There was a real sense of excitement in the air when the new chapter of NZ Asian Leaders was officially opened on the 23^rd of November.

Over 100 distinguished guests gathered at the Grand by SkyCity to celebrate the occasion, representing a diverse professional community.

Key themes of the evening were the relaunch of NZAL and celebrating a positive outlook. It included Aotearoa New Zealand being a multicultural country with bicultural heritage, a key role we can play in the Asian century with our geographical location, and a much broader scope of opportunities for diverse leaders as we mature as a nation.

We were fortunate to have such inspirational Speakers as Her Excellency Nur Izzah Wong Mee Choo (High Commissioner of Malaysia), Simon Bridges (CEO Auckland Chamber of Commerce), Kirk Hope (CEO Business New Zealand) and Brett O’Reilly (CEO Employers & Manufacturers Association).

Mai Chen, the founder of NZ Asian Leaders reflected on how far we have come towards recognising the value of diversity and welcomed new Co-Chairs, Sameer Handa and Lisa Li.

Lisa echoed the strategic importance of Asia in her speech. She revealed the vision of NZAL as the strong business focus on building links with Asian businesses both onshore and offshores, promoting Asian migrant values and integration into kiwi and Māori cultures while encouraging social responsibilities in gratitude to Aotearoa. She also reinforced the need to build pathways for emerging leaders to obtain executive roles.

The guests also enjoyed a korero with the new Board, which consists of eleven diverse leaders in their chosen professions (Click here for further detail.), and Master of Ceremony for the event, Ziena Jalil.

It was a great opportunity to reaffirm our shared vision of accelerating and celebrating Asian leaders’ contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand, Asia Pacific and globally.  

For more information, contact the new Co-Chairs:

Sameer Handa: sameer.handa@glowbal.co.nz

Lisa Li: lisa@chinatravel.co.nz