Advisory group
International Opportunities Advisory Group
The members of the advisory group who will assess the concepts and proposals for the International Investment Opportunities Fund (IIOF?) investment process are listed below.
Applicants who have any confidentiality and/or conflict of interest issues with any members should indicate these on submission of their concept documents.
| Name | Background |
|---|---|
| Geoffrey (Geoff) Cassels (Chair) |
Geoff began his career as a Research and Development? Manager for Geigy Australasia Pty Ltd and later moved on to hold marketing, strategic planning and general management positions in the petrochemical and energy sectors. Later, whilst employed by the NZ Trade Development Board he undertook assignments on venture capital, trade finance, foreign direct investment, location marketing and corporate attraction. Most recently, through his consultancy business, Apsley Associates Limited, he has undertaken work for a range of organisations including MoRST the NZ Venture Investment Fund Limited and NZ Bio. |
| Christopher Butler | Christopher is an independent consultant. Most recently he has been the Executive Director of Asia New Zealand Foundation. Previously he was Ambassador to Korea and to the Netherlands, with accreditation to other countries in northern Europe. Christopher had a long association with Asian countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as the former Department of Trade and Industry, including as Trade Commissioner in China, head of Asia related divisions, head of an Investment Promotion Unit, and a two year appointment as Chair of the APEC Committee on Trade and Investment. |
| Andrew Gawith |
Andrew is the managing director of Infometrics Ltd, a private company that provides economic analysis, forecasting and consulting services to clients in the private and public sectors. He manages a team of six economists and is directly involved with the firm’s regular economic, building, transport and financial market forecasts. He also undertakes consulting projects and delivers seminars/presentations to clients and to one-off business conferences. Andrew graduated from Canterbury University’s Lincoln College in 1976 with a Masters degree in agricultural economics. Before setting up Infometrics with Dr Gareth Morgan in 1983 he spent four years with the National Farmers Union of England and Wales in London, and also had a brief stint with Business and Economic Research Ltd 1981-82. |
| Professor Olaf Diegel |
Olaf is both an educator and a practitioner of engineering product development with an excellent track record of developing innovative product solutions. At AUT, he is director of the Creative Industries Research Institute, an interdisciplinary institute that crosses over between Engineering, Art & Design, Computers and Communications. In his consulting practice he develops a wide range of products for New Zealand and International companies. Over the past 10 years he has developed over 40 commercialized new products including innovative new theatre lighting products, security and marine products and several home health monitoring products. He has received numerous New Zealand and International product development awards, and helped to firmly put New Zealand on the world innovation map. |
| Dr Theresa Wilson | Theresa is an agricultural research scientist who currently leads the team of Animal Genomics researchers within AgResearch. Her group is involved in the identification, development and application of genomic tools for the sheep, cattle and deer industries. Much of this work involves working with industry groups such as large corporate breeders, meat processors and retailers such as UK supermarkets. Her team has a strong commercial focus with several commercial units within the group including a genotyping business, Genomnz™, with several international customers. Genomnz™ services the livestock sector and is now expanding with the development of genomic services to aquaculture industries. |
| Assoc. Professor Gillian Lewis | Associate Professor Gillian Lewis is a environmental microbiologist at the University of Auckland. She is an active researcher investigating the applied ecology of natural and contaminating microorganisms in restoration of degraded water bodies. This work encompasses both population ecology of natural bacterial communities and the occurrence and implications of contaminating bacteria and viruses in marine and freshwater. Dr Lewis has just completed a term as Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Science, and leads the Microbiology Section of the School of Biological Sciences. Dr Lewis has held previous academic positions in Environmental Science and has worked in Environmental Consultancy. Gillian has served on FRST? reference and advisory panels and is a past president of the New Zealand Microbiology Society. |