Business Council Duo to represent NZ At Conference

Business Council Duo to represent New Zealand at Global Innovation Outlook conference in Delhi.

Steve Bonnici, Managing Director of Urgent Couriers and Rob Fenwick, Director Living Earth have been selected as New Zealand’s representatives at IBM's 2005 Global Innovation Outlook (GIO) workshop which starts in Delhi on the 13th September.

Started in 2004 as a worldwide dialogue led by IBM about innovation, business transformation and societal progress, it has three specific focus areas: healthcare, government and the business of work and life. The findings were shared publicly at a major industry conference hosted by IBM CEO Sam Palmisano last November.
This year’s meetings will focus on how the increasingly open and collaborative nature of innovation will impact three important aspects of the human experience: the environment, transportation and the future of the enterprise.

Both members of the Business Council’s Executive Committee, Bonnici will participate in the transport session and Fenwick will attend the environment session.

Fenwick, Chair of the Business Council welcomed the invitation as demonstrating that New Zealand’s experience with making sustainable business practice real has an international audience:

“There is growing interest in this from the rapidly industrialising countries, such as India and China, where environmental awareness is growing alongside higher living standards. And innovation is a necessary pre-requisite to make change happen. Improvements in people’s quality of life over the past decades can be attributed to technology whether in the form of robust crops, clean water, sanitation, medicine and education or more complex technology such as personal computers, internet, telecommunication and improved manufacturing processes.”

He added: “New Zealand has a reputation on the world stage as being clean and green and as a nation where innovation whether it be in environmental science and resource management, film making, design or eco-tourism is encouraged and nurtured. However all too often we choose to follow not lead. We can however be more than a bit player on the world stage through leadership in sustainability and demonstrating that competitiveness correlates positively with environmental sustainability.”

Transport and mobility are high on the agenda as emerging markets seek to increase mobility at the same time as lessening transport’s impacts. One of the most important challenges our planet faces is how we manage the effects of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transport is a major contributor to this.

Bonnici says that whilst fuel prices and congestion are top of mind for many New Zealanders and present major issues for transport and courier companies such as his own, the GIO will consider a wide range of global transport issues.

“Countries such as India are expected to see passenger transport increase at over 2% each year and freight transport at over 4% up to 2030. This increased mobility will help narrow the gap between rich and poor nations but will have an inevitable environmental impact with increased transport related emissions and urban congestion. ”

“Vehicle technologies such as hybrid or hydrogen cell vehicles and alternative non carbon fuels will be vital. The Business Council representing my own company Urgent Couriers, Landcare Research, Solid Energy, BP, Toyota and Honda, has recently been appointed New Zealand’s operating agent on the International Energy Agency’s Hydrogen Implementing Agreement. Getting behind technological developments such as this is critical to maintain economic growth without further detriment to the environment.”

Ends

© Scoop Media