Board Directors' Delegation to Singapore and India
The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono is leading a group of nine New Zealand board directors to Singapore and India in November. Participants will gain first-hand insight into how organisations across the region are responding to rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty, climate risk and shifting capital flows – while contributing the perspective of a small, outward-facing economy.
The Board Directors' Delegation brings together a cohort of New Zealand directors to two markets of significant and growing importance to New Zealand. They will engage directly with company boards, institutions and key decision-makers.
The delegation is made up of directors who are helping shape the next chapter of New Zealand business, says the Foundation's director of business and entrepreneurship, Tim McCready.
"This group sits on the boards of organisations that have a real stake in Asia, whether through trade, investment, technology or talent.
"They bring a diversity of sectors and perspectives and are in a position to put what they learn to work in the boardroom straight away."
The insights gained through the delegation are intended to inform decisions well beyond the individuals who take part, building lasting connections between governance communities in New Zealand, Singapore and India.
"New Zealand’s prosperity will depend on how well our boards understand Asia. Investing in the capability of our directors is an important part of strengthening that relationship," McCready says.
"The questions landing on board agendas, from AI and energy security to geopolitics and infrastructure, are being shaped in Asia at extraordinary speed and scale. Directors who understand that context ask better questions and make better long-term calls."
Singapore and India offer complementary perspectives on the issues increasingly shaping New Zealand boardrooms.
Singapore sits at the leading edge of the region's governance thinking and is a hub for capital, technology, regulation and cross-border decision-making. India brings scale, rapid growth and rising relevance to New Zealand business following the signing of a free trade agreement between the two countries – yet remains less well understood.
McCready says the agreement has sparked real interest in India among New Zealand businesses, and boards will be the ones signing off on those strategies.
"That makes first-hand understanding of how the market works an essential part of good governance."
