Siah Hwee Ang is Professor in Strategy and International Business and Professorial Chair in Business in Asia at Victoria University of Wellington. He is also the Director of New Zealand’s Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence. Siah’s expertise centres around the connection between strategy, international business and international trade. His works have been published in international top-tier journals and have won several research awards. He is also Reviewing Editor at the Journal of World Business, the 2nd ranked journal in the field of international business globally that is based in the United States, as well as the Senior Editor at the Asia Pacific Journal of Management, a leading Asia business journal.

Siah has sat on the national assessment panels for New Zealand Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia, Prime Minister’s Business Scholarships, and Marsden Fund, a prestigious fund supporting excellence in science, engineering, maths, social sciences and the humanities in New Zealand. He has also been recently appointed by New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission to be on the Business and Economics panel of the PBRF Quality Evaluation 2026, a national assessment of research performance of New Zealand tertiary education organisations conducted every six years. Siah is also a panellist on the MBIE’s Endeavour Fund that supports excellent research with the potential to positively transform New Zealand’s economy, environment and society.
He was also appointed in 2022 to the OECD Entrepreneurship Education Collaboration and Engagement Steering Committee, and the only member from the Oceania region for a period of 2 years.

Siah has collaborated on various projects and engaged in discussions with various New Zealand agencies as well as foreign government and research institutions on global, Asia and New Zealand matters. In the business community, he currently serves as a member of both the Business Central and Wellington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and has until recently been an executive board member of the ASEAN New Zealand Business Council. Before joining Victoria University of Wellington, Siah was Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Auckland Business School, and has work experience in City University in London and National University of Singapore, where he completed his PhD in Management. Siah is Visiting Professor and senior academic promotion assessor to a few Asian universities.

Founder and owner of Emec Technology, a consultancy company specialising in the design of laboratories for research and development, bio-containment and oil and gas, and is the founder and owner of Emec Scientific, a manufacturing and contracting company making specialist laboratory equipment and the building and renovation of laboratories.

After completing a Degree in Engineering from Canterbury University he has been living in Malaysia since 1993 and has worked on projects right across Asia.

Emec Technology was started in in 2003 and clients include the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Petronas and all Malaysia’s leading hospitals. The laboratory equipment is used throughout Malaysia and Singapore and exported to Australia, India and Vietnam.

He is the immediate past Chair of the Malaysia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce. MNZCC is a non profit promoting business in Malaysia amongst New Zealanders and those doing business with New Zealand.

He is also a founding member and past Chair of the New Zealand ASEAN Business Alliance. NZABA is the alliance of the New Zealand chambers and business councils across ASEAN and New Zealand and works to promote business between chambers and provide an integrated network for New Zealand businesses entering ASEAN.

Warrick Cleine serves on the Asia Pacific Board and Global Council of KPMG. He is the Chairman and CEO of KPMG in Vietnam and Cambodia, and Managing Partner of the firm's Deals, Tax and Legal practice. KPMG is the leading professional services firm in Vietnam and Cambodia, with approximately 60 partners and 2,000 employees. The Firm provides Audit, Tax, Legal, Deal Advisory and Management Consulting services from offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang and Phnom Penh.
Warrick was named in the inaugural “Top 100 Diverse Board Ready Directors” by the Superdiversity Institute (2021), for diversity of thought, experience, and perspective as an Asia-centric business leader, and his advocacy for women’s leadership and LGBT inclusion in business.

Warrick is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Australia and New Zealand (CA), and is registered as a CPA in both Vietnam (VACPA) and Cambodia (KICCPA).Warrick Cleine serves on the Asia Pacific Board and Global Council of KPMG. He is the Chairman and CEO of KPMG in Vietnam and Cambodia, and Managing Partner of the firm's Deals, Tax and Legal practice. KPMG is the leading professional services firm in Vietnam and Cambodia, with approximately 60 partners and 2,000 employees. The Firm provides Audit, Tax, Legal, Deal Advisory and Management Consulting services from offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Danang and Phnom Penh. In addition to his leadership role at KPMG, Warrick is as an Adjunct Industry Professor at RMIT University, in the School of Business and Management; Chairman of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam; Chairman of the British Corporate Advocacy Council in Vietnam; an advisor to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and an Honorary Advisor to the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

He is recognised as one of South East Asia's leading corporate advisors and is a speaker and writer on Asia Pacific business, geopolitical and economic affairs, with experience advising both Government and corporates on strategy, corporate governance, trade, taxation, and structuring. Warrick previously served as Head of Tax & Legal for KPMG's Asia Pacific region, leading 7,000 professionals across 18 countries, and served as the Global Leader of High Growth Markets for KPMG’s Tax and Legal practice. Under his leadership, KPMG established the Asia Pacific Tax Centre in Singapore, entered the legal market in Asia with the establishment of KPMG Law, and was first recognised as the Asia Tax Firm of the Year by the prestigious International Tax Review. Warrick was named in the inaugural “Top 100 Diverse Board Ready Directors” by the Superdiversity Institute (2021), for diversity of thought, experience, and perspective as an Asia-centric business leader, and his advocacy for women’s leadership and LGBT inclusion in business. Warrick is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Australia and New Zealand (CA), and is registered as a CPA in both Vietnam (VACPA) and Cambodia (KICCPA).

