The Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) remains the preeminent economic priority for the Asia-Pacific business community.
Our board

Philip Gregan
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

Malcolm Bailey
Chair, Dairy Companies’ Association of New Zealand
Malcolm Bailey is a farmer and Chairman of the Dairy Companies Association of NZ. A former director of the dairy cooperative Fonterra, Malcolm is also a director of Westpac New Zealand Limited and Chairman of the Red Meat Profit Partnership. Malcolm is also Chairman of the Dairy Companies Association of NZ, and is a member of the International Food and Agriculture Trade Policy Council (IPC). Formerly Malcolm was National President of Federated Farmers of New Zealand, Special Agricultural Trade Envoy for the New Zealand government, and External Monetary Policy Adviser to the Reserve Bank of NZ.He lives on a beef and dairy support farm near Feilding. Malcolm has a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics degree from Massey University in New Zealand.

Sirma Karapeeva
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.
She was appointed as CEO in April 2020.
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).

Katherine Rich
Chief Executive, NZ Food and Grocery Council
Katherine Rich is the CEO of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council, the industry body representing food and grocery suppliers. She represents FGC members on a range of boards and Government panels. Katherine received her tertiary education at Otago University, gaining a BA/BCom in marketing and economics in 1990 and 1993. After leaving university she was a policy analyst and held other agri-business roles in marketing and general management. She was a Member of Parliament for three terms from 1999 – 2008, and served as a member of ABAC from 2017 – 2019.

Michael Barnett
Chief Executive, Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (representing the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce)
Michael Barnett is Chief Executive of the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry and a Director of the NZ Chambers of Commerce & Industry. He is chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunities Trust and the Auckland Children’s Christmas Parade Trust. He is an elected member of the Auckland Regional Council and a Director of Willis NZ, International Risk Management Consultants and Insurance Brokers.

Andrew Bashford
Acting General Manager, Institutional & Business Banking
Andrew Bashford has been the Acting General Manager of Institutional & Business Banking since June 2021. In this role, he oversees Westpac New Zealand’s business banking sector – incorporating Institutional; Corporate and Commercial; Agribusiness; and Small Business; as well as the product and service teams that support our business customers. Andrew joined Westpac in 2003, and has held various leadership roles in the bank’s Business and Institutional teams. Prior to taking on the Acting GM role, he was Head of Institutional Relationships. Andrew began his career as a lawyer and has worked for a range of financial institutions, across a number of different industries and markets.

Bruce Cameron
Chair, Zespri International Ltd
Bruce Cameron is Chair of Zespri International, a long time kiwifruit grower and deputy Chairman of the ZGL Board. He also has a background in pastoral and arable farming, previously was the Managing Director of the Cameron Group of Companies whose interests were in the Quarry and Transport Industries up to 2007 when it was sold to Fletcher Concrete and Infrastructure Ltd. Bruce has interests around property, dairy, beef, sheep and kiwifruit farming. Bruce is Chairman of Realty Service Holdings Ltd and Waipuna Hospice and is on the boards of Cameron Farms Ltd and Gilston Mains Ltd.

Kirk Hope
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..

Sarah Salmond
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.

Tim Silverstone
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.

Simon Tucker
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.

AJ Smith
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.

Terry Meikle
CEO, New Zealand Apples and Pears Inc.
Terry joined New Zealand Apples and Pears (NZAPI) as Chief Executive in December 2021. Prior to NZAPI, Terry was New Zealand’s Agriculture Counsellor for Latin America. Previously Terry spent eight years in Washington, D.C. as the First Secretary (Agriculture) in the New Zealand Embassy, then as Regional Manager (North America) for Beef and Lamb New Zealand. Terry also represented Beef and Lamb New Zealand on the US-NZ Business Council and the US Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Terry is a fluent Spanish speaker with a Bachelor of Arts from Otago University and an MBA from Victoria University of Wellington.

Sam McIvor
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.
Our Executive Team

Stephen Jacobi – Executive Director
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.

Glen Candy – Project Manager (Business engagement)
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.

Fiona Cooper – Associate Director
As Associate Director Fiona advises on trade policy, government relations and communications, drawing on over 30 years of experience in the private and public sectors. Fiona is also the New Zealand Director for the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum.

Stephanie Honey – Associate Director (ABAC)
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.
REGISTER WITH TRADE WORKS
Register to stay up to date with latest news, as well as saving and discussing articles you’re interested in.
Latest News
Remarks by Rachel Taulelei to APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade, 21 May 2022
The Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) remains the preeminent economic priority for the Asia-Pacific business community.
Deepening ECONOMIC INTEGRATION and EQUIPPING BUSINESS FOR DYNAMIC, INCLUSIVE and SUSTAINABLE GROWTH ARE KEY to ECONOMIC RECOVERY, say business leaders
ABAC Chairman for 2022, Supant Mongkolsuthree, said that a series of grave challenges arising from the lingering effects of the pandemic and recent…
FROM APEC AND CPTPP TO IPEF – SMALL STEP OR GIANT LEAP?
The US idea of an Indo Pacific Framework (IPEF) continues to gain traction but is not without complication.
Remarks to Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee
NZIBF brings together a number of larger exporters and the peak business organisations to provide support and input into New Zealand’s trade negotiating efforts.
Submission to the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee
International Treaty Examination of the New Zealand United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, March 2022
BUSINESS FORUM COMMENDS RUSSIA SANCTIONS LEGISLATION
The NZ International Business Forum (NZIBF) has commended Parliament’s bipartisan Russia Sanctions legislation, targeting those involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
Remarks made by ABAC New Zealand Chair Rachel Taulelei to GS1 Retail Plenary, 25 February 2022
ABAC is convinced that digital is the key enabler for that important goal – and we value our strong partnership with GS1 in helping to put in place the right tools to get the job done.
NZ/EU FTA – BLESSED BE THE CHEESEMAKERS
FTAs should lead to more trade, not less. Cheesemakers can still be blessed but let them keep selling their cheese.
BUSINESS FORUM APPLAUDS “HISTORIC” NZ UK FTA
The conclusion of the NZ UK Free Trade Agreement is a historic moment for NZ’s trade, says the NZ International Business Forum.
ABAC I Media Release
Embracing challenges, engaging collectively and enabling opportunities are key to Asia-Pacific
success, say business leaders.