NZ Global Women Join Forces At Conference Nov 17
Media Release
1 November 2009
More than 20 of New Zealand’s top business women are joining forces to share their experience and expertise at a one-off
conference in Auckland on November 17.
The line up of speakers is a who’s who of the business world and includes the newly appointed chair of Genesis Energy
Dame Jenny Shipley; Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of 2009 Diane Foreman; world-leading educational publisher Wendy Pye;
chair of Wool Partners International Theresa Gattung; the co-founder of Kim Crawford Wines, Erica Crawford; EziBuy CEO
Mary Devine; the managing partner of Fahrenheit Ventures in New York, Bridget Liddell; World Bank director Penelope
Brook; director of Hunter Powell Investments, Sharon Hunter and Katrina Troughton from IBM in Shanghai.
The forum entitled Thinking Globally is being organised by the newly-formed New Zealand Global Women, a network of more
than 80 of the country’s top business women.
Thinking Globally is an opportunity for business women from all walks of life to hear from, and network with, some of
New Zealand’s top business minds; women who are taking on the world and winning.
Aspiring business women will have the chance to pitch their own business idea, story or concept to the forum and receive
feedback and mentoring. They will also have the opportunity to become part of Emerging Leaders – a sister network being
launched by NZGW.
Networking opportunities are built into the full-day programme as are more intimate breakout sessions with other
business leaders including Mai Chen, founding partner of public law specialists Chen Palmer; Jane Diplock, chair of the
Securities Commission and Annah Stretton, CEO Stretton Clothing & Stretton Publishing.
Thinking Globally is the first public step by NZGW towards creating the networks and connections that will build an
effective core community of New Zealand business women operating here and offshore.
To register for Thinking Globally go to www.globalwomen.co.nz
About NZGW
New Zealand Global Women Launch was launched by Prime Minister John Key in July this year.
It connects more than 80 of New Zealand’s top women business leaders across businesses, sectors and international
borders and mirrors other successful groups offshore.
Membership is by invitation only, and is limited to women who hold senior leadership roles in influential organisations.
They must have demonstrated thought leadership and vision and have a track record of supporting other women to
leadership positions.
London School of Business research identifies that creating supportive networks is critical to advancing talented women.
Interviews during the development of NZGW revealed that even high-achieving women under-invest in their social capital,
often due to multiple demands on their time.
NZGW come from across the private and public sectors; from the sciences, arts and not-for-profit enterprises. They are
based in New Zealand, the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and China.
The high–powered board of Global Women is chaired by Mai Chen, the founding partner of public law specialists Chen
Palmer and comprises former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley; former Vitaco Health CEO, Sarah Kennedy; Securities
Commission chair, Jane Diplock; Bridget Liddell, managing principal, Fahrenheit Ventures; Jenny Morel, managing partner,
No 8 Ventures; Wendy Pye, managing director, Wendy Pye Publishing; Patsy Reddy, director, Active Equities; Katrina
Troughton, director, IBM’s WebSphere division; and Annah Stretton, CEO, Stretton Clothing & Stretton Publishing.
The number of women in senior leadership roles in New Zealand is actually declining. New Zealand is now ranked 10th
globally for female representation in business management, down from 4th five years ago. Women hold 19 percent of CEO
roles down from 22 percent in 2006 and have only 54 of the 624 board of director positions in publicly listed companies.
ENDS