He was previously a Senior Advisor on Carbon Markets and Sustainability with Indonesian listed company PT Triputra Agro Persada from 2022 to 2023.

Heng Dean was a director with investment firm Temasek, managing strategic relationships in South East Asia and supporting Temasek’s investments in the region. He also worked on sustainability and climate issues, including helping to lead the set up of GenZero, a S$5 billion investment platform wholly-owned by Temasek that focuses on carbon markets and decarbonization.

Heng Dean started his career with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was a First Secretary at the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta . He has a B.Sc. in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and an MBA from INSEAD.

Suzy is the Trade Commissioner for Malaysia and Thailand, based in Kuala Lumpur. She facilitates trade from the two markets to New Zealand and develops the networks of business relationships relevant to New Zealand exporters.

Suzy joined NZTE in September 2017 as manager of the Missions and Events team for Greater China, based in Shanghai. Prior to that she spent ten years living in and operating businesses in, Mainland China and Taiwan. In 2020, Suzy became Market Manager for the East Asia region based in New Zealand.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Suzy returned to New Zealand as a Customer Manager, where she was instrumental in implementing initiatives and programmes to support New Zealand businesses in adapting to the challenging environment.

In addition to her professional experience, Suzy studied at Massey University, has owned a café and cake shop, trained guide dogs, refereed at the Touch World Cup in Malaysia, and coached netball. She also holds a helicopter pilot's license.

As the Chief Visionary Officer of the Dandy Collection restaurant group in Singapore, Michael Goodman boasts a remarkable career trajectory that sets him apart from others in the industry. Having initially honed his skills as an Executive Chef with Aman resorts among others, Goodman’s journey took a captivating turn as he embarked on a second career in Interior Design and Brand Strategy. His unconventional path allowed him to cultivate a diverse skill set and a keen understanding of the intricate relationship between culinary expertise, aesthetics, and brand experience.

Through his diverse career trajectory, Michael has transcended traditional boundaries and his distinctive background has shaped his visionary leadership, making him a driving force behind the Dandy Collection’s success and setting him apart as an industry luminary. His ability to seamlessly merge culinary artistry with captivating guest experiences and environments has elevated the group to be considered amount Singapore’s elite. With an innate talent for conceptualizing and executing immersive dining experiences, Goodman’s visionary approach has positioned the Dandy Collection as a trailblazer within the industry. He is at once a champion of his employees, at the same time using technology and AI to streamline their work whenever possible.

As part of the company’s next phase, Michael now divides his time between Singapore and Dubai as he looks to expand the Dandy Collection overseas.

Dr Lyndal Hugo is co-founder and CEO of Orlar, a company formed in 2014 in Australia to address issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation through enhanced energy, food and water security. The Orlar technology has been proven to have only net positive impacts on the environment and people.

Orlar mission is to provide the most nutrients to the most people, most sustainably. Recently Orlar received the first major investment in Vietnam from a global ESG focused climate change adaptation and development bank. This investment required four months of intense environmental, social and financial analysis.

Dr Hugo completed undergraduate degrees, PhD and Post- Doctoral appointments (University of Sydney) in environmental chemistry and residues in food chains. This was followed by twenty years of environmental accounting for some of the world’s largest energy and agricultural companies. Dr Hugo was born and raised in the greatest nation on earth, Australia.

As CEO of Aware Group, Brandon plays a pivotal role in New Zealand's emerging technology landscape, supporting an impressive 60% of domestic corporates and 35% of government entities, while also extending services to customers in 14 countries – predominately South East Asia. He has been instrumental in shaping the AI and technological strategies of some of the most important organizations. Collaborating with hundreds of corporate and government agencies worldwide, Brandon actively promotes open dialogues on the tangible challenges and barriers of AI integration. Over the past 7 years, his extensive speaking engagements on practical ethics in AI span global platforms, and his substantial contributions to AI policies resonate in both public and private sectors.

May Lim is the Managing Director of the Asian Business Unit for The Arnott’s Group based out
of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. As Managing Director based in her home country of Malaysia, May sets the strategy and direction for the Asia business as well as managing the group’s supply chain in Asia.

In her 25 years in the FMCG industry, May has worked across a variety of product
categories including sauces and condiments, biscuits, infant feeding, frozen products and convenience meals.May began her FMCG career at Heinz Wattie’s New Zealand before moving to Asia, where she worked with Heinz and later Lee Kum Kee Sauce Group, for 18 years. Having lived
and worked in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia, May has developed a nuanced understanding of Asian consumers

Maya obtained her Bachelor Degree in Law in 2004 from Thammasat University in Thailand. Her legal profession started before she graduated where she was employed as a legal advisor at an international law firm, and went on to being legal advisor and senior lawyer for DKSH and then Deloitte. At present, she is Legal Partner and owner of Premier Thai Lawyers based in Bangkok.


