston North
The motor vehicle industry is evolving every day as they meet society’s expectations for a cleaner, greener future. Climate change is accelerating the advancement of new technology and innovation therefore the traditional car company is evolving into a mobility technology company.
Some traditional car companies are setting the pace with Toyota New Zealand aiming to be a net-zero carbon business by 2050, including the emissions from vehicles sold in New Zealand. They are committed to a minimum of 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 for their New Zealand operations.
How does a sector which has been based on fossil fuels pivot quickly to ensure they are sustainable in the future? What does this pivot look like?
Our business motivational speaker Toyota Chief Executive Neeraj Lala will talk about how the traditional car company has changed, what the journey has being like and what is the future vision. We will hear about the ‘next generation’ of mobility, sustainability, and community as foundational pillars of ensuring exceptional customers experience and their longevity in New Zealand.
As the CEO OF Toyota New Zealand, he will share what success looks like to him.
Neeraj Lala is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Toyota New Zealand, Aotearoa’s largest automotive brand. Neeraj is leading Toyota’s transition from a traditional automaker to a mobility company focused on future technologies.
A highly regarded leader with over two decades of experience in the automotive industry, he is a champion of new technologies, sustainable business, and believes in the power of corporate and government collaboration to drive systems change. Neeraj is conscious of the need for a just transition and alongside Toyota’s global vision for Mobility for All, wants to ensure no Kiwi gets left behind during this unprecedented time of transformation in the transport sector.
24 March – Wellington
Jeremy had a vision and a strategy which led him to make the ambitious decision in 2018 to commission the first fully electric ferry in the Southern Hemisphere. This led to the establishment of Wellington Electric Boat Building Company (WEBB).
Constructed by the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company, the 19-metre Ika Rere is powered by Meridian Energy for Metlink public transport services and owned and operated by East by West Ferries.
Made from carbon fibre, the light yet durable catamaran can transport up to 132 passengers at a speed of 20 knots. East by West’s existing diesel-powered vessels are slower and carry a third fewer passengers.
The ferry had energised his company’s vision of Wellington as a sustainable, smart city.
Jeremy Ward is presently the Managing Director of East By West Ferries in Wellington New Zealand. The company was set up by Mr Ward over 30 years ago as a commuter and tourist operation and has now become one of the major tourist attractions in Wellington.
Mr Ward has an extensive background in research and development and operation of tourism and transport related businesses including interisland ferries services, cable cars, trams, and other transport and tourism related businesses.
30 March – Christchurch
is Originally from Barnsley in Yorkshire, England. After achieving a First Class Honours Degree in Engineering with Business Studies at Sheffield Hallam University, he then went on to work as a Project Engineer in many varied engineering projects around the UK. Richard moved to New Zealand in 1999 where he spent his first 3 years working in project management on large scale commercial projects.
In 1999 he took up a position as Operations Manager and then GM Infrastructure & Service Delivery at Dunedin Airport. In 2014 he was appointed CEO, a position he held until late 2022.
31 March – Queenstown
With over 40 years’ experience in aviation, Hank is a flying enthusiast and one of the longest serving to General Aviation (G.A.) in the area. Growing up in nearby Te Anau, Hank moved to Queenstown in the early ’70s to begin an Aircraft Engineering apprenticeship with Mt Cook Airlines (now owned by Air New Zealand). Like many kids, however, the dream was always to pilot the machines he so meticulously cared for. During the ’80s and ’90s Hank flew for the Hollyford Tourist Company and Mt Cook Airlines, sharing his passion for the Fiordland outdoors with the travelling public.
In the year 2000 he and wife, Kerrie, took sole ownership of Air Milford calling on all of their business skills to develop the company into the successful, 5-aircraft operation that it is today. Hank has not lost sight of his goal to offer personalised sightseeing tours, which is reflected when customers are personally shuttled to the airport by Kerrie, and quite often share the privilege of flying with Hank.
