As we get down to the business end of the Rugby World Cup it feels like the right time to talk commerce – to look past the sight of the rim of the Webb Ellis trophy and ask what’s next for New Zealand. The tournament has been an opportunity for New Zealand businesses to make an impression on the world, show their vitality and grow their connectivity (NZ 4G factor = Grit, Guts, Genius, and Geniality). To achieve long-term success most of our companies will need to make their mark internationally. The global field of commerce is the ultimate “away game” where winning needs to be a national habit.
On Tuesday 18 October – the week before the World Cup final – I’ll be chairing a high-powered forum on all of this at the University of Auckland Business School. We’ll get down to brass tacks on how New Zealand companies can take on the world with seven minute presentations by four outstanding speakers, sharing insights from the worlds of professional sport and business. Here’s the line-up:
• Dr Kerry Spackman, neuroscientist and author of “The Winner’s Bible”, mentor to leading Formula One and New Zealand sports teams and winner of the 2010 World Class New Zealand Award for New Thinking
• Professor George Foster, Stanford Graduate School of Business, a specialist in high growth global companies, author of “The Business of Sports”, advisor to start-up companies and sports organisations
• Murray Mexted is the founder and Managing Director of the International Rugby Academy, a former All Black Number 8 and National Sevens Selector, and a renowned television commentator and rugby analyst for Sky Television
• Dr Farah Palmer former captain of the Black Ferns – New Zealand Women’s Rugby Team when they won win three consecutive World Championships (1998, 2002 and 2006), and a lecturer at Massey University specialising in Maori and gender issues in sport.
If you’re in Auckland for the World Cup final (and you should be!) put this one in your diary. Better yet, register here to be sure of a space. If you’re passionate about New Zealand business this is a must. See you there.