Her connection with New Zealand started from having Kiwi clients. Later on, she became the President of the New Zealand Thai Chamber of Commerce (NZTCC) for 2 terms from November 2018 to November 2022 after being a committee member of NZTCC for 1 year only. Since stepping down from her presidency, she remained on the committee and is now Vice President. In addition, Maya has been the President of the New Zealand ASEAN Business Alliance (NZABA) since she accepted the role in February 2023.

Grant 'Axe' Rawlinson is a world class human-powered explorer and team decision-making coach. From the street level to the boardroom, international 7-aside rugby player to over 50 expeditions across the globe including walking across countries, cycling across continents, scaling virgin mountain peaks, the north ridge of Mt Everest and crossing sea's completely by human-power, Grant dedicates his life to the pursuit of exploratory human powered expeditions.

A native of NZ, Grant has been based in Asia for 26 years where he runs a global speaking and facilitation business, working with leaders and teams to help them work more effectively together in volatile, uncertain and complex environments and lead their fields by being bold and unique instead of simply following the crowds

James Robertson is the Regional Manager for Trade Strategy at Fonterra in Asia. In his work James covers the North and Southeast Asia region to help protect and enhance market access for Fonterra products and strengthen our reputation with stakeholders. He works closely with New Zealand Government representatives, local governments, business organisations and other key stakeholders in the region to build support for Fonterra’s business objectives and enhance the benefits of trade within the Asia region.
Alongside his work at Fonterra James has strong history in the New Zealand Agricultural industry. He is a past winner of the industries prestigious New Zealand Young Farmer of the Year competition. He has also been a past Board member of New Zealand Young Farmers and holds a bachelor in AgriCommerce and International Agribusiness from Massey University.

Ganesh Thiagarajan (known as Tiga) is the General Manager of Fonterra’s Consumer and Foodservice business in Malaysia and Singapore, which jointly make up the largest, strategic markets in the dairy cooperative’s Southeast Asian operations.
Over 25 years of experience in the consumer goods industry places Tiga as a seasoned business leader, strategic brand-builder, and intrepid change-maker. He has held global, regional, and local leadership positions in Mars and Reckitt Benckiser, in general management, sales & marketing, and end-to-end innovation across multiple brands, categories, and geographies in emerging markets. Prior to his current role, Tiga led the charge at Fonterra Indonesia, where he steered the complete turnaround of its consumer division, delivering exceptional performance, accelerating growth, and building the fastest growing e-Commerce business for the group globally.
He is passionate about leadership, innovation, strategy, and making work more meaningful; helping people love what they do. Tiga holds an MBA in Marketing from IIM, Lucknow, and a B.Tech in Engineering from IIT, Chennai.

Vangelis Vitalis is Deputy Secretary, Trade and Economic. He was the APEC2021(external link) Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Chair for New Zealand’s host year and in 2023 Vangelis will be chairing the Senior Officials' process that supports the CPTPP Ministerial meetings.
Vangelis was also the Chief Negotiator who led the conclusion of negotiations for the New Zealand European Union Free Trade Agreement and before that the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. In 2007-9, Vangelis was also the Chief Negotiator who concluded the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) and the Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (MNZFTA).
Prior to taking up his role in Wellington in 2017, Vangelis was New Zealand’s Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva where he chaired the agriculture negotiations in a personal capacity. In this role he helped draft the text of the historic Nairobi WTO Ministerial Decision(external link) to eliminate agricultural export subsidies. Vangelis has also been the Ambassador to the European Union and NATO in Brussels and has had postings to Canberra and Moscow.
Vangelis has worked outside the Ministry including as an economist in the Secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He is a past member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council on Trade and is currently a member of the WEF Trade and Investment Action Group and is also on the Steering Committee for the WEF Climate Trade Zero initiative. He has chaired in a personal capacity the OECD Committee on Trade and the Environment (2008-2017), the OECD Global Forum on Trade and Climate Change and is currently the New Zealand Envoy for the Small Advanced Economies’ Initiative.
A keen saltwater land-based fisherman, Vangelis is married with three children and speaks Greek, German and Russian. He is a longstanding (and suffering) supporter of the Wellington Phoenix Football Club.

Pamela Young is the Managing Director of growthcurv Pty Ltd. She has worked across New Zealand, Australia, Asia, United Kingdom, Continental Europe and the USA. She is a leader, business builder and change agent. She is visionary, formulates growth strategies, is a highly seasoned business developer, knows about cultures, has completed many business transformations, and is globally experience at merger and acquisition integration.

Pamela is also author of 'Stepping Up: Lead culture change for diversity and growth in the Asian century'. This book was written to support leaders to boost diversity in their business to help build cross-cultural capability and improve their pan-Asia business performance. See - www.steppingupaustralia.com.au