GEW First in the World event

Description

Wellington, partly due to our geographic position, is to be host of the inaugural event for GEW 2011, so we have planned a truly global feel to the launch event to mark New Zealand as the first country in the World to start this very special week around the world. Following New Zealand's lead, some 40 thousand events happening in 123 countries during the week will commence. Entrepreneurs and many of the world's ambassadors will assemble in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city, along with Her Worship, the Mayor of Wellington, Celia-Wade Brown, to represent the multitudes of nations that view the growth of smart entrepreneurship as a vital cause to celebrate and promote, especially among the young. Global Entrepreneurship Week is designed to inspire and connect this and the next generation of entrepreneurs in an effort to improve the social and economic well being of all countries. It is the next generation of entrepreneurs that will help address some of the major issues facing the world today - like the reduction of poverty. Also part of this event is the first ever GEW NZ book launch with partners Success Formula, "Gifts of Wisdom" contains handwritten notes from New Zealand's leaders and entrepreneurs of our time, which will be formally handed over to representatives from the Alexander Turnbull Library.

Photos

Video

Speakers

Geff Ross - 42 Below

Geoff was the founder and CEO of 42 Below Limited which was a listed company for three years prior to its sale to Bacardi in late 2006. Following the sale of 42 Below Ltd in 2006, Geoff Ross joined forces with Grant Baker and Stephen Sinclair, as investment partners in a venture capital business – The Business Bakery.
The Bakery has invested in Australian based home fragrance company, Ecoya Ltd. Ecoya manufactures premium home fragrance and body products, selling in NZ, Australia, USA, Asia and the Middle East. The Hyperfactory, Moa Beer and also Dorchester Pacific.
Geoff is Executive chairmen of Ecoya and Moa.
Geoff is a trustee of the Melanoma Foundation. And advisor to Air New Zealand ‘Grab a seat’.
Geoff has a B.com in Agriculture and spent 12 years in the advertising Industry prior to 42 Below.

Katie Petersen

Katie Petersen is a manager in Advancing Innovation for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 2007, and currently directs one of the Foundation’s newest projects, iStart, a community for business plan competitions. She has been involved with iStart since its inception in early 2010, helping to develop and execute the community’s business model, implement an overall marketing campaign, and handle day-to-day operations to ensure the site’s success. In addition, Petersen is the manager for the iBridge Network, a program of the Kauffman Innovation Network.

Prof Claire Massey - Massey University

Prof Claire Massey is the Head of School at the School of Management, part of the College of Business at Massey University. For the last decade my research focus has been on the economic and social contributions that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make, with particular attention to New Zealand. I have a particular interest in government policy as it impacts on SMEs and the way in which firms (and the individuals who run them) respond to the political, social and economic environment they operate within. This interest comes from my own background (I was brought up on a dairy farm and have operated my own firms, as well as being an adviser to firms owned by others) and is the basis for my research and publications, some of which are listed below. Formerly the Director of the New Zealand Centre for SME Research, I am a Past President of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand (SEAANZ) and formerly Senior Vice President of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB).

Sir Paul Callaghan

A special video message from Sir Paul Callaghan, New Zealander of the Year will be shown at the event. Sir Paul Terence Callaghan, GNZM, FRS, FRSNZ (born 1947) is a New Zealand physicist. Callaghan is past president of the Academy Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand and has published over 240 articles in scientific journals as well as the books. He is also a founding director and shareholder of Magritek, a technology company based in Wellington, which sells nuclear magnetic resonance and MRI instruments. A 2009 book, "Wool to Weta: Transforming New Zealand's Culture and Economy", deals with the potential for science and technology entrepreneurialism to diversify New Zealand's economy. He is also the presenter of a concurrent documentary, "Beyond the Farm and the Themepark", which deals with the same issues. In 2001 Callaghan became the 36th New Zealander to be made a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. He was awarded the Ampere Prize in 2004 and the Rutherford Medal in 2005. He was appointed a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2006 and in 2007 was recognised by a KEA/NZTE World Class New Zealander Award and the Sir Peter Blake Medal. He was awarded a 2 year James Cook Research Fellowship by the Royal Society for New Zealand in 2008. He was knighted on 14 August 2009. In 2010 he was awarded the Günther Laukien Prize for Magnetic Resonance and shared the New Zealand Prime Minister's Science Prize. In 2011 he was named Kiwibank "New Zealander of the Year" and later that year elected an Honorary Fellow of Corpus Christi College Cambridge.