27 JANUARY 2012

An all-star line-up of speakers – including top brass from Google, Facebook, Pepsico, and Saatchi & Saatchi – will inspire 400 top businesspeople from around the world at the 2012 Entrepreneursʼ Organisation Queenstown University conference from 22 to 26 February 2012. Reservations for the five-star event – one of only three staged worldwide each year – sold out within only eight hours of release late last year, but this comes as no surprise to Entrepreneursʼ Organisation (EO) Queenstown University Chairman Mat Wylie. “A speakers list as impressive as ours instantly appeals to EOʼs global membership of 8000 leading business owners in 40 countries,” he says.

“With the help of Kiwi Expats Abroad (KEA) weʼve tapped into their vast network and booked high-flying NZ businesspeople to share their success secrets and inspire our members to even greater heights.

“Itʼs an honour to share the views of these special New Zealanders with some of the worldʼs most influential businesspeople and help showcase New Zealand itself as a place where brilliant ideas and innovation can flourish.”

Topping the list of star speakers will be Director of Engineering at Google, New Zealand-born Craig Nevill-Manning, who began his meteoric career with degrees from Canterbury and Waikato Universities.

Also on the schedule will be his Kiwi wife, Kirsten Nevill-Manning, who is Director of Human Resources at facebook and will be presenting on “The future of social media and how it will affect your business”.

Other Kiwis who have scaled the heights of international business will also be speaking, including Sarah Robb OʼHagan, who is now Pepsicoʼs Gatorade President North America and Global Chief Marketing Officer, and Kevin Roberts, Worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. Pharmaceutical scientist, intraocular lens innovator, Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the Year 2010 and recipient of the New Zealand Order of Merit Sir Ray Avery will also be speaking, along with Tim Alpe, CEO of tourism company Jucy and the 2010 New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year.

Delegates will also have the opportunity to climb Bobʼs Peak with Mark Inglis, the only double amputee to climb Mt Everest, experience a Martin Jetpack simulator with inventor Glenn Martin, and enjoy a “fireside chat” with Jonah Lomu. “It all adds up to an amazing package of once-in-a-lifetime experiences and potentially gamechanging inspiration for our members. None of it would be possible of course without our generous sponsors, key partner New Zealand Trade and Enterprise along with KPMG, 2 Degrees Mobile, Air New Zealand, Jucy, BKA Interactive and Kiwi Expats Abroad,” says Wylie. www.eon
etwork.org

This first-ever EO University in New Zealand will be the best chance for our country to present our “number eight wire” philosophy in business, while encouraging other Kiwis who are eligible to become a member of the Entrepreneursʼ Organisation to make the most of this global business mentoring and networking group.

About Entrepreneursʼ Organisation NZ: 

• Total members: 46
• Age range: 30 – 64
• Sales range: US$1 – US$30million
• Total member sales: US$322million
• Average member sales: US$7.7million
• Total employees: 1133

About Entrepreneursʼ Organisation worldwide:

• Total members worldwide: More than 8,000
• Average member age: 41
• Total number of chapters worldwide: 120
• Total sales of all members worldwide: More than US$138 billion
• Average member sales: US$17.3 million
• Average member employees: 182
• Total number of workers that members employ worldwide: More than 1,500,000

BUDGET 2012:
Parliament Debate Live - Video Of Budget 2011
Keith Ng Interactive Graphic: How the Budget Breaks Down
BUDGET 2012 - FULL COVERAGE: Reports / Analysis - Press Kit - Reaction (from everybody) - Previews (from everybody) - Pre-Budget Announcements

Gordon Campbell: On the Budget’s Spreadsheet Victories

It wasn’t as if expectations were sky high, exactly. Chances are, it was always more likely that we’d be seeing Bigfoot rampage through the Beehive lock-up than catch a glimpse of a credible growth agenda from this government. More >>

Sludge Budget Report - Short The Dollar! MEMO: To international bankers FROM: C.D. Sludge Please short the dollar! It'll be good for both you and us. And you know you want to. Greexit, Eurogeddon... watch out... flight to quality and all that. Follow your instincts. The NZ Debt Management Office has been so surprised at the unprecedentedly low interest rates that it can borrow at that it has already entirely pre-funded the 2013 fiscal deficit - all $8 billion of it! More >>

Pattrick Smellie Comment: Doddling along the best we can hope forCriticising Budgets for lacking vision or imagination is like shooting fish in a barrel, but even so, this year's Budget again feels like a missed opportunity. Perhaps it's the intrusion of real world needs that means the government couldn't make better political use of the $558.8 million it expects to gather in its first partial asset sale. More >>