New Beachheads Advisors Appointed

NZTE Media Release: New Beachheads Advisors Appointed

23 April 2009: New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has appointed nine new advisors to its global Beachheads programme.

The Beachheads programme helps New Zealand companies succeed internationally by providing strategic market development advice. It connects participating companies to an international network of private sector advisors who provide expert advice on the realities of doing business in a specific market and /or in a specific sector.

NZTE’s Director Beachheads Alan Crofts says that the new advisors bring a wealth of experience across a range of industries including marine, food and beverage and agriculture.

“Companies participating in the Beachheads programme come from all sectors and industries, and new advisors will help ensure that companies receive the level of advice, and access to industry contacts and networks to help them strengthen their market presence internationally.”

Advisors have been appointed in Europe, the Middle East, and New Zealand:

Europe Beachhead Advisory Board

Based in the Netherlands, Erik Dijkstra is director, shareholder and consultant for various international start-up businesses. He has an excellent knowledge in the agricultural retail business and has over 30 years experience working with agriculture-related New Zealand companies in Europe, including Gallagher.

Peter Methven is a director of a number of marine companies, and is based in Cheltenham, United Kingdom. He has worldwide knowledge and expertise in the marine industry including leisure, including super yachts, to commercial and military. Peter is the Vice President of the International Council of Marine Industries Association and is a past president of the British Marine Federation.

Alan Munro is a New Zealander based in Hampshire, United Kingdom. He is the CEO of Lenovo United Kingdom and Ireland. He started his career with IBM in Wellington in 1987 and spent 18 years with IBM in many different roles in New Zealand and Australia before being appointed CEO of Lenovo Australia and New Zealand following the acquisition of IBM’s Personal Computer division in 2005.

Middle East Beachhead Advisory Board

Dr Shane Reti has been appointed to the Middle East Beachhead Advisory Board. A New Zealander, Shane is the International Programme Director for the Division of Clinical Informatics at Harvard Medical School, a role which includes project managing the Joslin-HMFP-Dubai diabetes initiative, and the licensing of all health professionals in the Emirate of Dubai. He has extensive experience in health care policy and practice and spent seven years as a Northland District Health Board director based in Whangarei before being awarded the 2007 Commonwealth Fund International Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice to Harvard.

New Zealand Beachhead Advisory Board

Trevor Burt is a company director based in Christchurch. He has recently returned to New Zealand after a career as a senior executive with global industrial company BOC Group PLC, during which he spent time in Asia, the US and Europe. He is a director of Mainpower New Zealand and Lyttelton Port Company and he is a member of the Institute of Directors.

Steven Carden is the Group Manager Business Development at PGG Wrightson. Prior to joining PGG Wrightson, he was a manager at McKinsey & Company in New York, and from 2000 to 2001, he was General Manager of Flying Pig, New Zealand’s then largest internet retailer. Steven is the founder of the First Foundation and is the author of New Zealand Unleashed published in 2007. Steven is based in Auckland.

Mike Devonshire has had an extensive career in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, in management and leadership roles across a broad range of sectors including agri business, property, wholesale banking, energy and infrastructure. Mike returned to New Zealand in 2002 and established Strategic Advisory Services Ltd. Mike is based in Havelock North and holds a number of directorships. He is a certificated member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.

Keith Jackson has an extensive background in management and governance with particular emphasis on the food industry. He was CEO of Tegel Foods from 1980 to 1996, and is the Chairman of Dairy Farm Investments Ltd, Cooks Food Group, Tasman Capital, TRS Investments Ltd, Sportstec Ltd, Adaptable Solutions and Unique Food Group. He is also a director of Innovair Group. Keith is based in Auckland.

Tony McNeil is the Managing Director of Foodstuffs (Wellington) Co-operative Society Ltd, and is a 35-year veteran of the Australasian supermarket and liquor sectors. Based in Wellington, his current directorships span a number of related industries including retail, food manufacturing, property development, transportation and distribution, and include The Bell Tea and Coffee Company, AF Logistics Ltd and Liquorland Ltd.

For more information about the Beachheads programme, including full biographies of all advisors, visit www.nzte.govt.nz/beachheads

ENDS

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