Innovation And Technology Key To Success of NZ Economy

Innovation And Technology Key To Success of New Zealand Economy

Leading international and local speakers coming together to discuss innovation and business success

AUCKLAND March 26, 2013: The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) put out a challenge today to New Zealand businesses to take advantage of advances in technology and innovate more if they want to see their businesses, and our local economy, continue to grow.

Speaking in advance of the upcoming inaugural business leaders’ conference, MindStorm, David Stone, CEO of the TCF, said that too many businesses are resting on their laurels by following old business models and failing to innovate because ‘that’s the way we do things’, rather than taking advantage of advances in technology to increase efficiency and drive success.

“Technology is no longer just the domain of the IT department; it’s an integral part of any business strategy. Although New Zealand is known as an ‘innovative nation’ that punches far above its weight, some Kiwi businesses are daunted by the challenges and opportunities created by the convergence of social media, big data, analytics and cloud,” said Stone.

“We are at a point now where ignoring these trends will be at the peril of businesses success. We have many local and international examples of where companies are using these trends to innovate, drive productivity gains and personalise their marketing and business development strategies. Doing this creates an obvious competitive advantage, and those New Zealand businesses who aren’t at least trying to understand what impact these factors have on their business will be left behind.

“These are easy words to say, but on this occasion we’ve put our money where our mouth is. With the support of our industry partners, we’ve brought together a stellar line-up of speakers for MindStorm, who will share their insights into how companies can navigate their way through an increasingly digitally connected environment and turn New Zealand into the type of economy we know it can be.”

The MindStorm conference will take place on April 18, 2013, at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre. Continuing the legacy of the late Sir Paul Callaghan, the fast-paced, TED-style conference will focus on how innovation in technology is helping build the foundations of New Zealand’s business success in an increasingly digital and mobile era – and what businesses can do to take advantage of the opportunities these provide.

Speakers already announced include David Selinger, CEO and co-founder of RichRelevance and a world-renowned expert in the field of eCommerce data analytics; Allison Cerra, vice-president of marketing and communications for Alcatel-Lucent, and co-author of “The Shift: The Evolving Market, Players and Business Models in a 2.0 World.”; Tim Longhurst, futurist; Tony Falkenstein, CEO Just Water Limited; and Professor Shaun Hendy, Professor of Computational Physics at Victoria University of Wellington.

Additional speakers also announced today include:
• Neal Cross, vice president of MasterCard Labs Asia, Middle East and Africa, who will present on how technological and societal mega-trends are changing the payments industry and how this will in turn improve the engagement between business and consumers.
• Tony Keusgen, Country Manager for Google New Zealand who will speak on “Fast Digital Information: Taking New Zealand into a fast digital information age”.
• Peter Griffin, founding manager of the Science Media Centre and the founder and editor of Sciblogs, who will speak on the state of New Zealand’s Telco industry. Peter was formerly the Technology Editor of the New Zealand Herald and spent nearly eight years covering business and technology for the paper as a reporter and columnist.
Lillian Grace, founder of Wiki New Zealand; Jesse Newson, serial entrepreneur, founder of MinuteDock and general “problem solver and entrepreneur”; James Nisbet will be speaking on an under 30s panel, offering insights from the next generation of technology and business leaders on what it is like to be young, innovative and in business in New Zealand.

A series of “Reality Bites” case studies from some of New Zealand’s most innovative and forward thinking businesses and organisations discussing how they are using the latest advances in telecommunications and technology. PAPERKUT, the Central Cancer Network, Mi5 Security & iDefigo, the NZ Police, and Pluk will each present on how they are using innovative technology to change the way they do business.

A full list of speakers can be found online at www.mindstorm.co.nz Tickets to the event can also be purchased through this site for $495+gst.

The MindStorm conference is proudly supported by Chorus; Telecom; Vodafone; 2Degrees; Kordia; Huawei; CallPlus; Slingshot; and Loop Technologies.

About the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum
The New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) plays a vital role in the New Zealand telecommunications industry. The TCF seeks to efficiently resolve regulatory, technical and policy issues within the New Zealand telecommunications industry for the benefit of the industry and its customers.
The TCF enables the industry to work together more efficiently by providing an environment where issues can be identified early, discussed collaboratively, and where possible mutually acceptable solutions can be developed and implemented.
For more information please visit www.tcf.org.nz

ENDS

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