Rt Hon John Key

Prime Minister

30 August 2013 Media Statement
PM’s Business Scholarships announced

Ten of New Zealand’s brightest business minds have been given the opportunity to study at some of the world’s top international institutions after receiving Prime Minister’s Business Scholarships.

Prime Minister John Key says the scholarships will enable the recipients to increase their business knowledge and gain invaluable skills which will have many positive flow-on effects for New Zealand businesses.

“I am very pleased to be able to give these outstanding people the opportunity to study at some of the world’s very best learning institutions.

“It will allow them to fine tune their skills and increase their business knowledge which will in turn help our companies becomes more productive and competitive.’’

The scholarships, which were launched in 2010, allow the recipients to study at prestigious international institutions including Stanford Business School, London Business School and the INSEAD Business School.

The study programmes range from 5 days, to blocks over several months. Recipients will receive up to $54,000 to cover half of the cost of their course and expenses.

The recipients of the 2013 Prime Minister’s Business Scholarships are:

• Scott Coulter of Te Puke, Chief Operating Officer, Comvita Ltd

• Hena Rana of Auckland, Technical Director Business Advisory, Beca Group Ltd

• Richard Wyeth of Taupo, CEO, Miraka Ltd

• Rhys McKinlay of Palmerston North, Sales Manager, NZ Pharmaceuticals Ltd

• Damian Lynch of Christchurch, General Manager – International, PGG Wrightson Seeds

• Barbara Harrison of Auckland, General Manager Business Support, Northpower Ltd

• Daniel Clouston of Auckland, Manager, Brands and Communications, Wynyard Group

• Clive Horn of Christchurch, Head of Research, Tait Communications

• Jason Walker of Ohaupo, International Sales and Marketing Manager, BBC Technologies

• Cilla Hegarty of Christchurch, CEO, NZ Tax Refunds

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce says the calibre of this year’s applicants was extremely high.

“These scholarships recognise the skills, achievements and potential of some of New Zealand’s up and coming business leaders. The calibre of this year’s recipients has been incredibly high and the study they undertake will have many positive flow-on effects for Kiwi businesses,” says Mr Joyce.

ENDS

Biographies of the 2013 Business Scholarships recipients

Scott Coulter

Scott works for Comvita as the Chief Operating Officer. In this role Scott leads Comvita’s strategy. The company’s focus on building a business that is close to their customer base has seen the company move from an exporting company to an international marketing business with high value products sold globally.

Scott is applying to study an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. The course will allow Scott the time to reflect on the business and interact with business leaders from around the world, while giving him strategies to handle the challenges associated with operating in different international markets.

Hena Rana

Hena is the Technical Director Business Advisory for Beca. She has recently taken on a number of leadership duties centred on growing BECAs international consulting business and is currently working toward expanding Beca’s revenue targeting opportunities in Asia.

Hena is applying to study the Program for Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School. The course will give Hena the commercialisation skills to grow Beca’s services to the next level.

Richard Wyeth

Richard is the CEO of Miraka Limited. Miraka is an 80 percent Māori owned dairy processing company that exports whole milk powder globally. Richard was appointed Chief Executive in September 2011, after serving as acting Chief Executive for nine months. He has held executive positions in a number of New Zealand Dairy companies.

Richard will undertake two courses at INSEAD - Negotiation Dynamics, and the Advanced Management Programme.

Rhys McKinlay

Rhys is the Sales Manager for New Zealand Pharmaceuticals. NZP manufactures a range of biopharmaceuticals, most notably pharmaceutical intermediates and ingredients, synthetic carbohydrates, diagnostic ingredients and dietary supplements. They export over 99 percent of their products to more than 180 countries. Rhys has responsibility for a number of NZP’s main relationships and on identifying strategic areas for the company’s market development.

Rhys will study at Stanford Business School undertaking the Executive Leadership Development Program. This course will allow Rhys to have a greater, global cross-industry peer network.

Dr Damian Lynch

Damian is the General Manager International for PGG Wrightson. As a member of the senior management team of PGG Wrightson, Damian’s roles is to achieve the strategic goals of growing the company’s Brazilian business, deepening relationships in China and develop direct channels to market in the USA. The company’s vision is to become a global business renowned for the commercialisation and distribution of innovative and market leading products in the food, feed and recreation industries.

Damian plans to study the Stanford Executive Program, which is the flagship executive program offered by the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The purpose of the Stanford

Executive Program is to equip senior executives with the knowledge, relationships, and tools necessary to drive results at the highest levels of global management.

Barbara Harrison

Barbara is the General Manager Business Support at Northpower Limited. As a member of the Senior Management team, Barbara has responsibility for the Corporate Services functions that are provided to Northpower’s international business activity. Alongside this, she contributes to the development and execution of Northpower’s businesses strategy.

Barbara is planning on studying the Wharton Business School Advanced Management Program. This program will allow Barbara to hone her individual leadership capability and develop her ability to drive business strategy. The Wharton Program brings extensive business knowledge, research and expertise to bear on all aspects of this thought leader training program.

Daniel Clouston

Daniel is the Manager, Brands and Communications at Wynyard Group. Wynyard specialise in intelligence-led risk management solutions, protecting companies and countries from threat, crime and corruption. Daniel is currently expanding the Wynyard brand into global markets.

Daniel is looking to study at Harvard Business School doing the Programme for Leadership Development program. The focus of his study will be on leadership, change, and innovation. This course is an intensive alternative to an Executive MBA.

Dr Clive Horn

Clive is the Head of Research at Tait Communications. In this role, Clive is directly involved with developing innovation through client collaboration. This collaboration develops unique insight into the client problems. Clive has previously obtained a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Electrical Engineering and the PhD in Instrumentation and Control.

Clive will study three courses at Stanford, the Innovative CIO: Leadership Innovation and Global Change; Design Thinking Boot Camp: From Insights to Innovation; and The Dispensable CTO: Strategic Leadership of Technology and Innovation. The courses Clive has chosen will develop his understanding on emerging technologies and how they change the way we innovate. The course will allow Tait Communication to move to a new, more effective way, of collaborating with clients.

Jason Walker

Jason is the International Sales and Marketing Manager for BBC Technologies. BBC Technologies are specialists in the manufacturing and development of Advanced Processing Technologies for small and delicate fruits, such as blueberries, cherries, cranberries and cherry and grape tomatoes. All products are designed and manufactured in New Zealand with 95 percent being exported internationally.

Jason is planning on undertaking the INSEAD, Leading the Effective Salesforce. This course focuses on Anglo business environments. The course will allow BBC Technologies to more effectively utilise their global salesforce as they expand into new markets.

Cilla Hegarty

Cilla is an award winning serial entrepreneur. She founded NZ Tax Refunds, New Zealand’s leading online tax refund company and is the Current CEO. The company has helped thousands of clients in New Zealand and is now planning to expand internationally. In 2014 the company is launching in the UK and then will enter other commonwealth countries.

Cilla is planning on attending the London Business School undertaking two courses, Innovation Making it Happen and Essentials of Leadership.

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