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The changing face of our business leaders
Mai Chen
Top Indian New Zealand leaders now have
an organisation led by Asians to profile
their talents and to help them contribute to
‘NZ Inc’ and ‘New Zealand Asian Leaders’
(NZAL). Many including Vino Ramayah (Executive
Chairman, Medtech Global Limited), Dr Sohail
Choudhry (Executive General Manager, the NZ Post
Group), Shamubeel Eaqub (Principal Economist at
the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research)
Mervin Singham (Deputy
Chief Executive, Department
of Internal Affairs) and Jai
Basrur (Founding Director,
CGB Consulting Limited).
This not-for profitorganization
is a professional
body for top Asian New
Zealanders who are Chief
Executives and leaders, and for high achieving Asians
in New Zealand who aspire to become top leaders.
Indian leaders
Our vision is to maximise the country’s successful
business interface with Asia bydrawing on the
considerable expertise and knowledge of top Asian
New Zealanders about Asia. There are many in the
Indian community who can make that contribution,
and we want them as our members.
We provide a place for New Zealand Asian
leaders who are CEOs or leaders to enjoy peer-topeer
support and to have visibility with New Zealand
companies doing business with Asia or wanting to do
so.
It also allows Asian New Zealander CEOs to be
opinion leaders on current and future focused Asian
business issues where they have expertise and
learning due to their business and cultural experience.
The role of NZ Asian Leaders is to provide confidence
building and offer expertise to help NZ Inc and to help
them understand that they have important expertise to
contribute.
Current scenario
Currently, leadership and governance structures in
New Zealand companies do not always reflect New
Zealand’s commitment to doing business with Asia.
There is a lack of Asians in top leadership positions
in New Zealand companies.
Some New Zealand companies are also finding
it difficult to identify and recruit Asian leaders to
Boards and senior management.
Given the super diversity of Auckland, New
Zealand’s only international city where 50% of the
population is already Maori, Pasifika or Asian, and
the diversity of the country, it makes good business
sense to have Asian established business leaders as
well as emerging Asian leaders as CEOS/Directors of
New Zealand business.
Future growth, focused on joint venture
partnerships between Asian and New Zealand
business and its success, requires unique
understanding of cultural environments.
Some challenges
At the launch of NZ Asian Leaders on 4th
November 2013, former Governor-General Sir
Anand Satyanand said, “The significance of this
event is that of another step, due to the determination
and entrepreneurship of Mai Chen and her colleagues
to set up a linkage or network support group of
business leaders of Asian origin. Its arrival is a new
and significant milestone. My contribution, which
is essentially to add congratulations, is also to pose a
series of modest challenges.
“The first is to have you make a decision that
this new group will carry on the progression and
develop momentum for support and mentoring
that will be helpful particularly for younger people
making their way. The second challenge is to remain
aware ofcomplacency – amicable relations among
and between various ethnic groups cannot ever be
taken for granted. The third and final challenge is
to recognise that Aotearoa New Zealand is a fine
country in which to work and prosper and for our
children to do likewise. Let me express the challenge
that for it to remain so requires the commitment of
everyone here this evening.”
Some milestones
Following are the key achievements of NZAL
during its first year:
● NZ Asian Leaders is now the Number 1
place for businesses and non-profit organisations
to connect with top and emerging Asian leaders
and for potential board and senior management
appointments
● A range of 100 top established, emerging,
young and international Asian leaders connecting
and developing peer-to-peer relationships
● NZAL has facilitated top established and
emerging Asian leaders to share unique expertise and
insights to assist public agencies and businesses in
New Zealand
● NZAL forums have helped New Zealand
businesses build connections with top Asian leaders
to explore business opportunities together
● Successful seminars including Asian
Investment, Entrepreneurs, Food and Safety attended
by Ministers and top leaders
My aim for NZAL 2015 is to have top leader
Indian Newslink February 1, 2015
members representing each Asian country in the
world. The Indian community is a key focus and I
welcome interested individuals and businesses to
view our website (www.nzasianleaders.com) and
contact General Manager Karinia Lee in the first
instance to learn more about joining us and our
schedule for 2015.
Mai Chen is Managing Partner at Chen
Palmer Public and Employment Law Specialists
and the Founder and Inaugural Chair of ‘New
Zealand Asian Leaders.’ She is the Managing
Partner of Chen Palmer Public & Employment
Law Specialists and Adjunct Professor of the
University of Auckland Business School.
Please read our Editorial, ‘Asian Leaders must
step forward’ under Viewlink.
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