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As the country begins to relax from COVID-19 restrictions and borders slowly reopen, local Manawatū businesses are invited to attend an upcoming regional event where they can gain connections and insight, while tapping into an experienced pool of global knowledge in a high-powered panel discussion event from five panellists.

Following a similar collaborative workshop with e-commerce giant Alibaba last month for local Manawatū businesses, key enablers Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) and Manawatū District Council in partnership with the Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA) and Manawatū Business Chamber will be delivering this panel discussion on positioning businesses for success in China from 3.30pm on Thursday 25 August 2022, hosted at the CEDA offices. 

Local Manawatū businesses are invited to register for the event and meet panellists who will inform them of market updates and discuss current opportunities in China. Panellists sharing their insight will be, Alistair Crozier, Executive Director NZ China Council; Richard Dunsheath Trade Commissioner in Shanghai; Prof Stephen Kelly, Pro Vice Chancellor of Massey Business School; Kim Scott Founder of Idea Developments; and Bo Brian Zheng of LIVALL – Smart Helmet.  

This globally experienced panel of connected operators, academics and businesspeople have been handpicked to share their insights with local businesses and innovators looking for business growth and success in China. 

Palmerston North City Council’s International Relations Manager, Gabrielle Nguyen says, “PNCC aims to be effective, innovative and world-class in the role of championing business success. We wanted to serve the Palmy business community with a globally experienced and high-powered panel.” 

China is globally connected and a massive market powerhouse and one that the region has been actively forging connections with over the last 30 years. Having a broad customer base is vital for businesses to succeed, this event therefore aims to provide real-world advice for Manawatū businesses wanting to trade within one of the world’s largest countries. 

CEDA’s Chief Executive Jerry Shearman says, “With global events causing big shifts in traditional markets over the last couple of years, many local businesses have had to change how and where they do business, re-working relationships and building partnerships as they do, so I would encourage all businesses to consider attending.” 

Registered members via the Manawatū Business Chamber will also be well positioned to access learnings and insights from this global panel. 

Manawatū Business Chamber’s Chief Executive Amanda Linsley states, “This really is a great opportunity for our regional businesses to learn more about and to demystify what doing business with China actually means and to investigate whether this is an option for their business.  

“We have some great businesspeople across our region, and we are excited to be working with our partners to deliver this event in the Manawatū, ” she says. 

As part of ongoing strategic efforts to attract investment and business to the region, as well as building on regional export capability, CEDA, as one of the deliverers of this event, continues to work with our key partners to help businesses grow and expand. This event is one of the many ways and tools in which the team at CEDA deliver on this.

RSVP here

Panelists

Alistair Crozier was appointed as Executive Director of the New Zealand China Council in March 2022. Prior to this Alistair worked as a New Zealand diplomat for 25 years.  His three postings to China included establishing and leading New Zealand’s new diplomatic post in Chengdu, Sichuan Province as Consul-General (2014 to 2019) and serving as New Zealand’s first Education Counsellor to China (2003-05).  He has also worked for MFAT in Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and of course Wellington. In 2019 Alistair was Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Christchurch.  In 2020-21 he established a South Island presence for the Asia New Zealand Foundation and led its business programme.  He is currently based in Christchurch. 

Richard Dunsheath is New Zealand’s trade commissioner in Shanghai, where he is responsible for delivering value to New Zealand companies in Southern China. Richard has spent over 10 years working for public and private organisations in China, Australia and New Zealand tech w Zealand. He has had an extensive career at NZTE, including roles as director of sales and digital services, director global market research, and as a customer manager helping a portfolio of technology companies expand internationally. Before joining NZTE, Richard worked in the waste management and franchising industries. He has a Master of International Business from the University of Auckland, and bachelor’s degrees in commerce and physical education from the University of Otago. He has attended leadership programmes in Japan, Singapore, India, Indonesia and Germany. 

Prof. Stephen Kelly joined Massey University in January 2016 as Head of the School of Management. He was appointed to the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Massey Business School in 2018 having held the role in an acting capacity in 2017 and 2018. Professor Kelly commenced his academic career in 1998 following a decade spent working in the building materials and construction sector. His initial period in academia was for 13 years and immediately prior to joining Massey he was the Academic and Managing Director of a start-up enterprise in Singapore for 3 years. He holds a Bachelor of Administration, Master of Business and a Doctor of Philosophy. His PhD thesis focused on the identification and analysis of relationship benefits in business-to-business channels. He has published widely in the areas of small business, collaboration, innovation and strategy and secured in excess of $2M in grant, project and research funding during his academic career. Professor Kelly also has extensive experience establishing and growing business partnerships in Melanesia, Southeast Asia and China. 

Kim Scott creates products from ideas and formed his company Idea Development from this passion. Established in 1998 after serving his time as Design Manager for Sunbeam Corporation, Kim has grown Idea Developments into a unique and successful product Design, Develop and Supply company with offices in both New Zealand and Shenzhen, China. With over 35yrs of industrial experience, qualifications in both design and engineering focused on product design and manufacture, Kim works directly with business owners, corporate decision-makers and entrepreneurs, providing guidance on new product development programs, with results. Recognition of Kim’s influence in product design is extensive and is seen across a wide variety of industries and brands such as, Kitchen Appliances (Sunbeam, Delonghi, Breville, Goldair, etc.), Vacuum Cleaners (Godfreys), Aviation Trackers (Spider Tracks), Helmets (OBO, Pacific Helmets), Construction (Probrace), Lawnmowers (Steelfort), Automotive (RaceTech, Fully Equipped), Agriculture & Horticulture (Delaval, Stallion Plastics, Mr Apple), to name just a few.

Bryan Zheng and his company LIVALL is the pioneering smart helmet brand which since its inception in 2014, has grown to become the established leader in the global smart helmet field. LIVALL’s company mission is to be the world’s best innovation company in smart safety protection. Bryan achieved his MBA degree from Massy University in New Zealand in 2006. He was awarded grade A classification of “pilot talent” in Shenzhen, China in 2017. He was a student of the Qingteng Entrepreneurial School, co-organized by CKGSB and Tencent. Bryan has sufficient experience in entrepreneurship and management, is good at creating innovation and operation in new fields. He has applied for 81 patents including 12 PCT invention patents; he is good at brand creation and operation, for product definition and product development. He adheres to “user experience solves pain points” as the criterion, and continually strives to improve product quality and user experience. 

Gabrielle Nguyen (PNCC) is focused on international relations; Gabrielle brings 15 years of experience working in different capacities in the international education sector including two years leading ISANA NZ through the volatile development of the COVID-19 pandemic as national president. In addition, she carries a passion for growing global citizenship education in Aotearoa. She currently volunteers as a business mentor for Business Mentors New Zealand. Gabrielle has a bachelor’s degree in international business and a postgraduate diploma in Business and Administration, Marketing. 

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