Wellington Chamber of Commerce September Column
By Juliet McKee, Director, Business Relations, APEC New Zealand 99 Task Force
US President Bill Clinton, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and many of the world’s most influential business leaders will
attend the APEC CEO Summit in Auckland from September 10-13, the same time as the APEC Leaders’ Summit.
The Summit, entitled "Globalisation in the 21st Century," is being hosted by the New Zealand business community. Entry
is limited to a maximum of 250 invited participants of CEO and equivalent responsibility.
The CEO Summit Board Chairman, John Maasland, says the meeting will give regional business leaders a voice on where APEC
should focus its work at the start of the 21st Century.
The Summit organisers will work closely with the Leaders’ Meeting and the APEC Business Advisory Council to ensure their
deliberations are considered by Leaders.
Dr Helmut Sohmen, Chairman of the Pacific Basin Economic Council, says there are few events that bring Leaders together
explicitly to advance the trade and investment liberalisation agenda.
He says the CEO Summit will provide an opportunity for business leaders to debate the many critical issues of
globalisation. It also provides a unique opportunity for business leaders to share their views with world leaders from
throughout the APEC region.
Fifty invited New Zealand corporate chiefs will attend the CEO Summit, along with an impressive line-up of overseas
participants. They include:
Vincent Cheng, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank, a principal member of the HSBC Group. Mr Cheng is a
Member of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Economic Advisory Committee and the Advisory
Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Land Fund. He is also Chairman of the Hang Seng
School of Commerce and on the Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board.
John F Smith, Jr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors Corporation. His background with General Motors
spans 40 years encompassing a variety of roles including positions as President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr Smith is
a member of the Proctor & Gamble Company Board of Directors and a representative to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). He is chairman of
the Economic Club of Detroit, and a Director of the US-Japan Business Council.
Ernest S Micek, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cargill Incorporated. He is Chairman of the Emergency Committee
for American Trade (ECAT) and a member of the President’s Export Council. Mr Micek is on the US Board of the Pacific
Basin Economic Council and a member of the Advisory Council on Foreign Investments in Ukraine. He is also on the Board
of overseers of the Carlson School of Management.
Cameron O’Reilly, Chief Executive of APN News & Media, Wilson & Horton’s Australian sister company, and Chairman of Wilson & Horton. He is a Director of Independent News and Media and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Australian
Graduate School of Management.
Dr Victor Fung, 1995 Hong Kong Businessman of the Year. Dr Fung is Chairman of both the Hong Kong Trade Development
Council and the Hong Kong/European Union Economic Cooperation Committee. Among his private sector interests, Dr Fung is
Chairman of Prudential Asia Investments Limited and a Director of Hong Kong Telecom.
Participants in the CEO Summit will breakfast with APEC Leaders to hear President Clinton’s keynote address "Bright
People – Smart Technologies" on Sunday morning (12 September). The State President of the People’s Republic of China,
His Excellency Jiang Zemin, will give his dinner address on "China – APEC Partner in Building Global Prosperity" at the
Summit’s cocktails and dinner function on Saturday evening (11 September).
The APEC CEO Summit is being held at The Heritage Hotel. The conclusions from of the meeting will be incorporated in a
report to APEC Leaders.