Shared Prosperity: Taking advantage of Auckland's economic growth

Shared Prosperity: Taking advantage of Auckland's economic growth

Join us at Auckland Conversations as international economic development champion Stephen Cheung and a panel of experts discuss Auckland's priorities for shared prosperity, quality jobs for all, economic development and international business engagement.

5:00pm: Networking & refreshments
5:30pm: Start
7:00pm: Finish

Economic growth can often be accompanied by disparity, economic and social marginalisation. How do we change this and increase the living standards for all Auckland’s citizens? What will this mean and how will our jobs, vocational opportunities and economy change?

We would like to start a conversation about the challenges Auckland faces as an international city from an economic and prosperity perspective, in parallel with LA and Guangzhou.

Stephen Cheung is the Executive Vice President of Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and the President of World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA). He leads investment attraction to the LA County region and facilitates successful location of new businesses, projects and deals from both international and U.S. investors into the region.

Stephen will share with us his aspirations and vision, and impressions on what it takes to be an international city focused on inclusive growth.

Stephanie Honey, Associate Director of the New Zealand International Business Forum, will MC the night. 
Stephen Cheung will also be joined by a panel of industry experts including: 
Tony Alexander, Chief Economist, Bank of New Zealand
Nick Hill, Chief Executive, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development
 

This Auckland Conversation is brought to you in partnership with Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and with the support of Bank of New Zealand (BNZ)

Listen to the podcast

Stephanie Honey

Associate Director, New Zealand International Business Forum

Stephanie is Associate Director of the New Zealand International Business Forum, serves as policy advisor to the New Zealand members of the APEC Business Advisory Council and runs an independent trade policy consultancy working with government and business clients. 

She is also co-founder of a business offering executive education in trade policy.  Stephanie’s interests include regional economic integration especially in the Asia-Pacific, the WTO, agriculture and food trade, services and digital trade, non-tariff barriers and inclusive growth involving SMEs and women in trade.  Stephanie has travelled and worked widely in the Asia-Pacific including China and ASEAN, Europe/the UK, North America and more broadly.   Prior to becoming a consultant, Stephanie worked for many years as a trade negotiator for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including serving for a time as the New Zealand Agriculture Negotiator in the WTO Doha Round, at the New Zealand Mission to the EU in Brussels, as the senior New Zealand official responsible for the bilateral relationship with Australia and in a variety of other roles.

Stephen Cheung

EVP, LAEDC and President, World Trade Center Los Angeles

Stephen Cheung is the Executive Vice President of LAEDC and the President of World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA).

Cheung leads investment attraction to the LA County region on behalf of both LAEDC and WTCLA, and facilitates successful location of new businesses, projects, and deals from both international and U.S. investors into the region.  He also supports international trade and international connections for organizations based in LA County.

Prior to his current role, Stephen Cheung was the Secretary General of International Trade and Foreign Affairs for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and was responsible for managing policies and programs related to the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, International Affairs and Global Trade. In this role, he was the lead organizer for Mayor Garcetti’s previous international trade missions to Mexico, China, Korea and Japan.  Furthermore, Cheung implemented the city’s strategic plan to make Los Angeles a global capital of clean technology by building the infrastructure to support research, development and manufacturing with key partners.

Concurrently, Cheung was the Director of International Trade for the Port of Los Angeles – the busiest container port in North America, and was responsible for developing programs to increase trade through the Port of Los Angeles, and facilitate goods movement through the Southern California region.

Cheung currently sits on the Board of Advisors of UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs and Sister Cities of Los Angeles, while also serving on LA Metro’s Sustainability Council and Biz-Fed’s International Trade Committee. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Regional Export Council and the Los Angeles Business Council.

Stephen was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Los Angeles where he received both his Bachelor of Arts in Psychobiology and Master of Arts in Social Welfare from UCLA. He is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese.

 

Tony Alexander

Chief Economist, Bank of New Zealand

Mr. Alexander has been employed as Chief Economist at New Zealand’s second largest bank, the Bank of New Zealand, since 1994 with responsibilities including informing senior management about economic developments and prospects, risks and opportunities, and provision of services for the bank’s staff and client base.

He is an accomplished public speaker much in demand and each year delivers between 80 and 130 presentations at bank seminars, conferences, and client functions around the country and offshore.

He writes and distributes the monthly NZ Observer directly to 11,000 email recipients with extensive links from other websites. www.tonyalexander.co.nz

Prior to joining the BNZ Mr. Alexander worked as principal economist at a stock broking firm in Wellington and before that as Research Officer then Treasury Economist with Westpac Bank initially in Sydney, Australia, then New Zealand from 1987. He holds a Master of Arts degree (first class honours) from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. He is the father of five children, his wife is one of New Zealand’s foremost early childcare researchers, and he lives in the countryside north of New Zealand’s capital city Wellington.

Nick Hill

CEO of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development

Nick Hill joined Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) in the role of Chief Executive in August 2017. Nick has extensive experience across the private and public sector.  This includes the Chief Executive role with the Commerce Commission and leading the formation of Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC, now known as Sport New Zealand). He also has significant experience in the energy sector, having worked 10 years with ECNZ and Fletcher Energy in New Zealand, and with Santos in Australia. Before joining ATEED, Nick was a Partner of specialist New Zealand public policy and management consulting firm Martin Jenkins – which he joined in 2011 to establish the firm’s Auckland practice.

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